David Stirling

Sir David Stirling
David Stirling in 1942
Birth name	Archibald David Stirling
Nickname(s)	"The Phantom Major"
Born	(1915-11-15)15 November 1915 Bridge of Allan, Scotland
Died	4 November 1990(1990-11-04) (aged 74) Westminster, London, England
Buried	St Cumin's Church, Loch Morar, Scotland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1937–1965
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Service number	72647
Unit	Scots Guards No. 8 (Guards) Commando
Commands held	Special Air Service
Battles/wars	Second World War North African campaign Western Front
Awards	Knight Bachelor Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Relations	Archibald Stirling (father)

Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, OBE (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990) was a Scottish officer in the British Army and the founder and creator of the Special Air Service (SAS). Under his leadership, the SAS carried out hit-and-run raids behind the Axis lines of the North African campaign. He saw active service during the Second World War until he was captured in January 1943. He spent the rest of the war in captivity, despite making several attempts to escape.

Stirling left the Regular Army in 1947. He 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. He subsequently formed various private military companies and was linked with a failed attempt to overthrow the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the early 1970s. He also attempted to organise efforts to undermine trades unionism and to overthrow the British government, none of which made significant headway. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1990, and died later the same year.