Ben makes a change from the other SF types who appear on YT and TV, who tend to be 'in your face' and full of it. Ben must have passed the Grey Man test with flying colours.
Ben has such a unique way of talking. Everything is clear, concise and yet entertaining. You can tell he's absolutely a born teacher and someone that would be fantastic to learn from.
Funny how Ben says when he was Pathfinders they had their own "compound", I remember back in '85 when the Pathfinders were starting back up again all they had was the old band practice building in Montgomery Lines, it was the duplicate of the guardroom building on the other side. Happy days!!!
You certainly stirred the memories, Ben ! When I joined depot in 1975 my instructor was ex sas , the first thing he taught us was take your shit 💩, literally !! What he taught me on and off the syllabus saved me more times I care to remember, one I still think about a lot about was in South Armagh, had a new Rupert join us in a long OP, brick out his ration pack, got out his hexy block, asked him what the fk was he doing, got a stupid reply, so I moved well away, well away !! 1hr later hit by 3 mortars from over the border, he never heated his scoff ever again…I have the privilege to still be best friends with my ex sas man. Thanks for your service. Firm..
Must have been a big OP to be able to move out of the range of incoming artillery fire? Does it make you feel good knowing you could have helped to teach more inexperienced members of the Army but instead you decide to be a jack cunt and then chat shit on the internet to sound like a war hero?
Really enjoyed this podcast. Ben is clearly a highly intelligent individual. I’ve watched a lot of interviews with ex SF, para reg, marines etc. These guys were way more switched on in my opinion than their superiors. You don’t see many interviews with ex officers. The guys writing books, doing tv etc. are virtually all ex NCOS. I wonder does that grate on their former bosses.
What a magnificent interview! The guest clearly exemplified education, professionalism, and humility-an outstanding listen, considering his remarkable life achievements. This stands out as the best podcast featuring Hereford blokes, surpassing even those on TV, channel 4. As a 24-year Reg served, I could truly identify with the names, events, and discussions throughout. Kudos to Ben for delivering such a compelling and relatable episode. It’s a relief from the usual self-congratulatory narratives. Well done!
Comes A fantastic interview and Ben was tremendous, really grounded and lovely chap Thank you Ben for what you have done and what you do now in supporting veterans 🙏🇬🇧
As a civvie I enjoy these podcasts and with a few ex-service mates I can get much of the content albeit as an outsider, this one was the best I’ve seen and Ben seems such a nice guy and down to earth, its great to get to know the man behind the rank and service and what makes them tick 👍
I like what HR4K stands for that is primarily and undoubtedly set with military routs at it's core. However the branches of this tree spread out widely and is more than just military in mind. It welcomes all and that is what makes Ben and his business special. The mixture of people and experiences but all sharing a common ethos is an amazing and inspirational thing. Keep on doing what you're doing Ben.
Mate, love the HR4K ethos piece. A lot of us struggle with finding true teamwork and solid mates on civvie street. Love the interview. Greetings from Spain, ex-Rifles.
Great interview, this should be played to young boys in schools or the cadets, would give them something to aspire to and be a great recruiting tool, demonstrates what can be achieved if you have ambition
Listening to Ben is like going back in time for me from have a cnut of a training screw who took a dislike to me from day 1 to being in battalion and getting completely bored with Bn life,I oassed out on a friday and was in West Belfast on the monday,did 3 days training and i was put with a brick,that was my best time,I was 3RGJ
I’ve known Ben 20years… and can hand on heart say he was the WORST army mechanic I ever came across!! I got him to work on my Vauxhall cavalier back in the day and it never worked properly again after his f**k tard hands touched it! 😆 But I did crash his Citroen saxo and wrote it off when he was on tour so guess we can call it quits. Love ya BG 😘 x see ya soon slick x
I remember the days of the harley Davidson dirt bikes to get around desert areas i never knew Harley Davidson even did a dirt bike never mind a military version i was lucky enough to get a posting to the trials and development unit that was some of the most fun i had we would trial side by side dune buggys all terrain vehicles pretty much anything that was going to be considered for deployment to the army we got to test and work on as i said it was the best thing i did and highly recommend anyone to grab the opportunity to go if you ever get one
Ex Saif Sareea 2 (2001) was my proper introduction to Harley's being used for that reason. Also, spent some time with the trails team, just outside Aldershot in the mid 2000s...totally agree with you, anyone able to get on that team, even if its for a month or 2, is well worth it! Trying to test and break the new equipment to make sure it's "squaddy proof" is great fun and an experience. Thanks for watching! Gav
Yeah that's exactly when I found out about them too.i was a pioneer and got to my regiment 01. was ex opp saif sareeea the Oman exercises that's why we would have been getting the bikes out of the regiments motor pool. we had a massive warehouse full of bikes, j.c.bs, Saracens then all the pioneers kit bricky laying stuff carpenters gear saws tents and the infantry gear like mortars, milans and all the rest you know what I'm talking about. i remember after the regiment got back we spent weeks de gunging everything the sand got into everything which you will be well aware off if you went anyway thanks for the reply and all the best brother ❤
A very interesting career for Ben, good effort for his achievements and thank you for your service. But, i feel that he holds a major grudge against the RM for failing his application.
Your correct ben when i did junior brecon we had a few hereford lads from corps. Only took notice as one lad was a fing RMP from 160 provo but stayed with hiim on the 3 miler from X range to black hut then as we got counted into the A group i spewed my scoff over his daysack. 😮
The interviewer asks: So for the jungle phase? For the listeners, where is the jungle phase of selection held? Ben G: "Launches into a full description of selection from beginning to end, without ever answering the question of where jungle selection is held" For those who wanted to know the answer to that question, the jungle part of selection is held in Brunei or Belize.. Depending on certain circumstances.
I remember EXACTLY which watch brand Ben is referring to and I remember reading Ben's comments to them on one of their instagram posts, with the subsequent apology "story" they put up on Insta. However, coincidently, I notice they now have 2 or 3 former 22/SB blokes promoting the watches. Interesting.
Fair one. Can't even slag this guy off. Was gonna joke about being fat and rejected by the corps, etc., but nothing came easy for him. Had to battle the whole way and endure some massive setbacks.
