David Stirling: Founder Of The Sas: The Authorised Biography of the Founder of the SAS

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Although it was disbanded after the war, the SAS was re-formed six years later to meet the demands of a host of limited-intensity conflicts. Mayne was one of the few men who had seen through Stirling and recognised him for what he was: an incompetent egomaniac.

He was the son of Brigadier-General Archibald Stirling, of Keir, and Margaret Fraser, daughter of Simon Fraser, the Lord Lovat (a descendant of Charles II). In mid-1970s, Stirling became increasingly worried that an "undemocratic event" would occur and decided to organise a private army to overthrow the government. After a drive through the desert, evading enemy patrols and aircraft, Stirling and his men reached the safety of their advance camp at Qaret Tartura on the edge of the Qattara Depression.Denied entry for not having his pass, he ditched the crutches, somehow dragged himself over the barbed wire and, with a sentry in hot pursuit, barged into the office of General Neil Ritchie and breathlessly handed over his memo. Yet as Mortimer dazzlingly shows, while Stirling was instrumental in selling the SAS to Churchill and senior officers, it was Mayne who really carried the regiment in the early days. According to Stirling, he was Mayne's saviour, recruiting him into the SAS in 1941 as he languished in a military prison on a charge of knocking his CO unconscious. David Stirling was more a huckster than a hero, a man who shamelessly stole the feats of others and passed them off in his memoir as his own. His invention, the War Office Selection Board, has stood the test of time and is largely unchanged since its creation during the war.

In 2002 the SAS memorial, a statue of Stirling standing on a rock, was unveiled on the Hill of Row near his family's estate at Park of Keir.David Stirling envisaged a fighting force that would change modern combat warfare , not for his own personal gain but for a more higher need - his country. By bidding on, or purchasing this item, you are agreeing to us sharing your name and address details with that 3rd party supplier to allow us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. We're always happy to answer any questions or queries you might have, please get in touch using one of the methods below. Hachette Australia acknowledges and pays our respects to the past, present and future Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

After the war, Stirling organised deals to provide British weapons and military personnel to other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, for various privatised foreign policy operations. Following Mayne’s untimely death in a car crash in 1955, Stirling once again used his powers of self-promotion to create his own myth, appropriating many of Mayne’s qualities and successes along the way.Under his command, small teams of resourceful, highly trained men penetrated beyond the front lines of the opposing armies and wreaked havoc where the Germans least expected it. He invented anecdotes to bolster his daredevil alter ego, such as breaking into Middle East HQ to thrust his plans for the SAS into the hands of a startled senior officer. He made four further escape attempts, before he was sent to Colditz Castle, where he remained as a prisoner for the rest of the war. He was linked, along with Denys Rowley, to a failed attempt to overthrow the Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 1970 or 1971.