Badass: The Legend of Lofty Large
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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In this video:
The British Special Air Service, better known simply as the SAS has one of the toughest and most unforgiving selection processes of any military unit on Earth. With a washout rate of around 95%, depending on which source you consult, there are only a handful of individuals who can claim to have completed this fiendishly difficult course, and only one who can claim to have done it twice-once with a broken ankle. This is the story of Donald Large.
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Lofty was also officially the bravest guy I ever met.....He taught my sister to drive! 😂 I lived across the roads from him for 21 years. Genuinely nice bloke.
"This man is unsuited for paratrooper action."
"Is it because of his crippling fear of heights?"
"No, his balls simply weigh too much."
You’d be surprised how many paratroopers are scared of heights
@@wordherb1128Facts, then you ask them why they joined and they say. "I wanted to be closer to home"😑
THATS WHY BRITS CALL THEM STONES. BLOKE.
"I must say Captain, I've got to admire your balls!"
"Perhaps later."
I have a friend who was in the 101 Airborne. A large man (6 foot 6 inches and upwards of 250 pounds) He got the nickname "Heavy" for the being the last out and the first down on jumps. He got a bronze star while in action in Vietnam.
My grandfather was in WWII and Korean War and he came out with a missing eye and a hole in his arm that just about made it useless. Through the years of going to the VA with him as a kid everybody around his age knew him and a couple actually cried as they hugged him. If you asked him what happened he would say nothing he was just the cook but I asked a guy once that was in the waiting room with me and he said he saved us all. My grandmother said he had a lot of nightmares and one night she woke up to him flushing his medals. If asked anyone who knew him they would say he was the nicest guy they ever met.
Dayum
I salute your grandfather He was a badass.
R u really not gonna say how he saved them? Unless u dont know
@@snowman9631 don't know. How do you think I feel? I would love to know. He's been dead now for around 20years. Heard different stories like a grenade took out the guy in charge, I was told the rank but forgot. I guess same grenade that my grandfather lost his eye with. One family member said he kinda lost it and killed a lot of the enemy as his group of guys were ready to surrender. Not sure but he definitely did something he didn't want to because he never talked about it. Hole in his arm was gunshot and he told me it happened after the eye, which he told me was shrapnel from a grenade. Funny how he had no problems talking about his injuries.
@@rjperkins365 cool story bro. Jk. That is awesome. As much as we would love to know what happend out there, there is something to be said about the humility of the men who were and are revered by their peers for their actions during war. I had a great uncle who died from that agent orange shit they used in vietnam. When asked if he ever killed anyone one his only reply was yes. I was also told upon his return, the sound of gunfire caused him to dive under the dining room table once.
@7:05: Gives new meaning to the phrase "donkey punch".
LMAO
Fucking live that story. Conan the barbarian style
That's probably where the phrase came from
I lol'd so hard
@@Brewski_3-2 Yes, I think so too.
This is my first time hearing about this guy. And all I have to say is wow this guy took the ultimate sacrifice and fought for his country and did everything he could. God bless this hero.
Maybe the punching out the horse in 'Blazing Saddles' was modeled after Large's taking out the donkey
i like the way you thunk!
His refusal to obey orders due to potential collateral damage is so incredibly noble and unheard of, this type of bravery is beautiful to behold.
"but... you can't blat women and kids." A gentleman from the old days.
Can I get a definition of blat?
@@christelheadington1136 ya, out of context it does sound rather odd.
No. A gynocentric magina mad man.
@@StewardofAutumn I imagine it's something along the lines of, "Blast" or "Cap" or "Pop" or "Ventilate" etc. . .
myspace
Large was a man that showed why Briton once had an Empire.
Still have but we call it the commonwealth now
Key word here is "once" . New age political correctness and a nanny state are the beginning of the fall of the British Empire. If you don't think so, look at the Roman, Greek, Persian, Austro/Hungarian, Spanish, Japanese, Mongol and Prussian empires. Where are they now? Some existed not to long ago. If the U.S does not get it's house in order we will go the same way as all the others. That's history, turn the page. Nothing lasts forever, some things much, much less.
Yes. Back in the days when we could all spell Britain.
@@liammurphy2725 Oh look, a spelling Nazi
Labalaba was a SAS legend too.
Still is!
