The Gunner who took command of 23 SAS

Lieutenant-Colonel Roderick Mackenzie, who died on June 13 aged 88, was a courageous and charismatic Royal Artillery officer; he won an MC during the Italian campaign and later commanded 23 SAS.The son of a Canadian farmer, Roderick Stuart Mackenzie was born on October 18 1922 at Duncan, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. He attended Brentwood College, north of Victoria, and in 1938 tried to join the British Army, only to be rejected because of his mild colour blindness. In the summer of 1939 his family went to live in England, arriving at Liverpool a week before the outbreak of war. Mackenzie passed the Civil Service exam, and the next year – when medical requirements were less stringent – was commissioned into the Royal Artillery, joining 78 (Lowland) Field Regiment RA TA at Aberdeen for training before embarking for Egypt. Read More Here R.I.P

UBIQUE SIR , R.I.P.