Second World War officer behind ‘ingenious schemes’ honoured with blue plaque

Evening Standard · Lauren Del Fabbro · 2026-11-05 14:43 UTC

Dudley Clarke inspired the upcoming film Fortitude.

Second World War military strategist Brigadier Dudley Clarke, who was arrested undercover dressed as a woman and helped inspire the name for the SAS, has been honoured with a blue plaque.

The Army officer, who was a key figure in British intelligence in the Middle East during the war, was recognised by English Heritage for his work devising “ingenious schemes” to mislead the Nazis.

Among his plots, he helped invent the fictional SAS to convince the Axis powers that Britain had an airborne force ready to strike. The deception went on to inspire the name of the real SAS.

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