Should of been awarded the VC but all he got was a mention in despatches. His friend Tak (who was the other fijian at mirbat) was still doing security work in iraq in the early 2000's and he was in his mid 60s at the time
Good video 👍reminds me of an old local saying, "A country may win the war, but a soldier will always loose."
Lofty is a legend.
They all are.
👍🇬🇧
Great story about a soldier who deserves to be remembered.
That was the hardest fight leukemia has ever won. RIP large
Harry Connick Jr and the other members of the cast of the movie Memphis Belle attended a one day SAS "boot camp" where Lofty was teaching various survival methods. He was so impressed with his ability to make food out of anything Connick named an album after Lofty. In 1990, Harry Connick Jr released "Lofty's Roach Souflee".
Still one of my favorite albums.
your confusing lofty large and lofty wiseman.
James white both bad asses none the less James.
@@jameswhite153 Correct James. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lofty_Wiseman
I'm sure Lofty was very impressed with Connick's schmaltz.
First.
Today I Found Out stop it 😂😂😂 people who say first when the video is posted should be arrested by the internet police
Touche. Trolling suits you 😁
Im more first than you
There is a glitch in the matrix
Simon people say im the black version of you
I’m sure there are lots of tough soldiers in all armies, but one who springs to my mind is certainly Paddy Mayne, who won the 3 bars to the MC, never awarded the VC certainly because he didn’t “fit in” . A great photo in Ben Mcintyres book “Rogue Heroes” of Mayne clearly reading a book whilst his comrades take cover under enemy fire in a wood in Germany!
I can tell you now, as someone who cannot climb onto the roof of my house without feeling a bit faint and queezy, learning to skydive does not help in the least. I took up skydiving to get rid of this fear. The problem is once you get up more than a hundred or so you loose all perspective of height. And by the time you get low enough, during a jump, you have way to much on your mind than pay attention to your fears. Like making sure your landing in the right direction, and place. You are making sure you will not collide with anybody else landing or on the ground. So the few seconds you are at a height you would normally scared out of your wits go by so fast you miss the whole fear of heights thing. So now with over 1,000 jumps my wife knows better than ask me to do anything on the roof. :)
Bob Jones I haven’t a fear of heights, but agree with you ! I had a multiple line over and a high spin rate on a jump! It would take me a couple hours to explain my reasoning process during that experience! And with my concern of cutting away and deploying my reserve as the ground raced on me. I was concerned with my spin that I would have the same happen to my reserve, I felt I had to kick it out, I got inflation on the main and enjoyed my canopy ride! With second to make decisions that can save your life, their is no time for fear. It amazes me how a persons mind turns into a super computer when everything is on the line!
Never jumped from a plane but climbed rock. That kept me close to the ground and helped alleviate my fear of heights. I still have fear but control it a lot better now.
I won’t jump out of planes. My father in law showed up with his wife to take her as an ambulance pulled away. Some guy went chiclets when his chute didn’t open. Instead of leaving they decided that the chances were slim it’d happen twice in one day so they jumped. I’m shocked as hell the school didn’t close for the day. It seems I’d be pretty rattled watching someone drop.
@@izzojoseph2 Sure you did. After the crap you posted above I'd count pretty much everything you say as complete bullshit.
He smoked wild weed. This was the key to his strength.
Boosted Fool Better than eating spinach like Popeye?
nowadays if he admitted that, they'd prolly try revoking his benefits.
Why is it that druggos like you seem to reduce everybody else's experience way down to their own level? All you get out of this man's agony is justification for your own mindless habit. Get a life, grow some balls, read a bloody book or something.
I must tap into this ancient technique. With it I shall achieve the power of gods!
Typical stoner. Simon said large smoked wild weed to help with pain relief due to bullets and shrapnel in his body.
You heard "weed saved the day and made him powerful and strong to complete SAS training"
Like I said you are a classic stoner.
SAS, so easy, a guy with a shattered foot could do it. Lol
You Jelly?
Surely you say that when you haven't gotten up from your fat ass in 2 weeks.
It's a joke, guys.
@IRISH AND LOUD Burp Snails can lift there house on its back so that means I'm super strong
@no no Hit it right on the nose.
Dear Simon,
I would like you to thank me for keeping me company and well informed about the world around us.
Sincerely
Thomas
The salute in your thumbnail makes my drill cane shiver in rage.
