Simon Pittaway Response

[just-A-snap 1,269]

Simon Pittaway Response 



 

I was asked by Simon Pittaway to post these images with his response and to give his side of the events of the last few days. 

I am more than glad to do so. If not able to read from images then please inform me and I will spend some time typing it out.

[just-A-snap 1,269]

Simon Pittaway Response 



 

Good evening members of the HLF.



 

As I'm not a member of the HLF anymore, but do follow the group from time to time I thought that I would send this message to Renos (who I class as a good friend) and ask him if he will post it for me. I've read all 8 pages (the max there is up till now) and smiled at some of your comments. It's obvious to me that some of you who used to be friendly with me before have now changed your tone for your own reasons . To be honest I'm kind of that way myself too, and friends come and go in life so I hold no ill feeling towards any of you. We all have the freedom to follow and agree with whatever we want, and I'm old enough to know the score.


What I would like to do is answer a few questions and put the score straight to what some of you have posted, so here goes: I am not now, and have never been in the special forces or a British trained sniper. I was 22 years in the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), finishing a Warrant Officer which may sound cool but it was a shite job mainly looking after administration and disciple cases (i.e. soldiers who were naughty people).

What I was, is 19 out of 22 years I qualified as a military marksman (not sniper) which in its own right I suppose is a good achievement 19 times on the trot, but nothing in my mind to phone home about or make me think that I'm better than you or the next bloke taking the time to read this.
In the late 90's in Bosnia (Gorni Vacus) I represented the British military in international shooting, shooting against the Canadians, Dutch, Czech, Belgians and a handful of Americans, winning my shoots with a SA SO A 1 and iron sights. This is my only claim to a bit of fame. In those days the Royal Artillery and Royal Horse Artillery didn't use the SUSAT sight, but now all do the new sight that has superseded the SUSAT.

This I believe is due to the amount of enemy contact and fire fights the Royal Horse Artillery had in the Iraq war and Operation Telic's, especially Telic 4 for 1st Royal Horse Artillery. After that the RA and RHA went to Afghanistan where we also saw a lot of enemy contacts where the rifle was aimed and shot, killing enemy fighters. I personally never went to Afghanistan but did bury one of my soldiers who was involved in a large fire fight there and was shot and killed (very sad time for me).

Anyway I digress and after that competition two of us were invited and asked to shoot with the Czech snipers in Banjluka (Bosnia) which we did, learning their techniques and training on their Dragenoff (pardon the spelling) sniper rifles. Be it a good experience and fun to do, learning lots of tips and gaining experience, this did not qualify me as a British trained military sniper, so as said I was never a British trained sniper. In regards to the comment about the video of me being on the ranges in uniform (2009). Yes, this is true, but its far better if I tell you the full story than you fill in the blanks and make negative comments about our men and women in the armed forces.

Yes, we all had iron sites fitted , this was because I was shooting with the TA (Royal Artillery TA) and trying to evaluate them to pick a team and take them to Bisley ranges to represent their TA regiment against the regular army. The TA in 2009 didn't have the SUSAT fitted to theirrifle , I'm not sure if they do now to tell you the truth.

Anyway these men and woman do their day to day job
and volunteer to serve on top. I think that they all deserve some respect and if you think that if seeing a soldier shooting a rifle with iron sights equates to anything less than normal, then you don't deserve my respect or time.

In regards to not being a member on the HLF anymore This is partly my own doing and if I remember correctly I asked to be removed I banned and was quickly given my wish. The thing is I had a disagreement with a certain member and with him being the admin I was on to a hiding from the start. Looking back now it was probably silly and immature of myself for arguing and from him to argue back, and since then I've learnt and grown , especially with my own experiences on social media and YouTube and what reaction I sometimes get (like the newspaper BS at the minute). I've read the same blokes comments on this post and it's clear that he hasn't moved on, but that's fine as it's his problem and not mine.

Regarding the newspaper and TV coverage of the squirrel hunting . It's as a lot of the more level headed members can see, its total BS. I was only a member of that Squirrel Hunting group after I was added without my consent and when I found out that I was in it I believe I posted once or twice and then left on my own accords. This was back at the start of the summer 17 and I haven't been a member since. The photos that were posted of me were what I had sent to the plantation owner I was shooting for as he wanted to see (our progress) as there were other agencies also trapping at the same time and he wanted to know that I was taking only head shots and doing my work humanely. The photos were not me gloating, they were a personal message to him that the squirrel never suffered and that I was taking clean head shots.

