29 Facts About David Stirling

David Stirling saw active service during the Second World War until he was captured in January 1943.

David Stirling spent the rest of the war in captivity, despite making several attempts to escape.

David Stirling 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.

David Stirling subsequently formed various private military companies and was linked with a failed attempt to overthrow the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the early 1970s.

David Stirling attempted to organise efforts to undermine trades unionism and to overthrow the British government, none of which made significant headway.

David Stirling was made a Knight Bachelor in 1990, and died later the same year.

The National Army Museum records that Stirling was born and raised in Keir House, Perthshire, into an aristocratic Scottish family with a proud military heritage.

David Stirling's birth was recorded several months later, in 1916 [Apr-May-Jun Quarter] in Paddington, London, He was the son of Brigadier-General Archibald Stirling, of Keir, and Margaret Fraser, daughter of Simon Fraser, the Lord Lovat.

David Stirling was educated in England at the Catholic boarding school Ampleforth College alongside his elder brother Bill David Stirling.

David Stirling was part of the Ampleforth Officer Training Corps.

David Stirling then went to Paris to unsuccessfully attempt to become an artist.

David Stirling was commissioned into the Scots Guards on 24 July 1937.

David Stirling was in Montana, USA, working as a cattle-rancher until returning to Britain on SS Manhattan, from New York City to Southampton on 16 September 1939.

David Stirling remained convinced that due to the mechanised nature of war, a small team of highly trained soldiers with the advantage of surprise could attack several targets from the desert in a single night.

David Stirling explained his plan to Ritchie, immediately after which Ritchie persuaded Auchinleck to allow David Stirling to form a new special operations unit.

David Stirling pioneered the use of small groups to escape detection.

David Stirling made four further escape attempts, before he was sent to Colditz Castle, where he remained as a prisoner for the rest of the war.

David Stirling arrived on 20 August 1944 and was given the task of setting up the Colditz British Intelligence Unit by a Stay-Behind Order which was in place in the area.

David Stirling transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers in 1947.

David Stirling was the founder of the Capricorn Africa Society, promoting freedom from racial discrimination in Africa.

David Stirling was linked, along with Denys Rowley, to a failed attempt to overthrow the Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 1970 or 1971.

David Stirling operated in Zambia and in Sierra Leone, providing training teams and advising on security matters, but its founders' maverick ways of doing business caused its eventual downfall.

Woodhouse resigned as Director of Operations after a series of disagreements and David Stirling ceased to take an active part in 1972.

In mid-1970s, David Stirling became increasingly worried that an "undemocratic event" would occur and decided to organise a private army to overthrow the government.

David Stirling described this in detail in an interview from 1974, part of which is featured in Adam Curtis's documentary The Mayfair Set, episode 1: "Who Pays Wins".

David Stirling recruited like-minded individuals from within the trade union movement, with the express intention that they should cause as much trouble during conferences as permissible.

David Stirling was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in the Middle East on 24 February 1942, appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in the field on 14 November 1946 and appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1990 New Year Honours for services to the military.

In 2002 the SAS memorial, a statue of David Stirling standing on a rock, was unveiled on the Hill of Row near his family's estate at Park of Keir.

David Stirling was depicted by Connor Swindells in the 2022 television historical drama SAS: Rogue Heroes.