The Welsh SAS 'original' and a lost picture which uncovered incredible tale

A MYSTERIOUS photograph featuring a youthful Prince Charles has started to reveal the story of a war hero who became one of the SAS "originals".

- ANDREW FORGRAVE

The image was filed away more than 20 years ago, and recent attempts to identify those pictured have yielded only limited results.

It has now emerged that one individual was Douglas Arnold, a remarkable figure from the Conwy Valley who numbered among the SAS “originals”. While his cycling exploits were well-known he frequently pedalled to SAS gatherings in London his wartime achievements remained largely obscure.

Beyond his service with the Special Air Service across North Africa and northwestern Europe, he proved himself a skilled escapee, breaking free from prisoner of war camps on two separate occasions.

The photograph, captured at a dry stone walling event, was stored away more than two decades ago by the north Wales branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA). Its former secretary Sean Adcock stumbled upon it several years ago, in an unmarked envelope, and determined to establish the identities of those meeting the future monarch.

He believes the occasion took place during the mid to late 1980s. "I vaguely recognised the chap on the right, who was quite a character," said Sean, a master stone waller from Penisarwaen, Gwynedd.