“Fearless” Fred Marafono, 13/12/40- 27/3/13. Born on the island of Rotuma in Fiji, he joined the British Army at 21 and served in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, before joining the SAS, where he saw service in Borneo, Aden, Oman, Northern Ireland and the Falklands.
After having left the SAS Fred arrived in Sierra Leone in 1994, he later joined two former members of Executive Outcomes and together they crewed a single helicopter that provided a vital air bridge between Sierra Leone and neighboring Liberia.
During “Op Barras”, the SAS and the Parachute Regiment operation to free five soldiers of the Royal Irish regiment held by the “West Side Boys” militia, Marafono, three months short of his 60th birthday, hovered overhead ready to give cover fire in a helicopter gunship.
Though both sides were accused of atrocities in the war, Marafono was convinced he was fighting on the right side. “I’m not going to boast and brag about killing people. But I never lose a night’s sleep about it. We were not doing it because of money; we were doing it because it was a mission. If we don’t do it, people will die – and die terribly.”
He was widely respected in the SAS for his fearlessness. He was also noted for introducing to the regiment the ritual of drinking flaming Drambuies, which involved igniting, then knocking back, large glasses of the liqueur. As on the battlefield, there were frequent casualties.
He was appointed MBE in the New Year’s Honours of 1983. The citation: “It is doubtful whether any officer or NCO can equal the number of operations which WO1 Marafono has volunteered for and taken part in. On all, his standards of leadership and gallantry have been a positive inspiration to subordinates and superiors who have come into contact with him. Many anti-terrorist techniques currently in use in Northern Ireland and in the UK are the result of his unstinting work and clear vision. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the Regiment has been in the jungle where he has evolved many methods of operating which will form the basis of Special Operations for many years to come. His abilities as a visual tracker are legendary, and he is conceivably the leading expert in this field in the Service. Over many years he has consistently put the Service’s need before his own, and has been a key figure in influencing many matters of Regimental and National importance.”
In his last years he co-authored a book about the time he spent in Sierra Leone, entitled