You forgot Pvt. Pyle, USMC. Hands of a demon, voice of an angel 😅
Always love it when Simon shows up on my UA-cam lineup. Really interesting broadcast.
I love that man!
Selection on a broken ankle?
Punched out an annoying donkey? God damn!
RIP Lofty
Do one on Carlos Hathcock
Awesome book on that guy. Great stories. Amazing man
White feather!
Holy Cow, what a bad ass! Much respect for his accomplishments and attitude.
Excellent! Please do a story on Roy Boehm , he completed buds twice! Once with a bad knee, even killed a shark with a dive knife. These type of Men are rare indeed!👍
Im so in love with your channels!!1 Thank you for keeping it interesting and always covering a swath of people from everywhere around the world!
You should do a video on Marine Colonel John Ripley. He earned the "Quad Body" distinction for making it through four of the toughest military training programs in the world: the Army Rangers, Marine Reconnaissance, Underwater Demolition Team and Britain's Royal Marines.
On man, can you imagine being one of his trainees?! "Ohhh, your arm just fell off? Poor baby. I once climbed up an entire 15-story building using only my LIPS. And they were SUPER CHAPPED, too. NOW GET UP THAT ROPE!!"
The donkey incident was on the ascent of the Jebel Akdar in Oman. They climbed the same route Alexander the Great took and fought a battle at the top. I was lucky enough to serve this man a pint once. Great video.
He was in the Oman video with my dad, Jimmy Ladner. Lofty was genuinely, a really tough bloke.
To add the info about this video: the Colonel Moerdani of Indonesia himself is quite a legend, not only start the career in very early age joining Indonesia Student Army during Indonesia Independence. He is also among the first member of Indonesia para commando (est in 1952) later known as Indonesia army special force and send to various military operation to fight rebellion throughout Indonesia . He had face to face with other special force foreign adversaries at least twice. Before head to head with SAS in Borneo he also parachuted into West New Guniea and conduct guerilla war with Dutch Army, where later on during cease fire and peace talk start He found out that Dutch targeted him and use his left over poncho as target practice in their base. In 81 He lead the daring operation in Thailand to free hostage from hijacked Garuda Indonesia Airways flight. He retire as 4 star general in Indonesia Armed Force Chief of Staff and passed away in 2004.
"Did I tell you about the time that I knocked out a donkey?" lol
Simon,
Great story! Thanks!
Another absolute badass: LGen Adrian Carton de Wiart. For instance: In WWI when shot in the hand, he bit off his now useless fingers and kept attacking the enemy.
I feel like every video you make about a remarkable person could be an amazing movie!
Anyone interested in this should read the books by Lofty Large , the man was an example to young soldiers every where .
king of top tens really well spoken number 1 fav on youtube thank you mr whistler
What an amazing human. Thank you for sharing his story!
So Lofty is a man of action and a person of ingenuity.
I bet that man never bought his own beer. Lol. That man is a HERO for heros.
don't forget that the legendary actor Christopher Lee was never subject to the SAS training as he was there when they formed.
Dad I was wondering if you could wear a top hat in an episode, I do believe it would be quite fitting 🙂
He is my dad fuck you
Do it in an episode about why Stovepipe and Top Hats became popular!
That part where Large punched that donkey had to have inspired that one scene from Conan the Barbarian.
So now we know who trained Chuck Norris.
hellfire0332 heheh yeah
Chuck who?
Oh, you mean the lousy actor? Yeah, I guess that's possible. I can't imagine that Lofty Large was much of an acting instructor.
I think the most brave and decorated soldier ever was Audi Murphy
So cool to see Danielli getting some exposure. Been listening for a long time now
a Garcia
That’s what’s I’m saying!! That’s my favorite part of this whole video.
Great video just one note "while free falling all objects free fall at the same rate regardless of their mass." Once the parachute is deployed I believe is when you would see the difference of falling speed as he would prob need a bigger parachute to fall at the same rate as the other soldiers.
In a vacuum.
Smiling while he said that part about coping with the pain lol :)
Oh look, its Simon "I couldn't have possibly got that wrong guys, I'm British" Whistler.
"Captured, along with several other men from his regiment"
The Glosters were utterly destroyed in that battle. The *entire* regiment was either killed or captured. They, along with the Belgian regiment they were fighting alongside, inflicted huge casualties on the Chinese attackers, but they lost the battle. The Americans never came to their aid, despite multiple requests.
