Editing David Stirling (section)

== Early life ==
The National Army Museum records that Stirling was born and raised in Keir House, Perthshire, into an aristocratic Scottish family with a proud military heritage.<ref>{{cite news |date= |title=David Stirling: The Phantom Major |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/david-stirling |newspaper=National Army Museum}}</ref> However, ''The Scotsman'' newspaper of 20 November 1915<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Scotsman newspaper, British Newspaper Archives |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19151120/475/0008|title=Births|date=20 November 1915}}</ref> and ''The Stirling Observer'' of 23 November 1915<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Stirling Observer, British Newspaper Archives|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000474/19151123/083/0004|title=Births|date=23 November 1915}}</ref> both published announcements that "The Hon Mrs Keir gave birth to a son on Monday 15th at 15 Cambridge Square, London".  His birth was recorded several months later, in 1916 [Apr-May-Jun Quarter] in Paddington (Registration district), London,<ref>http://www.freebmd.org.uk/search results for 'Stirling, Archibald' = Jun 1916 Stirling Archibald D [mother's maiden name Fraser] Vol 1a, Page 127.</ref> He was the son of Brigadier-General [[Archibald Stirling (British Army officer)|Archibald Stirling]], of Keir, and Margaret Fraser, daughter of [[Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat|Simon Fraser]], the [[Lord Lovat]] (a descendant of [[Charles II of England|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.<ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Stirling-Maxwell, Sir William}}</ref>

Stirling was educated in England at the Catholic boarding school [[Ampleforth College]] alongside his elder brother [[Bill Stirling (British Army officer)|Bill Stirling]].<ref>{{cite web |title=David & William Stirling |url=https://roughbounds.co.uk/blogs/journal/bill-stirling-and-david-stirling |website=Rough Bounds |access-date=15 December 2024 |language=en}}</ref> He was part of the Ampleforth [[Officer Training Corps]]. He briefly attended [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], before being "sent down" (i.e. expelled) for 28 transgressions of which the master of the college asked him to select three which would be the "least offensive to his mother".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jolliffe |first1=John |title=Derring-do in the desert |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/derring-do-in-the-desert/ |access-date=1 January 2025 |work=The Spectator |date=6 October 2016 |quote=David Stirling, had a record of complete allergy to discipline or serious work either at school at Ampleforth or later, briefly, at Cambridge, where the Master of his college sent him down after showing him a list of 28 transgressions and asking him to choose the three which ‘would be the least offensive to his mother’.}}</ref> He then went to [[Paris]] to unsuccessfully attempt to become an artist.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/18837232.back-day-sas--founder-quite-mad-david-stirling/|title=Back in the Day: SAS founder the 'quite mad' David Stirling|date=1 November 2020|newspaper=The National|access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref>