What happened to David Stirling? SAS Rogue Heroes series 2 explained

The BBC drama follows the exploits of the Special Air Service during World War Two, and the men of the unit who stood out including its founder David Stirling.

SAS Rogue Heroes (BBC)
SAS Rogue Heroes sees Connor Swindells portray the unit's founder Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling. (BBC)

SAS Rogue Heroes explores the origins of the Special Air Service, and the men who took part in the daring missions that helped the Allied Forces during the Second World War. Several men from the unit stand out in the story of the SAS, few more so than its founder David Stirling.

Connor Swindells portrays the Phantom Major, as Stirling became known in real life, in the BBC drama, with series 2 following the character in a prisoner of war camp in Gavi, Italy. The show finds the officer desperate to escape his confines and return to the SAS, which was renamed the SRS during the invasion of Sicily in 1943.

Here is everything you need to know about the real Stirling, his experience as the leader of the SAS, in the Second World War, and beyond.

THE SPECIAL AIR SERVICE (SAS) IN NORTH AFRICA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR - Portrait of Lt Colonel David Stirling DSO Stirling, David, British Army, Special Air Service
Lt Colonel David Stirling is pictured in North Africa during the Second World War, he established the Special Air Service in the region in 1941. (PA Images)

Lieutenant-Colonel Stirling founded the SAS alongside Lieutenant John Steel "Jock" Lewes in 1941 during the Allied forces' North Africa campaign. They worked as a commando unit that parachuted behind enemy lines to raid bases and destroy aircrafts, weaponry and more.

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Stirling spoke to the BBC in 1987 about the unit, sharing: "It had to be regarded as a new type of force, to extract the very maximum out of surprise and guile"

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The SAS developed the motto of "Who Dares Wins", in reference to their dangerous missions and bravery in the face of almost certain danger. The group were a "band of vagabonds" brought together by Stirling and Lewes, with the former saying: "They weren't really controllable, they were harnessable but they all had this individuality. The object was to give them the same purpose."

Stirling and his men were instrumental in the North Africa campaign, but in January 1943 Stirling was captured by enemy forces in Tunisia and taken as a prisoner of war.

SAS Rogue Heroes (BBC)
SAS Rogue Heroes series 2 follows David Stirling as he attempts to escape a prisoner of war camp, in real life the Lt Colonel attempted this several times but failed. (BBC)

SAS Rogue Heroes series 2 returns to Stirling in Gavi, Italy, where he is in a prisoner of war camp with other Allied soldiers. The Lieutenant-Colonel made several attempts to escape his prison but was unsuccessful and was eventually moved to a German prison in Colditz Castle.

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Stirling remained in the escape-proof Colditz for the rest of the war, but during his confinement worked to establish the Colditz British Intelligence Unit.

While Stirling's incarceration initially led to fears it would be the end of the SAS, Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne successfully took command of the unit, later renamed the SRS (Special Raiding Squadron), and they helped clear the way for Allied Forces to liberate Sicily and Italy. Stirling's brother Lieutenant Colonel William "Bill" Stirling also went on to establish the 2nd SAS Regiment.

North Africa, January 1943. World War II. Colonel David Stirling, founder of the SAS (Special Air Service), with a commando group operating behind enemy lines, somewhere in the desert in North Africa. Credit: Album / Archivo ABC
Colonel David Stirling pictured with a commando group operating behind enemy lines, somewhere in the desert in North Africa in January 1943 before he was captured. (Archivo ABC)

Following the end of the war Stirling continued his military activities, and worked in Africa where he founded the Capricorn African Society that aimed to eradicate racial discrimination in the region. Stirling also went on to handle arms deals between Britain and other countries including the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, he also established private military companies during this time.

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In the 1970s Stirling founded Great Britain 75, an organisation consisting mainly of ex-military men who were ready to take control of the country from the government if civil unrest broke out and led to a more left-wing rule.

Despite these career moves after the war, Stirling was given a knighthood in 1990 — he died that same year at the age of 74.

SAS Rogue Heroes series 2 continues on BBC One every Sunday at 9pm, and all episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.