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The Epic SAS battle in Oman - the battle of Mirbat 1972

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In July 1972, nine SAS soldiers faced impossible odds in a forgotten battle that helped shape the Cold War. The Battle of Mirbat stands as one of the most extraordinary feats in British Army history - a modern-day Rorke's Drift where elite Special Forces held the line against overwhelming communist forces.

Deep in the mountains of Oman's Dhofar province, a Marxist insurgency backed by China and the Soviet Union threatened to topple the Sultan and seize control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Dhofar Rebellion had raged for a decade, with communist guerrillas controlling vast swathes of territory and pushing toward the vital oil routes of the Persian Gulf.

Standing in their way was a small SAS team stationed in the coastal town of Mirbat. On the morning of 19 July 1972, over 400 heavily-armed PFLOAG fighters descended from the hills in a coordinated assault designed to deliver a knockout blow to the Sultan's forces. Their target: nine British Army Special Forces soldiers and a handful of local allies defending an old fort.

What followed was four hours of desperate fighting that would become legendary within the SAS Regiment. Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba single-handedly operated a 25-pounder artillery gun - normally requiring six men - while under sustained enemy fire. Captain Mike Kealy coordinated the defense with extraordinary calm as bullets flew around him. When Labalaba was wounded, Trooper Tommy Tobin volunteered for a suicide mission to reach the isolated gun position.

This is the incredible true story of courage under fire, of professional soldiers who refused to yield when everything seemed lost. The Battle of Mirbat was more than just a military engagement - it was a turning point in the Dhofar Rebellion that secured Oman's future and protected Western interests in the Gulf during the height of the Cold War.

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Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that bring British History to life.

The Shangani Patrol: Major Wilson’s Last Stand Against Impossible Odds (1893)

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On December 4th, 1893, near the banks of the Shangani River in what is now Zimbabwe, fewer than 30 British soldiers under Major Allan Wilson made their final stand against over 3,000 Matabele warriors.

Surrounded, outnumbered, and cut off from reinforcements by a raging river, these men fought until their ammunition ran out.

Legend says that as the enemy made their final charge, the survivors stood and sang "God Save the Queen" before meeting their fate.

This dramatic last stand became the stuff of British imperial legend, shaping white Rhodesian identity for eight decades. But what brought these men to this desperate moment in the African wilderness?

The story begins with Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company's expansion into Mashonaland in 1890.

To the west lay the powerful Matabele kingdom under King Lobengula, who continued traditional raids against the Shona people - now living on white settler farms.

When Dr. Leander Starr Jameson declared war in October 1893, two columns advanced into Matabele territory, devastating the kingdom's forces with modern rifles and Maxim guns.

After capturing the burning capital of Bulawayo, Major Patrick Forbes led a flying column in pursuit of the fleeing king., Lobengula. The force included the ambitious Major Allan Wilson, experienced Boer frontiersman Piet Raaff, and American scout Frederick Burnham.

Wilson's led a small patrol across the Shangani river on December 3rd in pursuit of the king.. During the night, he found himself surrounded by thousands of warriors.

The 29 men formed a defensive ring using their horses as cover and fought for hours against overwhelming odds. Matabele accounts describe Wilson being shot six times but continuing to fight, and wounded men passing ammunition with their teeth.

In the end, seven men remained standing. They removed their hats, shook hands, and sang a hymn, legend has it that it was "God Save The Queen"

The legend of the Shangani Patrol became embedded in Rhodesian mythology until Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.

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The Castle Hill Rebellion: When Irish Revolutionaries Fought British Redcoats in Australia (1804)

Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.

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On the morning of March 5th, 1804, the sound of musket fire echoed across the hills northwest of Sydney, marking the largest convict uprising in Australian history.

But these weren't ordinary criminals - they were seasoned Irish revolutionaries who had already battled British forces during the 1798 United Irishmen revolt, and now they were making one final desperate bid for freedom on the other side of the world.

This is the extraordinary story of the Castle Hill Rebellion, also known as the Battle of Vinegar Hill, when 300 Irish political prisoners led by Philip Cunningham attempted to seize control of the New South Wales penal colony, capture ships, and sail home to rejoin what they believed was an ongoing revolution in Ireland.

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Chris Green is The History Chap, telling stories from British history.

This is the moment in 1843 when for 5 months the British occupied Hawaii.

Not part of some master plan, but because a Royal Navy officer went way beyond his orders!

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48,000 shells in 2 Hours: Why Was Acre Attacked in 1840?

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In November 1840, a British naval squadron unleashed one of the most devastating bombardments in military history against the ancient fortress of Acre.

In just over two hours, Admiral Sir Robert Stopford's fleet fired 48,000 shells, reducing walls that had withstood Napoleon himself to rubble and killing over 1,000 defenders in a single magazine explosion.

But why were British warships attacking this Syrian coastal fortress? The answer lies in the Oriental Crisis of 1840 - a forgotten conflict that nearly dismembered the Ottoman Empire and reshaped the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.

The movie "Zulu"'s Greatest Injustice: The True Story of Henry Hook VC.

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If you've watched the classic 1964 film "Zulu," you'll remember Henry Hook as a drunken, cowardly malingerer who miraculously finds his courage during the Battle of Rorke's Drift. But what if I told you the real Henry Hook was the exact OPPOSITE of his film portrayal?

In this episode, we uncover the shocking truth about Alfred Henry Hook VC - a teetotal, model soldier who served his country for over 40 years.

Far from being the cockney anti-hero played by James Booth, Hook was a dedicated soldier from Gloucestershire, not a London thief.

He was a member of the Good Templars temperance society who completely abstained from alcohol. When the Zulus attacked, he wasn't malingering in bed but working as the hospital cook, preparing tea for patients.

The real Hook was a skilled marksman who single-handedly held off Zulu warriors for hours, defending the hospital room by room with incredible bravery.

He saved patients by carrying them to safety on his back, including the injured Private Connolly whose leg he broke again while dragging him through a hole in the wall to escape the flames and assegais.

Discover how Hook's incredible real story of genuine heroism was completely distorted by Hollywood.
Explore his post-war life working at the British Museum as a book duster, his struggles with literacy despite letters of support from Lord Chelmsford and the Prince of Wales, and how he became a minor celebrity wearing his Victoria Cross while visitors heard his battle stories.

Learn about his continued military service with volunteer battalions for 20 years, rising to Instruction Sergeant, his troubled first marriage and happier second marriage to Ada Taylor, and his tragic early death from tuberculosis at just 54.

I also examine his family's genuine distress at the film's inaccurate portrayal and debunk the myth about them storming out of the premiere.

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Chris Green is The History Chap; telling forgotten stories from British history.

The Forgotten Victory: Battle of Bomarsund 1854 - The Baltic Campaign That Shaped the Crimean War

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Chris Green is The History Chap; telling forgotten stories from British history.

This is the story of Britain's forgotten naval port in China - Weihaiwei (1898-1930)

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