Looking at it now it was easy to take the photo out of real context as it eventually was.
The other photos and videos that were shown were to my knowledge also NOT my videos and definitely not my photos, but were shot and filmed by someone I know (not Davy). It was just made to look like mine to gain maximum Si Pittaway the Squirrel vigilante impact.
Many years ago (maybe 7 or 8 I fell out with a member on the HLF who went by the name Mileojo or something like that (Moxy knows the guy I'm talking about). He now changes his name often in many groups and forums (maybe here to and reading this) I don't know. Well Miles (his real name) was also a friend of someone who I used to shoot with, a policeman from Gloucestershire. The policeman informed me that Miles was buying air rifles second hand that were broken and trying to sell them as working.

Miles was warned to stop but he didn't listen. One had a bent barrel for example that was just enough to look normal until inspected closely. He did a review on his YouTube channel of this rifle at the time to show how good it was and hopefully sell it at yes (12 yards, just 12 yards for accuracyl stating that it was ace to noobies). Well Miles went to SFS one day and tried to get Tony Wall to swap a brand new rifle for a faulty HWn (bent barrel) and a SMK B2 that was rusty as hell. I had already been tipped off to the scam and warned Tony.

Obviously Tony checked the rifles over as a professional would and then sent Miles packing. Miles
later asked who tipped Tony off and I said I did and rightly so. I won't hide or I'm not one bit embarrassed at what some think is snitching on Miles's scam. What people don't realise is myself and Tony Wall have been close friends since 1997 so-when I push SFS stuff I do it for two reasons. The first one is that the stuff I test is a true representation of them and I like them and the second is that he's a good friend and as long as his stuff is quality I will do alii can to help a long term friend out. Anyway digressing again , Miles has since made videos taking the mickey out of me (funny as it is now), wrote articles that I had joined ISIS via Turkey (when I actually was on my honeymoon in Turkey) and threatened me with other stupid immature posts about what he's going to do to me and my family which I won't go into on here.

The newspapers reports I articles I strongly believe (but can't prove) were sent to that Scott Campbell by Miles. It's how the articles were strongly written with me as the focus point but with other people's graphic photos and videos made to look like mine and attract as much negative attention to me as possible. It's what Miles is good at and right in his style. The truth is (as Rez says) is that I care not a single ounce what the papers write or think as I know the score as do my proper friends and my family.

The reason them squirrels were getting shot is not because I wanted to try and get the red squirrel
reintroduced to the area, though that would be great and I fully support the group shooting the greys for that reason , but because there were lots of them in a 55 ache plantation and they were stripping bark like crazy and costing the owner lots of money in tree damage. A year prior an agency (I 'm not going to say who but a famous one) were trapping and using poison in the plantation to kill the squirrels but last year owls and other birds of prey started nesting in the trees and owl boxes.

The poison was stopped and so only trapping and shooting were the only options to keep their numbers at a level that didn't wipe them out totally but kept the plantation healthy. Funny isn't it but where did you read that truthful info in the article? Ummm, nowhere as it wasn't discussed or investigated at all. Why? Well because as they say "don't let the truth get in the way of a juicy story". Regarding me thinking that I'm a shooting legend I celebrity or a man in my own league, well that's funny and as far from the truth as it goes.

If the truth be told and you can ask them yourselves (Rob Collins and Charlie Jacobs) last year and this year they asked myself and Davy, firstly by Rob to attend a shooting show and be interviewed as something entitled "An interview with the stars" or words to that affect, where people at the show could spend 30 mins asking us questions and sucking up to me / us as some may say.

Well I turned Rob straight down as that isn't for me and I told him that I just wanted to be Si Pittaway and do my shooting on YouTube and be me. The articles I've done in the Airgun World were done to help Terry Doug out at a time when I had the time to shoot and then document my shoots for his magazine.

Regarding payment for these articles I said that I didn't want a penny and never took a penny. They were done just to assist Terry were I could (please ask him). This year Charlie Jacobs invited me to another shooting show to do something similar and have a TV or live interview with him. I also turned that down stating the same reason as I said to Rob the year before.

It's just not me and I don't feel that I'm a celebrity or anywhere near one. So to cut a long story short if that's what celebs choose to do then I'm one, but if not and I don't
think they do, I'm definitely NOT one and don't claim to be one.


