The S.A.S.

and the Artists Rifles Legacy

responsibility for No. 163 OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit) at Shorncliffe in Kent. While their three month training courses continued to produce high calibre officers for other regiments, their proud history as an infantry battalion had come to an end. They did not see active service as a Regiment in the Second World War. After the war it was hoped that the Artists Rifles would be revived once more as a Territorial infantry battalion. It was not to be, but an unlikely solution was reached. Like the Artists, the S.A.S. had been disbanded after the war, and it was decided to reform the Artists Rifles as a Territorial Army S.A.S. unit. So in 1947 the 21st S.A.S. Regiment (Artists) was officially established and took over the Artists old headquarters at 17 Dukes Road, Euston. Looking back from the 21st century it may seem bizarre that a regiment founded by pillars of the Victorian art world should find itself merged with one of the British armys most celebrated elite units. However, when one looks at the endeavours of Leighton and his successors to mould the Artists Rifles into one of the countrys best volunteer regiments, and the recognition they gained as a result during the First World War, this unlikely marriage makes perfect sense. Those soldier-painters of the 1860s would have been immensely proud to see their traditions cherished and continued by the world-famous S.A.S.
The Special Air Service was created during the Second World War as a small, but highly trained force specialising in operations behind enemy lines. This picture shows founder David Stirling (right) with S.A.S. jeeps in North Africa. The Regimental badge above the door was made by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock, then a lieutenant in the Regiment.
Artists Rifles Association Artists Rifles Association

On the outbreak of war in 1939 the Artists Rifles took

The Artists Rifles headquarters at 17 Dukes Road were built to the instructions of Colonel Edis (an architect) and opened in 1889. Sold by the Ministry of Defence in 1970, it is now The Place, home of the London Contemporary Dance school.