SAS Iranian Embassy siege hero Bob Curry has been given a tour of his new home after hundreds of thousands of well-wishers petitioned his council to find him a place to stay.
The 64-year-old was left homeless and had to rely on his old regiment to fund his bed and-breakfast accommodation after a long-term relationship broke down, leaving him without a place to stay.
But he is now the proud occupier of a one-bedroom bungalow four miles outside his former regimental base in Hereford.
Bob Curry was left homeless and had to rely on his old regiment to fund his bed and-breakfast accommodation after a long-term relationship broke down, but now has a new house (pic)
Mr Curry, who got the keys on Friday and has been putting together flat-pack furniture, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘It felt fantastic getting the keys – it’s a long journey coming to an end.
‘It has been overwhelming, I’ve had thousands of text messages emails and everything, the public response has been amazing.’
The special forces hero also took the chance to raise awareness of the struggles of other homeless servicemen, adding: ‘The experience that I went through, no serviceman should have to go through.
‘We need to see local authorities getting a grip of it. The 13,000 servicemen on the streets need to get into homes.
Mr Curry, who got the keys on Friday and has been putting together flat-pack furniture, said: ‘It felt fantastic getting the keys – it’s a long journey coming to an end’. Pic: The kitchen
Pictured is the bungalow living room, where Mr Curry has been assembling furniture
‘I feel fantastic and I can’t help people enough for what they’ve done to help me. I’m humbled.’
Mr Curry was pictured in an iconic image of the 1980 siege in London, leading comrades into the South Kensington building after 26 people were taken hostage.
He was nicknamed ‘Backdoor Bob’ after bravely entering the rear of the embassy – as his comrades abseiled down the front of the whitewashed property.
Mr Curry served in the Falklands War and is pictured here in an undated photo in uniform
The veteran’s plight was revealed last month after he was left homeless when his long-term relationship broke down.
Council officials in Hereford had failed to find him suitable accommodation.
Last May, a friend of Nejad said he ‘lives off benefits and is on disability because he has a bad back’.
Nejad was captured after pretending to be a hostage. The SAS killed the other five dissidents from the Democratic Revolutionary Front for Arabistan, a group who opposed the Iranian regime led by Ayatollah Khomeini.
Herefordshire Council previously offered Falklands hero Mr Curry accommodation at two properties – a hostel populated by drug addicts or a house said to be four miles from the nearest shop – which he declined.
Mr Curry told The Sun: ‘I’ve been in tough spots through my career but with my health now I wouldn’t have survived long on the streets – SAS training or not. I was sat in the council offices explaining my life to someone who looked at me as though I was nothing.’
‘We provide a range of support to ex-service personnel
Mr Curry was pictured in an iconic image of the 1980 siege in London, leading comrades into the South Kensington building after 26 people were taken hostage