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[Brian S]

(Took Brian's advice and split this topic into its own category, as it keeps growing and we've had dozens of drive-by guests an hour looking at it...-Hock)

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Hock - just seen other threads were ths is referenced.  Perhaps we should keep any comments all on this one?  Just a thought. Perhaps he'll join under a false name like Damian Ross! 

The jury is still out with Bob, but his friends aren't doing him any favours.

As can be seen on the link they're banding together coming up with all kinds of tangents to avoid answering the question "Was Bob Spour in the SAS as he has claimed."  Bob himself has stayed silent, but is reportedly removing various claims from his web site(s).

http://selfdefence.darkbb.com/qa-with-bob-spour-f12/bob-spour-are-you-fake-sas-t882.htm

I myself wrote I had heard "from many sources" that Bob was SAS.  On further examination I can see that all my sources were told, by Bob, that he was in the SAS..... so my apologies for the lapse.

[Crafty]

Nothing on his site that he is sas but he is updating his site how come this has come up all of a sudden bobs been round for years but if you lie you pay the price.

If its true i agree

[Joe Hubbard]

This is an intersting subject, but what proof does anybody have that Bob wasn't in the SAS or the military?  There seems to be no evidence presented other than he doesn't want to talk about it.  Could there be some connection? Was he in the Paras and did some exercises with SAS?  Was he in the TA SAS?  Has anybody spoken to Richard Grannon about this?  Surely he has some indication since he released the DVD set in the first place.

What I find weird about this is after seeing his DVD set myself, he really seems to have that British military background mindset down.  Friends of mine - who are ex-SAS, who have also seen it - have commented that you really can't fake that military attitude.  One ex-SAS in particular said, "If Bob is a fake he is a bloody good actor!"  Bob still runs a website called Survival SAS and some the other instructors are former military.  Wouldn't they have done there own checks?

http://www.sassurvival.co.uk/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

This is a maybe or maybe not scenario, but what kind of erks me is that no one has any proof yet and they are tar and feathering Bob straight away, but when Hock and I have presented unequivocal proof that Jim Wagner is a "real fake", everyone seems not to be so bothered.  Makes you think- doesn't it?  Let's get some proof before you hang Bob's reputation out to dry. 

[Brian S]

I am the Regimental Sergeant Major of an elite unit within the SAS that no outsider has ever heard of.  And there is a secret law saying that anyone seling self protection course and DVDs has to give me the proceeds.  Now Joe, you prove that this is not true..

Not too easy is it? 

Bob has made the claims, loudly for a long time.  He has made money out of the claim also.  The onus of proof is clearly on him.  If not?  Gimme all your money.

[Brian S]

By the way Joe..... didn't you criticise Jim Wagner for not answering 13 questions or something?

Let's keep the rules simple and logical..... and consistent.  If you make claims... you have to back them up.  This is even more important when we're talking about making money AND military service.

[Joe Hubbard]

The proof was more than there about Wagner for all to see.  I don't need to go through old ground to prove that, do I Brian. 

http://www.hockscqc.com/blogs/07-08/index.htm

http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1095.htm

Regardless of official documents revealed on POW.net and personal confirmation from the U.S. Marines about his phony certificate coupled by further testimony on this forum from Federal agents, most - including you - were not bothered about Wagner being a fake.

If Bob Spour is a fake - and by the way, there are ways to check this out - then let's see some evidence.  That's all I am saying- where is the evidence?  With Jimbo, there was more than enough, but the general consensus was that people did not care if he was lying as long as he was teaching something good.  If you want to rake someone over the coals, then clarify the claims with something more concrete than just rumours.  Surely you learned that in your diversity class?

[metz57]

I have no idea if Bob Spour is what he claims to be or not. I have some of his material and to be honest, I like it. I normally wouldn’t look twice at anything with SAS in the sales pitch because its BS 9 times out of 10. I bought his DVD’s after seeing a few clips that sparked my interest, maybe links form this forum. I did find the whole dressing up thing a bit strange and the military items in the background a little ‘chad’.

I agree with Joe about the military style of his presentation. He may or may not turn out to be lying about serving in the SAS, but I’d bet my left bollock that he served in some capacity. If not, I've been fooled and he has missed his calling as an actor! 

Regardless of how this case turns out, is it just me or does this industry seem to attract more than its fair share of wannabe’s, fantasists, liars, walts and frauds? Any suggestions why this may be?

[JimH]

From Bob's own web site:
http://www.bobspour.co.uk/martial_arts.php
(martial arts section,as the rest is being updated)

Bob says:
"I trained with Harry right up to the early 80’s."
"So we trained and trained hard until eventually I moved to Lancashire and served with the Queens Lancashire Regiment."
"My involvement with the SAS spanned 5 years and this was at a time things were really busy."
"When I left the Military in 1984."

Bob also says that the SAS was little known ,even amongst those in the British Military in the late 1970's-1980's/
I can tell you this is WRONG as I served in London 1975-1977 as a US Marine and new of the SAS and we even had them down to shoot on our indoor range.
You could often go into the pubs around the US Embassy at that time and some of them would come up ask if you were a US Marine and tell you they were SAS and show you an ID Card.


Now if we follow the words of Bob himself he spent UP TO 4 years in the military,(probably less as he says EARLY 1980's)
So if he served witht the SAS it was most likely as a TA with 23 SAS after his service with the Queens Royal Lancashire Regiment.

