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The Shanghai Buster – W. E. Fairbairn

by Dennis Martin

 It’s 1940, somewhere in Scotland. A group of recruits wait shivering in the dawn air. All are

volunteers for special duties, behind enem lines, and have been through a rigorous screening program. !he have been brought to a remote castle for the ne"t phase of their training# Silent

 $illing. !he class is called to attention and in strides a rather studious figure, bespectacled and, b

their standards, %uite elderl. Surel this can’t be the instructor& 'e points to the biggest recruit and

commands ()ome right at me lad*. !he burl recruit rushes in and is sent fling to land heavil on

the turf, the instructor’s boot poised read to crush his testicles. !he recruits have met (!he

Shanghai +uster(.

Without doubt the pivotal figure of WW-2 Combatives was W.E. Fairbairn. e was not the onl!

 prominent instru"tor# as we shall see# but $ believe he was primaril! responsible for the enduring

 pra"ti"alit! of the training. To dis"over the roots of this training we must travel ba"% in time almost

a "entur!# and right around the World# to Shanghai# &'().

S*+,*$

*t the time Shanghai was the Worlds most dangerous "it! euivalent to /o0burg toda!. William

Ewart Fairbain had 1oined the Shanghai uni"ipal 3oli"e 4S35 after serving with the 6o!al

arines. * !ear later# patrolling a foot-beat in the red-light distri"t he was evidentl! atta"%ed#

 be"ause he had the unnerving e7perien"e of wa%ening to find himself in hospital. While re"overing

from the assault he noti"ed an advert for 83rofessor 9%ada# /u-1utsu and Bonesetting:. Fairbairn

started training in /apanese martial arts# eventuall! gaining Bla"% Belt se"ond-;an from the

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Shanghai Period: 

3oli"e "lose-uarter training has a different fun"tion than either "ivilian# or# militar! use. Ever!

 poli"e use-of-for"e en"ounter ends in arrest# so "ontrol and restraint te"hniues are emphasised.

Fairbairn taught his offi"ers ;efendu# his own blend of /u-1utsu# Chinese Bo7ing and "ommon

sense street ta"ti"s. is boo%# 8;EFE+;=: 4later renamed 8SC$E+T$F$C SEAF ;EFE+CE:5 presented this s!stem# and was adopted as the offi"ial training manual b! several "olonial poli"e

for"es.

Commando Period: 

When Fairbairn arrived in England the war was 1ust starting# and there was a pervasive 8ba"% to the

wall: spirit in the "ountr!. +ewspaper "artoons showed how to se"ure a "arving %nife to a broom

 pole so a housewife "ould defend ta%e on a hul%ing ,erman Falls"hirm1ager. The last thing needed

in this situation was restraint# so most of the 1oint lo"%s of ;efendu were eliminated.

Fairbairn first trained the ome ,uard whose highl! se"ret *u7iliar! =nits had a "overt role far

removed from the popular 8;ads0 *rm! image. The! were to a"t as 8sta!-behind-parties:# to

 be"ome in effe"t the British 6esistan"e ovement following the e7pe"ted +ai invasion. e alsotrained the Commandos# the raiding for"e who was to be Britain0s offensive arm# stri%ing at vital

enem! targets.

Fairbairn produ"ed his "lassi" manual 8*ll-$n Fighting: during this period. 3ublished in the =S* as

8,et ToughD: this shows mar%ed "hanges from the Shanghai phase. 3oli"e need to handle drun%s#

hand"uff resisting suspe"ts# and disperse "rowds. ilitar! infiltrators need a stripped-down s!stem

to instantl! subdue an enem!# with# or# without weapons.

Fairbairn and S!%es gathered together a sele"t group of twelve men# who were put through a

twelve-wee% instru"tors program# and then sent out to spread the s!stem through the for"es.

$n"luded in this group were Bill 3il%ington# who was alread! e7perien"ed in /u-1utsu and $ndian

Aathi sti"% fighting# and 6obert Carr# from Aiverpool# whose preferred weapon was the do"%er0s

hoo%.

$t was during this period that Fairbairn and S!%es produ"ed their famed F-S ;agger# whi"h be"ame

the badge of the Commandos and the emblem of man! Spe"ial =nits worldwide.

Special Operations Period: 

Following su""ess training the Commandos Fairbairn and S!%es were re"ruited b! the Spe"ial

9perations E7e"utive# the se"ret agen"! tas%ed b! Chur"hill to 8set Europe ablaeD: S9E agents

needed to blend in while operating in o""upied territor!# so relied on a variet! of "overt weapons# as

well as unarmed s%ills. This be"ame %nown as Silent

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AT CLOSE QUARTERS

$t is important to note that Fairbain taught a total s!stem# in"luding the use of impa"t weapons#

edged weapons# firearms as well of hand-to hand methods. This 8all-in: s!stem is %nown b! man!

terms. The S9E "alled it Silent (K wrong. $n fa"t# if !ou "an0t tea"h the s!stem in a short time it probabl! won0t

wor% in the street. $n gutterfighting# less is more. Aet0s loo% at a t!pi"al s!llabus@-

&. The edge of hand blow 4%nown toda! the *7e-hand# familiar to