Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

“Rusty Firmin asked the man next to him, Bob Curry, to take out the Equaliser he was carrying as a back-up. The Equaliser was a six-pound sledge hammer with a short wooden shaft... By now the rest of the team was already at his shoulder ‘Bob,’ Firmin said, pointing with a bare index finger: ‘make entry through that window with the sledge.’ Bob Curry swung the business end of the hammer up high behind his head and sent it smashing through the window. He looked like Thor, god of thunder, having a bad day. There was an almighty crash as the head of the sledge hammer punched clean through the windows. Splinters of glass and wood flew to all sides. If the six gunmen inside the embassy didn’t know the SAS were on their case now, they never would.”

(Extract from the book, “Go, Go, Go”, by Rusty Firmin)

The iconic ‘Operation Nimrod’ campaign pair awarded to Sergeant A. R. ‘Bob’ Curry, B Squadron, Special Air Service, formerly Royal Anglian Regiment, a member of the main hostage rescue force during the Iranian Embassy Siege on 5 May 1980 - He was the first man in through the ground floor window at the rear of the embassy, a moment that was famously captured on camera at the time: Curry has recently published his autobiography ‘The Psychic Soldier’


General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland (24146935 Pte., R. Anglian); South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (24146935 Cpl, R Anglian (SAS)) together with card boxes of issue for both medals, nearly extremely fine (2) £20000-25000

Bob Curry was born in 1953 in Cambridgeshire and enlisted into the Royal Anglian Regiment as a junior soldier aged 15 in 1968. He served continuously with this regiment for the next 11 years, including service in Northern Ireland, before going on to pass selection for the Special Air Service Regiment in 1979.

The Iranian Embassy Siege, 5 May 1980

The following is extracted from the recipient’s autobiography, The Psychic Soldier, published in 2014:

‘On return to Hereford we were taken on our next role. For the next six months we were assigned to the national counterterrorist team. This was early 1980. If there was a local problem, you would ring 999 and expect the police, ambulance or fire brigade to attend to your problem. Well, if there was a terrorist incident in this country, the national counterterrorist team would deal with it, and as you would expect, it was the country's blue-light service, just like your local services always on call, always ready, highly trained, and very effective against any terrorist organisation that wanted to perform in this country. My advice to the terrorists was, 'Don't even think about it.'

I was trained as an assault team member. These are men that go into the building where the terrorists are located and clear the rooms - the sharp end of the job, as you've seen on the films and television, giving the bad guys the good news. Never shooting a hostage - this was what the training was about. Picking out the good from the bad and dealing with the situation that you found yourself in at the time.

I was also trained as a sniper, both day and night. The use of night observation equipment was important in the training to see and not be seen. 'Surprise' was always the word.

After a series of exercises confirming the team were ready to take on the role, finally we took over the national counterterrorist team responsibilities. Every day was training, long and hard, and no stone went unturned. We were ready, should the call come, and in May 1980 it did. We were just coming back from training. It was lunchtime, and the troop sergeant, Roy, said to us, 'The Iranian Embassy in London has been taken over by a group of terrorists. We are on standby to go.' And we were ready. We were always ready. The kits were always packed to go. We were given the word to deploy to London.

There were hostages being held in the building at Princes Gate in London. There were several terrorists, all armed, holding them. They had even taken a policeman from the front door, holding him hostage. This had never happened in England before, but since the Munich Olympics and the disaster that had happened there, we'd had a team. This team was from the best unit in the British Army, the SAS, and I'm sure to this day that had the terrorists known of our existence, this incident would have never happened. They wouldn't have dared to try this. We have a saying in the military: 'Prior planning and preparation prevents piss-poor performance.' They hadn't followed this rule.

That night we moved into position in the building next door to the Iranian embassy to await the outcome of negotiations. If they failed, we were the next card to be played. There was a television programme on at the time where competitors went over an assault course, and to get double points they could play their joker card if the competitors felt they were good at one particular subject that the game demanded. This card was held by the government that day, and unfortunately, I knew what would happen. I thought: They're not going to let sixty rottweilers loose in London, are they?, by this I mean the SAS.

We had been there for five days in all. Negotiations went on and on.  I was convinced that this would all end in a peaceful settlement. The terrorists didn't know what was sitting next door, and if they had, I think they would have given up fast.

We were in assault teams of two men per team, and we all had jobs to do. First of all, we had to get in. This would be achieved by blowing an entry point at the rear of the building using explosives. It would be an electronic initiation. However, if the explosives failed to detonate, my job was to run forward and gain entry with a sledgehammer.

My team's final assault position was behind a small wall that we all had to lie down behind. It could not have been more than two feet high, which would not be much cover from a big blast. We waited for the big bang. It did not happen. Instead I got a slap on the head from one of the team. Go, go. I thought it must have been a misfire.

A misfire occurs when there is a problem with the circuit or when the detonator fails to explode and set off the main charge. Whatever had gone wrong, it was now up to me to get us in. I got up and ran forward. The explosives were still there on a long, flat length of wood leaning against the wall. Well, consider this: I thought that it was a misfire. The safety time for an electronic initiation misfire is ten minutes; this means you don't go near a device that has been attempted electronically for ten minutes.