I also purchased Bob's material.
Not because it was the Secrets of the SAS,which there are none,but I liked his version of combatives,similar to WWII type combatives and it is Jap slapping.
Now Jap slapping was and is only taught to the Para's,SAS,SBS after the Falklands war.
So he did not learn it with the  Queens  Royal Lancashire Regiment,so he either learned it while serving or from someone who served in one of those units.

Also Bob's friends who are notable SAS men  and one of whom is John "Mac" Mcaleese of SAS/Iranian Embassy Fame do not seem like the kind to allow a non Regiment member to use its name for profit and sign on as instructors with them.

I think Bob may have served with 23 SAS TA but he may not have had such a wide variety of actions as he claims around the world and this may be his conflict.

People that I talk to that have served in the Regiment do not seem so quick to disavow Bob nor claim him to be a MITTY.

I hope it does not turn out to be true but if it is then it should come out and he should be so labeled.
(As a Mitty/Fake/Fraud)

If it is true,again,here is a guy with actual service (which may or may not include SAS) and he could have just used that service  to push his military qualifications to support his martial teachings.

He has good material ,too bad he could lose his reputation over a POSSIBLE lie.

[Brian S]

This is purported to be am email from John Mac Mcaleese


http://messyshare.com/show.php/319839_Email.jpg.html

It is all over Brit Military forums, though I cannot confirm it's validity.

Joe - looks like you owe me money mate.

[Richard Sackville]

Not because it was the Secrets of the SAS,which there are none,but I liked his version of combatives,similar to WWII type combatives and it is Jap slapping.
Now Jap slapping was and is only taught to the Para's,SAS,SBS after the Falklands war.
So he did not learn it with the  Queens  Royal Lancashire Regiment,so he either learned it while serving or from someone who served in one of those units.

Jim, just a small point but from the early eighties, jap slapping was taught to other front line infantry units and people like the RAF Reg etc.

I was in the Queens Regiment in the early eighties which was an infantry Regiment and every three months or so we had the jap slapping module to take. Lot's or bumps and cuts etc.  

And before anyone says the Paras or SAS got something differant,  I was based in Ireland and got to take part in jap slapping workouts with 42 Commando, 14 Int aka det, SAS troop and lots of Paras, mainly because I lived with them all in a compound at some point. It's all the same stuff.

Minor point but there you go

Regards

Richard aka Big Bird
24685557 (have taken to posting my Brit army number latlyr, so people can check)!
Edit for poor English...

[JimH]

Brian S,
the link does not open to the email.
can you copy and paste the email ?
or
provide the gist of the email ?

Thanks.

Richard,Thanks for the update and correction.
The UK military forums I am on note that after the Falklands the Para's wanted a better H2H and they got Jap slapping.
They then said that it was picked up by the SAS/SBS,(never mentioned other units),I am glad the usage of this was extended beyond these units.

So,according to you,Bob could have just as well learned Jap slapping in the Queens Royal Lancashire Regiment ?
If so he could have just sold it as the fighting system of the British MOD and left off the reference to the SAS if he had not served.
Stupid to ruin your credibility over a lie.

Thanks again for the update.

[Hock]

I can see a shrinken John "Mac" Mcaleese entry, but once I clicked on it, it enlarged and I could see it.

Hock

[Richard Sackville]

Richard,Thanks for the update and correction.
The UK military forums I am on note that after the Falklands the Para's wanted a better H2H and they got Jap slapping.
They then said that it was picked up by the SAS/SBS,(never mentioned other units),I am glad the usage of this was extended beyond these units.

So,according to you,Bob could have just as well learned Jap slapping in the Queens Royal Lancashire Regiment ?
If so he could have just sold it as the fighting system of the British MOD and left off the reference to the SAS if he had not served.
Stupid to ruin your credibility over a lie.

Thanks again for the update.

Yes Jim, The Queens Royal Lancashire Regiment would have had jap slapping, especially if they were due a tour of Northern Ireland. It was normally part of a pre Ireland training module along with urban warfare street patrol training and up to date intel briefings about the people and places they were going to go from people like me (who lived there all the time). That’s how I got to see a good overview of what each arm or section of the Army had and did at that time. One point that may be worth considering is that sometimes members of the reinforced SAS troop would take some of the training for the modules.

The module came about around the late seventies to get soldiers used to street patrols and to also update them on the latest way the Irish had come up with killing people.  There were a number of skill sets also filmed and shown. I was in one film but since it was restricted, I have never been able to get a copy. Restricted does not mean too much as even the cooks and drivers etc would have been able to view.

The funny thing about all this is the best jap slapping instructor I ever saw was a guy from what used to be the old Pioneer Corp, they dug ditches and things like that. He was not special Op’s but everybody rated him and is well known as he used to have a long bead. Often he would travel around teaching jap slapping and would fight people at the drop of a hat.

Regards

Richard

[Crafty]

As far a bobs reputation is concerned no one has a bad word to say about him and as a instructer he is up there with the best of them.Thats coming from poeple that have worked with him for years but i hope this clears up and the truth comes out.And he can keep doing what he does best it will only be good for martial arts.

[Richard Sackville]

Don't know Bob, I hear he's a great teacher and I have some of the street fighting DVD's from Richard. I hope it all turns out to a mistake as well.