Battle of Mirbat - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• Sir Ranulph Fiennes alleged in his book The Feather Men that Mike Kealy was murdered years later in the Brecon Beacons by an Arab militant cell. However, the circumstances of Kealy's death suggest that this is somewhat fanciful as he was seen by other service personnel undergoing the same SAS endurance exercise only a few hours beforehand in deteriorating weather conditions, was in fact found alive (but in poor condition) by a two-man search party—one of whom stayed with him and attempted to keep him warm. It was later acknowledged by the Coroner that one of the major contributory factors in his death was the delay in retrieving him from the hillside—a delay of some 19 hours.

• The battle is briefly depicted in the 2011 film Killer Elite, where it is central to the plot. The film is based on Fiennes' book.

• The battle is also mentioned by Frederick Forsyth in his book The Veteran, where a member of the SAS teamis murdered by two criminals 30 years after the engagement.