What is the SAS and their connection to Herefordshire

Here's everything you need to know about the SAS and its links to Herefordshire (Image: Joseph Evans/Hereford Times Camera Club)

The SAS has several decades of history in Herefordshire.

Here’s a little context about the SAS, including what it is and its connection to Herefordshire. part of county history for decades.

What is the SAS?

The Special Air Service (SAS) is a British Army special forces unit.

Roles include counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action, and special reconnaissance.

Details about the SAS are mostly classified, and neither the British Government nor the Ministry of Defence comment on their operations.

The UK has three SAS regiments—22 SAS (regular) and 21 SAS and 23 SAS (territorial reserves).

The 22 Special Air Service Regiment made Bradbury Lines in Hereford its home base in 1960.

The camp was renamed Stirling Lines in 1984, honouring SAS founder David Stirling.

In the 1990s, the SAS relocated to a more secure complex at the former RAF Credenhill site, now headquarters for 22 SAS and other UK Special Forces.

Hereford Cathedral hosts a stained-glass window and sculpture commemorating the SAS's 75th anniversary.

The city supports a high concentration of serving and former special forces personnel, making Herefordshire significant in British military history.

Credenhill, Stirling Lines, is officially described as a British Army garrison.

It serves as headquarters for the 22 Special Air Service Regiment and other UK Special Forces units.