Scottish World War II officer, and founder of the Special Air Service
For other people named David Stirling, see David Stirling (disambiguation).
Sir David Stirling
David Stirling in 1942
Birth name
Archibald David Stirling
Nickname(s)
"The Phantom Major"
Born
(1915-11-15)15 November 1915 Bridge of Allan, Scotland
Died
4 November 1990(1990-11-04) (aged 74) Westminster, London, England
Buried
St Cumin's Church, Loch Morar, Scotland
Allegiance
United Kingdom
Service/branch
British Army
Years of service
1937–1965
Rank
Lieutenant colonel
Service number
72647
Unit
Scots Guards No. 8 (Guards) Commando
Commands held
Special Air Service
Battles/wars
Second World War
North African campaign
Western Front
Awards
Knight Bachelor Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches
Alma mater
Trinity College, Cambridge
Relations
Archibald Stirling (father)
Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, OBE (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990) was a Scottish officer in the British Army and the founder and creator of the Special Air Service (SAS). Under his leadership, the SAS carried out hit-and-run raids behind the Axis lines of the North African campaign. He saw active service during the Second World War until he was captured in January 1943. He spent the rest of the war in captivity, despite making several attempts to escape.
Stirling left the Regular Army in 1947. He founded the Capricorn Africa Society, which aimed to fight racial discrimination in Africa, but Stirling's preference to a limited, elitist voting franchise over universal suffrage limited the movement's appeal. He subsequently formed various private military companies and was linked with a failed attempt to overthrow the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the early 1970s. He also attempted to organise efforts to undermine trades unionism and to overthrow the British government, none of which made significant headway. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1990, and died later the same year.
Sir Archibald DavidStirling, DSO, OBE (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990) was a Scottish officer in the British Army and the founder and creator of the...
sons, William Rory Alexander Stirling, born on 15 December 1965, and Ludovic DavidStirling, born on 29 April 1967. Stirling was married to actress Dame...
Hereford, which was renamed in 1984 to Stirling Lines in honour of the regiment's founder, Lieutenant Colonel DavidStirling. In 1994, the RAF ceased using RAF...
Bridge and the port. Located on the River Forth, Stirling is the administrative centre for the Stirling council area, and is traditionally the county town...
Sir DavidStirling Anderson FRSE (25 September 1895 – 18 January 1981) was a 20th-century Scottish engineer and educationalist. He was born in Glasgow...
Suranne Jones. The following year, he began starring in the lead role of DavidStirling in the World War II series SAS: Rogue Heroes, also on BBC One. Swindells...
Diana Rigg. Stirling was born in St Marylebone, London, England and is the daughter of actress Diana Rigg and theatre producer Archibald Stirling, Laird of...
forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by DavidStirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in...
Clan Stirling is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. The Scottish town of Stirling and Stirling Castle lie at the crossroads of Scotland and this...
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop...
training officer of the Special Air Service. Its founding commander, DavidStirling, said later of Lewes, "Jock could far more genuinely claim to be founder...
As the motto of the SAS, it is normally credited to its founder, Sir DavidStirling. Among the SAS themselves, it is sometimes humorously corrupted to "Who...
Others joined the 2nd SAS under the command of Bill Stirling (1911-1983), elder brother of DavidStirling. During his time in the SBS, Lassen rose in rank...
standing near the DavidStirling statue, and a solitary standing stone, beside Glenhead Farm. Since 2002 a statue of DavidStirling has stood on a rock...
Robert Stirling (25 October 1790 – 6 June 1878) was a Scottish clergyman and engineer. He invented the Stirling engine and was inducted into the Scottish...
to shape the climate of the Thatcher years, by focusing on Colonel DavidStirling, Jim Slater, Sir James Goldsmith and Tiny Rowland—members of London's...
MM John Slim, 2nd Viscount Slim Phil Stant – Professional footballer DavidStirling OBE DSO – Founder of the Regiment Tip Tipping – Stuntman Richard Tomlinson...
includes a kingfisher, wings, and a star of David. The unit's name apparently originates from a quote by DavidStirling, founder of the British SAS, who said...
and performing surgery there, over concerns from Young Living's COO, DavidStirling. He also opened his first international farm in Ecuador in 2006. In...
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