The Phantom Major: The Story of David Stirling and the SAS Regiment

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In his excellent new book, David Stirling: the phoney major: the life, times and truth about the founder of the SAS, Gavin Mortimer uses extensive research and impressive access over many years to wartime members of the SAS to tell us the real story of the life of David Stirling and the often troubled infancy of the service. Michael Alexander speaks to the author of a new book who thinks SAS founder Sir David Stirling should be regarded as a ‘phoney major’.

Alleyne, Richard (19 February 2007). "SAS founder's life story to be made into a film". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 2 March 2017.

Gavin claims that what allowed Stirling to “pull off this deceit” was the death of Paddy Mayne in a car crash in 1955.

Bill STIRLING penned a blistering letter to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), explaining exactly how stupid this idea was (among the traits shared by the StIRLING brothers was a talent for extreme epistolary rudeness). Refusing to retract his criticisms, he resigned, to be replaced as commander of 2SAS by his deputy Major Brian FRANKS. David STIRLING believed that his brother had saved the SAS : 'He lost his battle, but the regiment won theirs.' It had been a brave act, supported by many of the men, but it signalled the end of the STIRLING brothers' leadership of the SAS. Stirling was dubbed the "Phantom Major" by German Field Marshall Rommel, and Britain's commander Field Marshall Montgomery described him as "mad, quite mad". He was rumoured to have personally strangled 41 men. David Stirling was an embittered man when the war ended. For the next decade he had little to do with the SAS and relocated to southern Africa. Then in December 1955 Paddy Mayne was killed in a car crash. Stirling saw a chance to rewrite history. Wartime Raid is Recalled in Leader's Libel Actions". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow. 24 May 1968. p.9 . Retrieved 30 March 2015.

Historical records matching William Joseph Stirling of Keir

Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse. Stirling was born at his family's ancestral home, Keir House, in the parish of Lecropt, Perthshire on 15 November 1915. 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). Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat was a first cousin. His paternal grandparents were Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, 9th Baronet and Lady Anna Maria Leslie-Melville. [1] When Mayne died, Stirling saw his opportunity. He returned from his self-imposed exile in southern Africa and staked his claim to be the ‘father’ of British special forces.” Research began with Paddy Mayne Gavin describes Paddy Mayne as the “physical force” of the SAS in World War Two and Bill Stirling as the “intellectual force”. In fact, it was Bill Stirling, working in Cairo at the time, who wrote much of the memo and made sure it was read by senior officers. Mortimer notes:

Mostly we didn’t remember killing people because, in our case at any rate in the SAS, we were mostly shooting in the dark at things, or putting bombs on targets and hoping not to disturb the people who were going to be the recipients of them. David Stirling, by contrast, was the “frontman”. He was “quite charismatic and quite forceful and a very good salesman”.

Death of Paddy Mayne

A heavily armed patrol of L Detachment, Special Air Service troops in North Africa, 1943. David Stirling assiduously (and disingenuously) took credit for the creation of the service. Image: Wikimedia Commons. After his capture, Stirling’s war was over, despite a number of abortive escape attempts, which eventually led him to Colditz. The SAS thrived under Mayne for the rest of the war. 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.