So my advice to your good members is: in this day and age of political correctness is do as some have said and keep your faces off your quarry pics, use a group / forum 1.0 and not your real name and don't make YouTube films if you don't want to eventually be bothered by the antis or press. That said I have a very good memory and some members that have said don't do it on this post have actually done it and more than once themselves on pictures or YouTube vids which I kind of find funny. So this has been a long and drawn out post and to the ones that I've bored to tears I apologies but felt that I owed it to the people in the forum that are still friends with me to do and say what the truth is.
All the best to all the members and long may the HLF go on.
Regards
Si.

Edited October 19, 2017 by just-A-snap

[Rez 4,961]

Why have you typed this will be reposted dead big?

[just-A-snap 1,269]

Why have you typed this will be reposted dead big?

Can you read it fine Rez?

Edited October 19, 2017 by just-A-snap

[villaman 9,983]

Read it and just shows why Si has a lot of respect in the airgun community and that includes me .

Nice reply Si

[beamish78 142]

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

[just-A-snap 1,269]

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

[villaman 9,983]

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

Well , no one forced you to read it

[beamish78 142]

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

[just-A-snap 1,269]

 

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

 

Just wonder if it was you under attack if those dogs would still be sleeping.

 

All the very best

[beamish78 142]

 

 

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

 

Just wonder if it was you under attack if those dogs would still be sleeping.

 

All the very best

 

i am far to thick skinned for any of that, the problem is the world is becoming full of fannies that get upset and feel aggrieved if anyone says anything at or against them.

[just-A-snap 1,269]

 

 

 

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

 

Just wonder if it was you under attack if those dogs would still be sleeping.

 

All the very best

 

i am far to thick skinned for any of that, the problem is the world is becoming full of fannies that get upset and feel aggrieved if anyone says anything at or against them.

 

Looks like you think that you are the only one mate with a thick skin , if you do not like the man all is fine and good. You have your opinions as do others.

 

All the very best

Edited October 19, 2017 by just-A-snap

[walshie 2,804]

 

 

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

 

Just wonder if it was you under attack if those dogs would still be sleeping.

 

All the very best

 

 

With respect Renos, it was no-one on here who wrote that article. It was a daily paper with an idiot of a journalist. Most on here (even me) said it was out of order to write an such an ill-informed piece of garbage.

 

I even posted a video of the person suspected of being behind the article yesterday, but removed it as without proof, I'd be as bad as the journalist

 

I won't rise to the obvious dig at certain members and remove this post, but please bear in mind this forum is for members to post. Once you decide to leave for whatever reason you lose that privilege.

[just-A-snap 1,269]

 

 

 

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

 

Just wonder if it was you under attack if those dogs would still be sleeping.

 

All the very best

 

 

With respect Renos, it was no-one on here who wrote that article. It was a daily paper with an idiot of a journalist. Most on here (even me) said it was out of order to write an such an ill-informed piece of garbage.

 

I even posted a video of the person suspected of being behind the article yesterday, but removed it as without proof, I'd be as bad as the journalist

 

I won't rise to the obvious dig at certain members and remove this post, but please bear in mind this forum is for members to post. Once you decide to leave for whatever reason you lose that privilege.

 

I ask you to show me if I have disrespected anyone today walshie. If the man wants my fifteen minutes then he can have them.

 

All the very best

[walshie 2,804]

 

 

 

 

 

well thats another 15mins of my life i wont get back

You can have Fifteen of mine

 

All the very best

 

been going on for a long time this, water under the bridge and all that, But like most things, there are always things that get changed or forgotten with time, "say" reasons for leaving THL for one...... Let sleeping dogs lye and move on is the best for all concerned.

 

Just wonder if it was you under attack if those dogs would still be sleeping.

 

All the very best

 

 

With respect Renos, it was no-one on here who wrote that article. It was a daily paper with an idiot of a journalist. Most on here (even me) said it was out of order to write an such an ill-informed piece of garbage.

 

I even posted a video of the person suspected of being behind the article yesterday, but removed it as without proof, I'd be as bad as the journalist

 

I won't rise to the obvious dig at certain members and remove this post, but please bear in mind this forum is for members to post. Once you decide to leave for whatever reason you lose that privilege.

 

I ask you to show me if I have disrespected anyone today walshie. If the man wants my fifteen minutes then he can have them.

 

All the very best

 

 

You've disrespected no-one. I never said otherwise.