Big shock there 😊
Funny you mention the parachutes. In the U.S. Army we jumped Dash 10s often known to the paratroopers as crash 10s. Weighing 190 ibls I used to come in fast especially on cold days when the air density is low. I have no doubt Lofty Large burned in like a comet. A true badass in every since.
7:10 Who knew Mongo from Blazing saddles was based on a real guy?
Mongo loves candy 😂
Back then during the Malayan Emergency Moerdani was a Major and a battalion commander I thought, not Col.
However, another fun fact about Moerdani and Lofty was that they would meet each other again in 1976 but at that time during an official Indonesian army visit to SAS HQ in the UK. He told Moerdani (now a Flag officer) about his decision not to shoot him, then they shared laughs together.
Moerdani would rise to the rank of General (4 stars) in the Indonesian army and would become the Commander of the Armed Forces in the late 1980s. An Equivalent to the US Joint Chief of Staff.
I believe his autobiography is aptly called “Soldier against the Odds”.
Second most badass soldier I've ever heard of. Sorry, Lofty, but Mad Jack's a tough act to follow.
(That would be Jack Churchill, the man who brought his longbow, broadsword and bagpipes along with him to WWII...born in Sri Lanka. The man with the most recent credited kill with a longbow in military history. The man who led an amphibious assault in Norway playing his bagpipes and throwing grenades. The man who, with the help of one other soldier, captured 42 soldiers from a listening post in Sicily. The man whose response to the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent surrender of Japan was "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!")
Lofty is probably the most badass *sane* soldier I've ever heard of. Because 'sane' is not a word anyone uses to describe Mad Jack.
The amount of indirect and kinda direct puns due to his last name is enough for a drinking game.
"Heroes are remembered, legends never die"
How about an item on Paddy Mayne, another larger than life legend of the SAS, or David Sterling, their founder.
And probably one on Talaiasi Labalaba
David Stirling
Proper ledge was Lofty. I notice Pete Scholey in a couple of those photos....now his book 'The Joker' about his time in the SAS alongside Lofty, is one of the funniest books about military life you'll ever read.
When I saw the thumbnail I immediately thought of Audie Murphy.
Charles Upham VC and bar (one of only 3 men to win the VC twice). Wounded multiple times, carried on fighting. Escaped from several PoW camps. The Germans had to lock him in Colditz Castle to stop him.
Sounds more like the leukemia was struggling with him!
Thanks again for the story and knowledge!
I always remember that my Grandpa was in the Navy in WW2 and he never knew how to swim LOL:P
Mighty casual gloss over the Gloster's stand at Imjin. This was a feat of soldiery on the level or Roark's Drift, the Thin Red Line, or the Gloster's own back-to-back fight against two columns of French attackers at Alexandria.
A bit from Wiki: 'Of the 1,091 soldiers killed, wounded or missing[in the whole of the Imjin battle], 620 were from the Gloucestershire Regiment, which could muster 217 men [the next day]. 522 soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment became prisoners of war. Of those taken prisoner, 180 were wounded and a further 34 died while in captivity. 59 soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment were killed in action.'
Thank you
thank you for the links and all the wonderful content 🤗
even in lunch, i still learn.
A friend of my Dad is the reason its illegal to ride a horse into a bar in Montana. This was, i think, sometime in the 1980s (its been a while since I last heard the story). He was a _mountain_ of a ginger former Green Beret. With one punch, he _KOCKED OUT_ a horse on a bet.
Flat. The. Fuck. Out.
He would never fight someone unless they spilled his drink or one way or another spit on him. Then nobody in that bar would _EVER_ start a fight with him. People wouldnt even break it up for risk of being thrown. When he thought the punishment fitting, he'd stop.
Ive heard this story, unprompted, from multiple sources so I'm under the impression that it _IS_ a true story
Daniel Binelli is a stone cold baddass and his podcasts are one of the best storytellers for history right now.
H. T. Hackworth was a US army version of this guy. Not exactly the same but, apparently the most highly decorated man in the U.S. army ever, and a battle field commission from Korea.
I’d be interested in one on colonel Moerdani. He was a badass himself
Great narration.
My Great Grandfather rode with Poncho Villa as a LT. General, and lived to the ripe young age of 110. Born 1 Jan 1865 and passed on 15 May 1975.
