The forgotten Stirling brother whose vision formed the true legacy of the Special Air Service after WWII
The Special Air Service, the special forces unit within the British Army, has become legendary. No surprise then that its origins have taken on some myth-like qualities. Much of the story of the SAS’s inception during WWII circles around the ‘Phantom Major’ David Stirling. But, as Gavin Mortimer’s new book 2SAS: Bill Stirling And The Forgotten Special Forces Unit Of World War II reveals, his brother Bill and the exploits of his SAS unit are the true predecessors of the modern force. We spoke with Mortimer to learn more about the elusive Bill Stirling and the lasting impact of his exploits during WWII.
Could you tell us a little about Bill Stirling and his background?
Bill was born in 1911, to brigadier general Archibald Stirling and his wife, Margaret, the daughter of the 13th Lord Lovat. Bill’s father died in 1931, just before he turned 20, and he became the Laird of Keir, one of Scotland’s wealthiest and most powerful landowners.
All the Stirling boys – Bill, Peter (later a diplomat), David and Hugh (killed in action in April 1941) were educated at Ampleforth. Bill thrived academically and athletically, and on leaving school he went up to Trinity, Cambridge, to read history. On graduating he was commissioned into the Scots Guards (at the same time as his cousin and best friend, Simon Fraser, later 15th Lord Lovat of Commando fame). Bill resigned his commission in 1936 because of mounting responsibilities as Laird of Keir (he was in charge of a vast estate and employed scores of staff) and also his business interests. He was a successful businessman when war was declared.
What was Bill’s role in the founding of the SAS groups?
His background is important because it indicates his standing within the Establishment in 1939 which was a help in his military wartime career. His mother was a good friend of Queen Mary and Stanley Baldwin and 56 his wife. This was why he was invited to join Military Intelligence Research (MIR) at the start of 1940. MIR was the forerunner of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Bill was one of six men who was sent to Norway in late April 1940 to work with partisans in a sabotage campaign against German lines of communications. Unfortunately, en route to Norway their submarine was damaged by a surface mine and was forced to return to port in Glasgow. Deflated, Bill Stirling invited his five comrades to his Keir estate to drown their sorrows.
