Downie was the only civilian of 120 applicants to the Regular SAS, but one of six accepted into the training. He was an instrumental figure in the Dhofar Rebellion, where he destroyed a South Yemen fort (with 1,050 lb of gelignite). The rebels were with Russian and Chinese support helping the infiltration of Oman by South Yemen. Downie’s final military engagement was with the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan fighting against Saddam Hussein in 1974–75.