"Gallant" Portsmouth head of SAS and "towering" soldier's medals to be put up for auction - how much?

The group of honours belonging to Lieutenant-General Sir John Peter Barry Condliffe Watts are being put up for auction. The Portsmouth native, born in 1930 and died in 2003, was the former head of the Special Air Service (SAS) - described as “an extremely brave and fearless commander” and “outstanding tactician”.

His medals are being sold at Woolley & Wallis salerooms in Salisbury on June 3, with an estimated valuation of between £40,000 and £60,000. Ned Cowell, Head of Arms & Armour, said: “John Peter Barry Condliffe Watts (1930-2003) was a gallant soldier and an exemplary special forces officer and is a towering figure in the post-war history of the SAS. He excelled at all levels of command, combining fearlessness, fortitude and tactical acuity with exceptional leadership qualities and uncommon powers of diplomacy.”

Lt Gen Watts served in the Royal Ulster Rifles and 22 Special Air Service Regiment. His military career began on his conscription in 1949 when he joined the King’s Rifle Corps. He went on to attend the Officer Cadet School at Eaton Hall, and when his leadership potential was spotted, he joined the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

The soldier became 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1951 and was promoted to Lieutenant two years later. After serving with the regiment in Hong Kong for two years, he volunteered for the Parachute Regiment and joined the 3rd Battalion in Suez in 1954.

In 1955, Watts’ company was attached to the 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) regiment for an operational tour in Malaya. The elite force was founded by David Stirling in 1941 to carry out raids behind enemy lines during the Second World War. Watts passed selection in 1957 and entered the SAS.

During this period, he also served with the 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles in Cyprus, before receiving orders to return to Malaya to assume command of D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment. Now holding the rank of Captain, he led his men on a series of daring operations deep within the jungle, targeting communist insurgents with precision and resolve. His leadership, exceptional bravery and flair, earnt him official recognition in despatches.

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He then went on to serve in what was to be known as the Jebel Akhdar War in 1958, where open warfare erupted between the Sultan of Oman - backed by the British - and Saudi-supported tribal factions. Watts planned and executed a daring assault on the entrenched rebel force, which were using the formidable mountain ridge which formed part of Oman’s Hajar range as a stronghold, in 1959. His efforts earned him the Military Cross. Campaigns in Burma and Yemen leading SAS regiments followed, with Watts being promoted to Major in 1964.

He commanded 22 SAS in 1971 during Operation Jaguar, fighting against a communist-backed rebellion in Oman who were in conflict with the new Sultan, Qaboos bin Said. Watts devised and led a counterinsurgency campaign, and at one point risked his own life to evacuate a wounded soldier under enemy fire, His leadership and gallantry led to Watts being appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the tour’s end.

Watts become the director of the SAS and Commander of the SAS Group at the rank of Brigadier in 1975, shaping the force for modern operations and counter-terrorism procedures.

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