History of WWII hero unlocked from inside picnic basket revealing he was one of founding members of SAS Captain Cecil Leyland Riding MC never spoke of his wartime escapades The basket was filled with medals, maps, memoirs and photographs The soldier parachuted into Nazi-occupied France just after D-Day, 1944 The collection has been given to the Dumfries Museum and turned into a major exhibition Behind enemy lines: Captain Cecil Leyland Riding MC parachuted into Nazi-occupied France, it was revealed in a basket full of his wartime memorabilia The history of a WWII hero remained unknown, even to his family, until a picnic basket found in his attic revealed he was one of the founding members of the SAS. The hamper full of medals, maps, memoirs and photographs told of Captain Cecil Leyland Riding MC's wartime escapades in which he parachuted behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied France just days after the D-Day invasion. Captain Riding's memoirs described how he often had to pretend to be German to evade Nazi forces as he sent intelligence back to London. His incredible stories and the many medals he was awarded for courage and bravery were found in the hamper, along with his uniform, in his home in Dumfries, Galloway after his death. David Riding, nephew of Captain Riding, said the basket's contents told the real story of the heroism he never spoke of himself. He said: "Cecil never talked about his wartime exploits. I knew he had been awarded the Military Cross but had no idea of the details. After Cecil's death we found the memorabilia in a trunk in his loft and could piece together the story from what was there. Cecil was 28-years-old when he was parachuted behind enemy lines. It's amazing what these young men achieved. Captain Riding grew up near Lockerbie, working as a factor before moving to Glasgow where he met his wife Janie. Celebrated soldier: Captain Riding was awarded the prestigious Military Cross (left), The Star (second from left), The France and Germany Star (third from left), the Defence Medal (second from right) and the War Medal (right) The real story of heroism: Captain Riding's nephew David Riding said he never spoke of his wartime missions. He said of his uncle: 'It's amazing what these young men achieved' When WWII broke out, Captain Riding had been working as an assistant factor at Garscube House near Glasgow. The estate was requisitioned by the Ministry of Works for War Use and in 1940 he joined the Coldstream Guards. A year later he was commissioned into the Highland Light Infantry. Captain Riding was one of the first 36 members of the Secret Air Service (SAS) when it was formed in 1941 and was parachuted into Nazi-occupied France - with a carrier pigeon strapped to his chest - just days after the D-Day Normandy Landings in 1944. Stories kept silent: Captain Riding never spoke of his incredible story but his family have pieced together his involvement in the war using the contents of the basket which included a collection of maps Bravery and courage: The uniform of Captain Riding who parachuted into Nazi-occupied France with a carrier pigeon strapped to his chest just three days after the D-Day landings in 1944 He remained there on special duty behind the enemy lines for three months as part of Operation Gain. Leading a team of five men, he was responsible for blowing up the Montarges to Paris train line. His missions were often fraught with danger and he escaped death on two occasions when German troops discovered the SAS camps and obliterated them. In one of the attacks, his commanding officer and two fellow soldiers were killed. He was also part of the Allie advance into Germany across the Rhine Frontier in March and April of 1945 and was also involved in Operation Doomsday, part of the liberation of Norway. 'Gallant services': The basket contained a letter of reference from SAS Col Mayne (left) providing an insight into Captain Riding's success in the army, which included several missions fraught with danger, and a photograph of his army kit (right) War tactics: Captain Riding's escape compass, which had four big holes and two smaller ones aligned on a radial line pointing North, was designed this way to save scarce metal SAS beret: Captain Riding was one of the first 36 members of the Secret Air Service (SAS) when it was formed in 1941 For his service to the war effort, he was awarded five medals for his heroics including the prestigious Military Cross for "gallantry during active operations against the enemy." He was also awarded The Star, The France and Germany Star, The Defence Medal and the War Medal. In the basket there was also Captain Riding's escape compass, which had four big holes and two smaller ones aligned on a radial line pointing North, which was designed this way to save scarce metal. A coded silk handkerchief was also among the items found in Captain Riding's attic. Silk handkerchiefs were used by the Allies during WWII for coding and maps for troops and pilots to evade capture. After finishing his service, Captain Riding returned to Scotland, living near Strathdon, Aberdeenshire before taking up a post with Bombay Burma Trading Company in 1956. Along with wife Janie, the couple lived in Borneo and Burma for a number of years where he worked in forestry. Evading the Nazis: A coded silk handkerchief was also among the items found in Captain Riding's attic. Silk handkerchiefs were used by the Allies during WWII for coding and maps for troops and pilots to evade capture They returned to Scotland in 1967 and Captain Riding worked for Falkirk District Council as a land valuation officer. He moved to Dumfries in 1971 and lived there until he died in 1998. The family have handed the basket into the Dumfries Museum where it has been turned into a major exhibition. Fiona Wilson, museum officer, said: "On first seeing the basket it was clear that this was a fascinating collection, there were so many different objects which fitted together to tell one person's story. The objects that he chose to keep tell us so much about his time in the SAS and what was happening in France and Germany during that period of World War II. Sometimes all that is kept are a soldier's medals but here we have Cecil's personal account of his experiences and so much more. On a mission: Captain Riding (second from the left) training in Ayrshire for a SAS mission to France in 1944. He he escaped death on two occasions when German troops discovered the SAS camps and obliterated them