John “Lofty” Wiseman is a London-born SAS veteran with strong links to Hereford.
He volunteered for SAS selection and became the youngest person ever to pass the course, transferring into 22 SAS where he would serve for 26 years.
Here's all you need to know about John “Lofty” Wiseman.
John “Lofty” Wiseman
John “Lofty” Wiseman joined the Parachute Regiment in 1958, aged 17.
The following year, aged 18, he volunteered for SAS selection and became the youngest person ever to pass the course.
He transferred to 22 SAS, where he served for 26 years and eventually became a Warrant Officer.
SAS career
During his career, Wiseman served worldwide in every major theatre of operations open to the British Army between 1959 and 1985.
His experience included counter-insurgency, reconnaissance and special operations.
He held senior positions including Sergeant Major of B Squadron, 22 SAS Regimental Sergeant Major and Head of Operational Research on the Training Wing.
In that final role, he helped shape the regiment’s tactics, training and equipment.
Counter-terrorism work
Wiseman helped develop the SAS’s modern counter-terrorism capability.
He set up the SP Team, a counter-hijack unit, and helped found the SAS Counter-Terrorist Team.
The team became known for its role in the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London.
His work on operational research and close-quarters battle techniques contributed to the tactics and training used in hostage-rescue operations.
Training and selection
Before retiring, Wiseman ran the SAS Selection Course and served on selection panels.
He also trained the first members of the US Army’s Green Berets who later formed Delta Force.
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Books and Hereford links
Wiseman left the SAS in 1985 and became a survival consultant, instructor and author.
His best-known book, The SAS Survival Handbook, was first published in 1986 and has sold over two million copies.
It has also been translated into more than 20 languages.
Wiseman appeared on television programmes, wrote other survival and self-defence manuals, and worked with survival schools including Trueways.
He remained associated with the Hereford area and the SAS base, and was reported seriously ill after surgery in Hereford in 2025.
John “Lofty” Wiseman’s career connected military service, survival expertise and a long association with Hereford.
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