David Robertson Ross was born on 28 February 1958 in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire. At the age of 5 his family moved to East Kilbride (South Lanarkshire), where he attended Halfmerk Primary School and East Kilbride High, from which he graduated in 1974 with six "O" levels.

On the 700th anniversary of Wallace's capture and subsequent execution he undertook a 450-mile walk in Wallace's honour.

David R. Ross was twice divorced and had a daughter named Kimberley, born in 1987.

In the mid-1990s, during a lecture at the University of Glasgow that Ross was attending, Dr. Elspeth King mentioned that a book listing all the sites in Scotland related to the life of william Wallace had never been published; this inspired Ross to write On the Trail of william Wallace, that was published in 1999 by the Edinburgh-based Luath Press.

The third book in the "on the trail of" series was On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie, published in 2001.

Outwith the "on the trail of" series - but still linked to Scottish history and places - Ross published A Passion for Scotland in 2003, a generic (but deeply heart-felt) history of the country; Desire Lines: A Journey Around Scotland and Through Her History (2004), in which Ross guides the reader "off the beaten path" and to the less renowned corners of Scotland; For Freedom: The Last Days of william Wallace (2007) in which he recounts the last week in the life of the hero, from his capture to his execution, and the repercussions of those events in history, and James the Good: The Black Douglas, dedicated to the story of the Scottish hero and soldier, in 2008.

As william Wallace never received a funeral or a proper burial (as was then the custom for those accused of high treason), David R. Ross and The Society of william Wallace organised, on 23 August 2005 (the 700th anniversary of Wallace's execution), a full memorial function to commemorate the life of the Scottish hero.

The fourth and last book in the series was On the Trail of Scotland's History, published in 2008.

After David R. Ross's death, The Society for william Wallace decided to include his image in its new flag in permanent memory. This flag was displayed for the first time on 21 August 2010, at the william Wallace Memorial Day in Elderslie.

This letter was eventually returned to Scotland on 12 January 2012 and will be on display to the people of Scotland at a free exhibition which will run from 10 to 31 August at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

The Argentinian folk metal band Skiltron released the tribute song On the Trail of David Ross on their 2013 album Into the Battleground. The song makes specific mention of the Walk for Wallace.