Jim's Travel & Photographic Blog: David Stirling, SAS Memorial, Doune, Scotland

Just off the main A9 road between Stirling and Perth in Central Scotland, stands a fitting tribute to a man who had an idea and nurtured that idea into being.

The memorial is to none other than Sir David Stirling – the Special Air Service founder. The location of this memorial is not overly advertised (as would befit this secretive organisation). Signposts do appear on the B824 road just outside the picturesque village of Doune. However, unless you know this you would pass by this dramatic memorial to Sir David Stirling, which stands dominantly on the Hill of Row, near his ancestral home, as he looks north towards the hills of Perthshire and the highlands beyond.

David Stirling was born November 15th 1915, the son of Brigadier Archibald Stirling of Keir and the Hon Margaret Fraser, 4th daughter of the 13th Baron Lovat. At the outbreak of war he joined the Scots Guards then volunteered for the elite No 8 Commando unit and served in the Mediterranean.

In North Africa in 1941, while recuperating from a parachute accident, he built on the idea of a small highly trained special operations group attacking the Rommel's long supply lines. When he failed to gain access to his commanding officer General Auchinleck to argue his case, he just slipped past the guard and walked in (on crutches)!

Using the innocent-sounding name of L-Detachment Special Air Service and working alongside the Long Range Desert Group, small detachments drove behind enemy lines and attacked enemy airfields, communications and supply dumps. These highly trained and well-motivated teams created chaos and the Italians and Germans were forced to use more and more forces to guard their bases. The destruction of large numbers of enemy aircraft even allowed a naval convoy to reach Malta to relieve the beleaguered island.

Field Marshall Montgomery - another unconventional soldier, gave Stirling (sometimes known as the Phantom Major) his backing. Winston Churchill became so impressed by the unit's performance that it was made into a full Brigade. The Special Air Service (SAS) was born.

In 1943, Stirling was captured by the Germans, then escaped, but was captured by the Italians and became a prisoner-of-war. Hitler had ordered that all members of the SAS and other special forces should be executed, but to his credit Field Marshall Rommel was the only German commander to ignore the order.

During his time as a POW, he escaped four times, eventually though he was sent to the famous Colditz Castle where he remained for the rest of the war. In the meantime, his brother had taken over as commander of an SAS Brigade. The SAS expanded and became involved in many operations in Europe.

Today the SAS Regiment remains a major unit within UK Special Forces.

David Stirling was awarded the OBE and DSO for his actions during WW2. He was knighted in 1990, he died the same year. He is buried in a cemetery on the shores of Loch Morar in the highlands, alongside his sister Irene.