In SAS Rogue Heroes, viewers have been introduced to Dudley Clarke, a well-known spy and an officer in the British Army.
Dudley Clarke helped establish the SAS, and came up with the whole idea, including the now-infamous name.
In real life, Dudley was even arrested for cross-dressing on one of his missions!
But who was SAS officer Dudley Clarke in real life, and what happened to him?
SAS Rogue Heroes: Who was the real-life Dudley Wrangle Clarke?
Dudley Clarke was an officer in the British Army during World War II.
He’s the man who came up with the idea of the Special Air Service in the first place, and helped David Stirling establish the unit.
Cross-dressing Dudley was also very theatrical and charismatic, and was known for charming senior officers.
Dudley grew up in Watford, where he knew he wanted to be a soldier from childhood.
When World War I broke out, he was eager to enlist, however he was too young to sign up.
With nothing else to do, he applied to the Royal Flying Corps, which would later become the RAF.
He spent the rest of World War I learning to fly in Reading and Egypt.
When he finished his training in 1919, Dudley chose to stay in the armed forces and did intelligence work in the Middle East.
Dudley was founder of the Commandos
During World War II, Lieutenant Colonel Dudley was made an intelligence officer.
Following the evacuation of Dunkirk, Dudley suggested to Sir John Dill that they form a special forces for quick, targeted raids.
Dudley named the unit the Commandos, which is what both Jock Lewes and David Stirling went on to join.
Dudley was heavily involved in setting up the Commandos and he even accompanied them on their first raid.
What was Dudley Clarke’s part in the SAS?
After he set up the Commandos, Dudley was requested to lead a new unit devoted entirely to “deception”.
Dudley set about creating his first “phantom army”, also known as the First Special Air Service.
This is where Dudley convinced the Italians that the Allies had an airborne attack force ready to go.
He fabricated training exercises, had pictures planted in the papers, and got soldiers in fake uniforms to visit bars in Alexandria, Cairo and Port.
The unit was so convincing that many Allied commanders believed it was real.
In May, an injured David Stirling came to him with the idea of a special forces unit that could attack behind enemy lines.
This is where we first meet the charismatic officer in SAS Rogue Heroes.
Dudley loved the idea and insisted that David took the same name as his fictional unit and named it “L’Detachment, Special Air Service”.
Talking about his character, Dominic West said: “Dudley Clarke is the man who came up with the idea of the Special Air Service, he named it the SAS.
“But it was just a propaganda tool before Stirling came along and made it real – so he reckons he invented the SAS, and that’s good enough for me.”
Dudley was arrested while cross-dressing as a woman
To aid him in his deceptions, Dudley eventually put together a team of highly talented men called the ‘A’ Force.
The most famous of these were Jasper Maskelyne and Victor Jones.
The team would go on special missions for the intelligence service and would often go in disguise.
Jasper also created props that would hide useful tools inside.
This was also where Dudley’s infamous cross-dressing antics come in to play!
In October 1941, he was arrested in Madrid while cross-dressing as a woman.
The spy was on his way to Egypt when he was stopped by officers after being spotted “in a main street dressed, down to a brassiere, as a woman”.
When the British consul visited him, he told them that he put the clothes on as a prank.
However, it didn’t explain how the clothes and the shoes fitted him exactly.
Eventually, the Spanish police treated the incident as a “homosexual affair” and released him with a fine.
What happened to Dudley Wrangle Clarke?
After the war, Dudley was asked to record the history of the ‘A’ Force.
He went on to pursue a literary career – he published two histories and a thriller.
Dudley also worked for the Conservative party.
He retired in 1947, and died many years later on May 07 1974 at the age of 75.
Read more: Miles Jupp in SAS Rogue Heroes: Who is the Maj Knox actor and what is he famous for?
SAS Rogue Heroes continues on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One.
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