Well, it was obvious that we did not have time to hang around and wait, so I kicked the charge out of my way, thinking, Well, if it goes off, I won't know anything about it. I'll be all over the park. And then I started to make an entry point through the window to my front. It had wooden shutters behind it, which were closed, and heavy draped curtains behind those. It didn't take me long, as obviously the adrenaline was rushing. I made an entry point. I remember removing the safety catch on my MP5 submachine gun with my thumb. Ready to deal with the aggressor that I might now meet inside, I climbed in. We were in.

Rooms were cleared of terrorists one at a time and hostages were handed out to the rear of the building. All had to be ID’d and the opposition dealt with. Regrettably, a fire had been started, so we had to get out as soon as the task was completed, which we did.

We were back next door, our task had been completed, we had saved all the remaining hostages and captured one terrorist, the other terrorists died due to their actions. Unfortunately the Embassy caught fire but this was brought under control and today it has been rebuilt to be as grand as it ever was.

At the end of all this we all made statements, and on our return to Hereford, two months later, it was announced that two QGM’s were to be awarded for the embassy action. When the names were published and Derek and I were not on the list, we just said, 'Well never mind.' It would have been nice to have that medal, but obviously we hadn't shouted loud enough. But then it wasn't about medals; it was about saving lives. And I think we had done this quite well.’


Post-Embassy Career

Following the success of the Iranian Embassy Siege, Bob continued to serve with the SAS for another four years, including service during the Falklands War and postings to Northern Ireland, as well as training specialist units around the world in the art of counter terrorism. He was discharged on 5 February 1985 having served in the army a total of 16 years and 224 days, following which he worked on the security circuit, spending three years working for the Al Fayed family, including one year as Dodi Al Fayed’s personal bodyguard.

Bob Curry currently lives and works in Hereford where he runs a successful locksmith training company, that trains amongst others, many current and former members of the armed forces. Following a serious road traffic accident in 1996 and the death of a close friend, Bob discovered that he had what he describes in his book as ‘mediumship capabilities’ and as a result is able to communicate with the ‘spirit world’, all of which is documented in his book, The Psychic Soldier, published in 2014.

One of Bob Curry’s SAS colleagues, ‘Rusty’ Firmin, who was in the same four-man team at the Embassy has published probably the most definitive account of the Iranian Embassy Siege in his book, ‘Go, Go, Go’, in which Bob is mentioned numerous times.

Sold with the following original material:

i. Certificate of Service ‘Red Book’, which confirms medal entitlement and gives his military conduct as ‘exemplary.’ His testimonial states: ‘Sergeant Curry joined the army as a junior soldier in 1968. He has been a thoroughly professional and dedicated soldier throughout his service. He is an approachable and effective leader who has put the many skills he has learnt to effective use during his career in the army.’

ii. A copy of the B Squadron, 22 Special Air Service regimental photograph, dated April 1982.

iii. Publisher’s ‘Proof’ copy of recipient’s published autobiography, The Psychic Soldier, published in 2014.

iv. A series of fifteen photographs of the SAS in action during Operation Nimrod.

v. Four Embassy Siege photographs signed by Soldier ‘I’, one additionally signed by Pete Scholey.

vi. A quantity of photographs of recipient, taken whilst serving with both the Special Air Service and the Royal Anglian Regiment.

vii. A head and shoulders pastel portrait of recipient in camouflage jacket and wearing SAS beret, by Roy Thomasson who was also present with him at the Embassy Siege.

viii. Oil painting on canvas of soldiers on SAS selection in the Brecon Beacons, with Pen y Fan in the distance, signed by Alan Hirji.

ix. Commemorative print ‘Operation Nimrod, 5th May 1980’, by D. Pentland, depicting members of ‘Pagoda’ Troop assaulting the front of the Embassy.

x. 22 Special Air Service commemorative print: ‘The SAS exists to provide the enemy soldier the best opportunity to die for his country’, Inscribed ‘Limited Edition No. 375 of 500’.

xi. Daily Express Magazine, Iranian Embassy Siege Special and Daily Mirror, Falklands War Victory issue.

xii. Daily Mail extract, featuring a full-page picture of recipient whilst serving with the Royal Anglian Regiment during the 1971 Bogside Riots in Northern Ireland.

xiii. Photocopy of the Falkland Islands ‘Instrument of Surrender’ document.

xiv. Recipient’s Special Air Service beret with cloth badge.

xv. Special Air Service stable belt.

xvi. Special Air Service cloth wings.

xvii. B Squadron Special Air Service silver and gold tie pin, in case of issue.

xviii. Statue of an SAS soldier on manoeuvres, with rifle in hand and bergen on back, cast in resin, 25cm high, on mahogany plinth, this with inscribed brass plaque ‘To Bob, all the best for the future. From all the lads, 8 Troop, B Squadron, 22 SAS’; together with two other smaller statues of SAS soldiers wearing counter terrorist kit.

xix. Special Air Service commemorative medallion.

xx. 22 Special Air Service, 50th anniversary commemorative plate 1952-2002, No 278 of 300; together with two invitations from the Commanding Officer, 22 Special Air Service Regiment and a reunion programme.

xxi. 22 Special Air Service wall plaque.

xxii. Timex wrist watch as used by the recipient on SAS selection.

xxiii. Three SAS commemorative china mugs, comprising 50th anniversary of the founding of the regiment 1952-2002; B Squadron, Pagoda Troop, Iranian Embassy Siege, 25th anniversary 1985; B Squadron, Pagoda Troop, 30th anniversary.