He was a GIANT of a Man that Loved Life to its fullest. Needless to say he was as TUFF as they come. But this Dude was certainly in this same class!
My uncle, who was in the SAS, knew Lofty. Lofty moved my nan’s fridge for her.
He punched out a **donkey!**
Not sure whether to laugh or go "awwww" as I like donkeys...... :)
laugh...that shit is hilarious 😂
Keep on puffing that wild reefer!!!!!
"I'm tired of all the bullshit"
LMFAO!
How are there no movies based on this man??
S.A.S.- The original modern Tier 1 Special Forces group, these are the guys that started the hyper tactical movement
Not a military dude But my great great grand uncle I believe he was was well known for being big even having a championship boxer wanting to fight him and he replied with "It wouldnt be worth my time" He also once knocked out a horse with one punch because the horse wouldnt move when he was telling it too. He also broke into the grocery store ( This was when the devco companies would own them) while the miners were on strike and stole bread and milk for his fellow miners and his family
Well that settles that. We wont ever get a movie about chuck norris. The only guy tough enough to play him has died.
Chuck norris is some guy on 📺 these guys are real!
@@mosapedoterrorist7529 Chuck norris will fly kick you
@@charliemartin7855 *beard punch you
How many push ups can Chuck Norris do? ALL of them.....
Chuck Norris can play him
Hard as nails....... end of.🇬🇧🇬🇧✌✌
"Lads, have a look at that giant. What's your name, soldier?"
"Donald large, sir."
"That won't do. Henceforth, you shall be known as "lofty"."
"excuse me, sir"
"Lofty! Because you're a giant!"
"my name is already large, sir."
"oh, come on now. Its not that long, whats another?"
Lofty: sigh...
Do paddy maine
Legend of the SAS.. here's a bench.. good job well done....
David Goggins is another guy you should check out.
BUDS ~ 3 times in one year with both legs fractured. He used duct tape and socks to stabilize his ankles
Lofty Large - big & tall and scared of heights - now there's an ironic name!
Absolute madman
Hi Simon & Shell
"Hi Simon & Shell" *sniff* Ya, I'm not hurt... ;-) -Daven
whaaa, who this? Hello Daven! Nice to meet you! I thought Simon made Shell do all this kinda stuff!
Shell's with TopTenz and Biographics; TIFO's my baby. :-) Shell is very good people though. Actually something of a mentor for me many years before either of us did anything on UA-cam or either of us ever met Simon. Fun fact, Simon independently approached both Shell and I originally about something that had nothing to do with UA-cam. He wasn't aware we knew each other until much later. :-) -Daven
We need these back stories! I had no idea, just assumed all projects were collaborated by them. tbh I prefer TIFO!
Daven, that's a great idea! You guys should do a Today I Found Out the backstories of the people behind TIFO, Tenz, and friends!
Anyone interested in learning more bout lofty, his mates and operation claret should read a book called "The Joker," by Peter Scholey. Not only is it a good (and fun) read it gives quite an insight into Lofty (Pete was his best mate-or one of them) and SAS life in general. Well worth the time.
Fucks up with that left hand salute
We don’t call SAS members commandos mate you keep saying it in the video, we have an actual commando regiment so referring to SAS members as commandos would just be confusing. (Although the SAS does mainly recruit from the Royal Marines Commandos and the Paras so maybe that’s where some of the confusion came up.)
The appropriate term for one of The Gentlemen from Hereford is trooper.
Derpimus Maximus that’s the term for combat troops (not support staff which there are plenty of in the regiment)
Or alternatively one of the nicknames given to the SAS after some of the more oddball stuff of GW1 by a fairly senior American trying to do a Cockney accent is "geezers wot you don't mess wiv".
@@user-ns3vs3bp3e Lofty wasn't support staff, and the video is about him.
Derpimus Maximus fair point, I was just being clear for people who don’t know anything about our troops
This guy is the epitomy of hold my beer
Have to say... didn’t look all the way down the comments, but didn’t see anyone correct the “heavier man falling faster” remark. He would land harder because of weight, but not fall any faster. Remember a cannon ball and marble fall at the same speed:)
I never heard of him before. Are there more stories like his?
His donkey explanation alone would give me confidence alone to follow him into combat, if not to just hear more stories