Nicolas Jon Downie (27 May 1946) was a British journalist and soldier.[1]
Education and early career[]
Nick Downie was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and at the Middlesex Hospital and Stirling Lines. One year before his qualification as a doctor, Downie instead joined the Special Air Service as a Trooper.[2]
Career[]
Military[]
Downie was the only civilian of 120 applicants to the Regular SAS,[2] but one of six accepted into the training. He was an instrumental figure in the Dhofar Rebellion, where he destroyed a South Yemen fort (with 1,050 lb of gelignite), who with Russian and Chinese support were helping the infiltration of Oman by South Yemen [3] Downie’s final military engagement was with the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan fighting against Saddam Hussein in 1974-75.[4]
Journalist[]
He later worked as a war correspondent, winning multiple awards. The Royal Television Society recognised his work with three awards.[5]
Downie became disillusioned by the viewers' desire for images over analysis.[6]
References[]
- ↑ "Ihdependent Diary". The Independent. 17 March 1993. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/diary-1498212.html.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "SHOOTING GUERRILLAS". 21 December 1985. http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/21st-december-1985/23/shooting-guerrillas.
- ↑ Tristan (Dec 13, 2011). "My Secret War: Looking For Nick". http://mysecretwardhofar.blogspot.com/2011/12/looking-for-nick.html.
- ↑ "Shooting Gurrillas". Dec 21, 1985. http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/21st-december-1985/23/shooting-guerrillas.
- ↑ "Awards Archive February 2011". http://rts.org.uk/sites/default/files/file/PDF's/Awards/Awards_Archive_February_2011.pdf.
- ↑ "War Reporters". http://films.com/title/2922.
The original article can be found at Nick Downie and the edit history here.