WE have plenty to be proud of in this country, not least our special forces, the best of the best.

They proved it again on Sunday evening, when 16 members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) roped down from helicopters in pitch darkness onto the deck of an oil tanker in a textbook mission to rescue the crew.

From start to finish, it took them just nine minutes to round up seven Nigerian stowaways, who had threatened the crew.

With Nigeria now the newest global hotspot for maritime piracy, the crew wisely locked themselves into the ship’s citadel, before calling the authorities for help.

What the stowaways clearly did not know was that the SBS are based only 10 minutes’ flying time away in Poole.

No one was hurt in the end, but it could so easily have been terrorism, with a grounded oil tanker, or worse.

Instead, the readiness and professionalism of these remarkable troops turned a potential crisis into an exercise in their own back yard.

The successful result was no fluke; it’s the product of years of intensive training.

The former SAR base on Portland played a role too, achieving operational status in just 25 minutes after being asked to possibly refuel their helicopters.

Forty years ago, I was a serving soldier when troopers from the Special Air Service stormed the Iranian Embassy.

Then, as now, we never learnt the names of these heroes, but this latest operation reminds us what a debt of gratitude we owe to all those who serve.

It is timely that Remembrance Sunday looms.

But, with the number of poppy sellers down this year due to the pandemic, can I encourage people to donate to the Royal British Legion.

We must never forget.