Talaiasi Labalaba

Talaiasi Labalaba BEM (13 July 1942 – 19 July 1972) was a British-Fijian sergeant in the SAS who was involved in the Battle of Mirbat on 19 July 1972.^[1] Labalaba initially served in the British Army in the Royal Ulster Rifles.^[1][2]

Talaiasi Labalaba BEM
Memorial to Sergeant Labalaba at the Royal Artillery Museum, London
Nickname	"Laba"
Born	(1942-07-13)13 July 1942 Fiji
Died	19 July 1972(1972-07-19) (aged 30) Mirbat, Oman
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1960–1972
Rank	Sergeant
Service number	23892771
Unit	Royal Ulster Rifles Royal Irish Rangers Special Air Service
Battles / wars	Aden Emergency Dhofar Rebellion Battle of Mirbat
Awards	British Empire Medal Mentioned in Despatches

Battle of Mirbat

The BATT House at Mirbat from the air

Mirbat Fort as it is today, the scene of the siege

On 19 July 1972 the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) attacked the British Army Training Team (BATT) house, which housed the nine SAS soldiers, based just outside the port of Mirbat, Oman.

Labalaba, aged 30, was shot dead in the neck whilst firing a 25-pounder gun at the attacking guerrilla forces.

He displayed notable bravery by continuing to fire the 25 pounder single handed in spite of being seriously wounded when a bullet hit him in the face, after his Omani loader was seriously wounded early in the battle. Captain Mike Kealy and fellow Sergeant Tommy Goodyear and Trooper Sekonaia Takavesi ran a gauntlet of enemy fire but arrived too late to save Labalaba. The trooper was also hit, Takavesi was wounded in the shoulder, head, and stomach while Dunkley was killed when a round penetrated the sand-bagged walls and hit him in the face. Labalaba's actions helped to keep the insurgents pinned down until Strikemaster jets of the SOAF arrived to drive back the attackers while reinforcements from Salalah could be organised.

Fellow SAS trooper Roger Cole in his book of the battle, SAS: Operation Storm, paid tribute to Labalaba saying if the guerrilla force had taken the 25-pounder then the SAS would have lost the battle.

Honours

Statue at Nadi International Airport

Labalaba was awarded a posthumous Mention in Despatches for his actions in the Battle of Mirbat, although some of his former comrades have campaigned for him to be awarded the more prestigious Victoria Cross.^[3][4] His body was returned to England and buried in the cemetery at St Martin's Church, Hereford.^[1]

In 2012 he was chosen as one of BBC Radio 4's 60 New Elizabethans in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.^[5]

A statue of Labalaba was erected in 2009 at the SAS headquarters in Herefordshire, and another, at Nadi International Airport in Fiji, dedicated in 2018 during a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.^[6][7][8][9]

Sergeant Tommy Goodyear, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for this battle, he was awarded this on his return to Hereford where he is a highly decorated soldier within 22 SAS Regiment.