Bill Stirling (British Army officer)

Lieutenant Colonel William Joseph "Bill" Stirling of Keir (9 May 1911 – 1 January 1983) was a Scottish officer of the British Army who served during the Second World War. Initially joining the Special Operations Executive, he would go on to command No. 62 Commando and then the 2nd Special Air Service (2SAS). He was the elder brother of David Stirling, one of the founders of the SAS, but Bill has been described as the "real brains behind the operation".^[1][2][3][4] He was, however, sacked from his command of 2SAS by Frederick "Boy" Browning two days before D-Day because they clashed over how best to deploy his unit, thereby ending his army career.^[5]

Stirling was married and had four children. His eldest son, Archibald, was married to Diana Rigg.^[6]

References

1. Mortimer, Gavin (2023). 2SAS: Bill Stirling and the forgotten special forces unit of World War II. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472856739.
2. "2SAS". The Guardian Bookshop. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
3. Zulueta, Paul de (10 October 2023). "Bill Stirling – the brains behind the wartime SAS". The Spectator. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
4. "David & William Stirling". Rough Bounds. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
5. Zulueta, Paul de (13 October 2023). "Bill Stirling: a brilliant British airman". The Spectator World. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
6. "William Stirling Dead; Top British Commando". New York Times. 6 January 1983. Retrieved 15 December 2024.