Civilian IED Expert

Civilian counter-IED expert helps Army defeat Taliban bombs

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Civilian IED Expert: Contractor Sidney Alford has been captivated by bombs since World War II. He is now an expert on the Taliban's current weapon of choice, the improvised explosive device (IED), and has been working with the Army to help disrupt the insurgent campaign in Afghanistan.

Sidney Alford has been using his lifetime of expertise to help British troops battle the improvised explosive device When German Luftwaffe commanders ordered the dropping of thousands of bombs on the UK during the Second World War, they could never have imagined the extraordinary effect their campaign was having on one small child.

Intrigued by the enemy that was trying to kill him night-after- night, 11-year-old Sidney Alford would venture out into the shattered landscape after air raids, collect parts of ordnance, and attempt to put them back together to find out how they worked.

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Incendiary devices fascinated Londoner

It was the beginning of a career that would come to a climax with him becoming one of the world's leading authorities on explosives and how to manage them:

"I grew up in Ilford, north east of London, and learned all about bombs and incendiary devices first-hand from a very young age," Sidney said with a smile.

"I collected bits from all sorts of shells and tried to piece them together - I shall never forget my excitement after discovering a complete V1 motor in Epping Forest.

"Unfortunately, as I was so young, I wasn't strong enough to take this find back home with me - it was extremely heavy and I couldn't lift it. But on another occasion, I was so close to a V2 rocket when it came down that it blew my hat off."

Narrow escape from death

Despite his brush with death, he was irresistibly attracted and became interested in enemy weapons and the tactics of their use; and it has remained with Sidney throughout his adult life.

Now an expert on the terrorist's current weapon of choice the: "Improvised Explosive Device" the former craftsman with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) has been pressed into helping the Army to disrupt the insurgent campaign in Afghanistan.

Now enduring the harsh conditions of field trials at a time of life when most pensioners would be enjoying retirement and making use of their free bus passes, his expertise has been hugely appreciated by bomb disposal experts from both the Royal Engineers and the Royal Logistic Corps:

"The issue we have is that IEDs in theatre were previously based on munitions such as artillery shells," Sidney said. "But the Taliban tactics are now changing."

"We are, however, adept at disposing of all kinds of explosive devices and I'm very pleased to report that the gadgets that we have been testing have been performing very well."

Sidney's company have a impressive track record

Sidney's company "Alford Technologies" has certainly forged an impressive track record in military weapons and other armaments disposal. The firm has won a clutch of accolades, receiving a Queen's Award for Innovation on two occasions, and has found its services in high demand in both military and civilian sectors.

The explosives master, who runs his firm with son Roland, is also routinely used by newspapers and broadcasters for comments on similar stories, most recently the car bomb attack on Glasgow Airport and the liquid bomb plot to bring down airliners.

It is all a far cry from Sidney's humble beginnings when he began an unsuccessful career in the pharmaceutical sector after studying for his chemistry degree:

"I left the industry and obviously had to think about doing something else," he recalled. "So I started looking at how I would attempt to defeat bombs and ultimately discovered that people were prepared to pay me for my services.

Worked with United States Army

"Earlier in my career I was actually better known for my work with the United States Army - notably the company provided them with a means of dealing with vehicle-borne IEDs - but I'm delighted to now be assisting British forces."

Despite working closely with the military, Sidney said he was pleased to be a civilian contractor, admitting that his stint in National Service had been tough:

"I was conscripted and served with the REME for two years during 1955 and 1956," he explained. "I found it very boring because I didn't want to be in the Army and the Army didn't want to have me there.

Staff Sergeant Snowy White "However, it was good to be in the battalion shooting team, which got me out of the workshop for a few days.

"Interestingly, my father had been a soldier and had served in Egypt during the First World War - he actually met Lawrence of Arabia while he was out there."

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He preferred overalls to a uniform

Although a life in uniform did not suit Sidney, soldiers who have worked with the veteran counter-IED specialist were delighted to have the benefit of his experience and were impressed with his methods of dealing with deadly ordnance.

Staff Sergeant Snowy White, of the Royal Engineers Trials and Development Unit, described Sidney as a 'pure genius' who was accessible to General and Sapper alike:

"You could spend a lifetime looking for somebody comparable to Sidney and it is really interesting for guys to work alongside him," the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer said.

The emerging teamwork of military and civilian personnel is proving to be a success story. Against the backdrop of a fluid operation, where solutions to problems must quickly be found, a new relationship between the MOD and its contractors has emerged over the last few years.

Nowhere is the work of experts like Sidney more crucial than in the badlands of Helmand.

With the Taliban choosing the roadside bomb as its weapon of choice, staying one step ahead of the insurgents is crucial to delivering security, reconstruction and the rule of law for the Afghan people.

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