Monument to Sir David Stirling the founder of the SAS, situated near Keir House, his ancestral home.
Stirling was born at his family's ancestral home, Keir House near Dunblane. He was educated at Ampleforth College and Trinity College, Cambridge. Stirling was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1937. In June 1940 he volunteered for Commando under Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Laycock which became part of Force Z, later named Layforce. After Layforce and Commando were disbanded on 1 August 1941, Stirling remained convinced that a small team of highly trained soldiers with the advantage of surprise could exact greater damage to the enemy's ability to fight than an entire platoon. Aware that taking his idea through the chain of command was unlikely to work, Stirling decided to go straight to the top. On crutches following a parachuting accident he sneaked into Middle East headquarters in Cairo in an effort to see Commander-in-Chief General Claude Auchinleck. Stirling came face to face with Deputy Commander Middle East General Ritchie and explained his plan to him. Ritchie convinced Auchinleck to allow Stirling to form a new Special Forces unit. The unit was given the deliberately misleadingly name L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade to reinforce an existing deception of a parachute brigade existing in North Africa. His initial attempts at attacking by parachute landing were disastrous and resulted in a high number of his men being killed or wounded. Escaping only with the help of the Long Range Desert Group he decided that approaching by desert under the cover of night would not only be the safest but the most effective means of approach. He organised raids on ports using this simple method, often driving through checkposts at night using the language skills of some of his soldiers to bluff the guards. Stirling was captured in January 1943 and escaped on four occasions, before being sent to Colditz Castle, where he remained for the rest of the war. After his capture his brother Bill Stirling and Blair 'Paddy' Mayne took command of the SAS.
Size: 5400px × 3600px
Location: Doune Perthshire Scotland UK United Kingdom GB Great Britain Europe
Photo credit: © Ben Cleuch / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: air, army, campaign, dares, david, military, monument, rainbow, regiment, regimental, remember, sas, sculpture, service, special, stirling, wins
