Thank you for your reply. I can see that the S is the stern leader but I can't see how the remainder fits the clue. Unless "and" = with. But does the word sand mean courage?
From Chambers
sand
n a mass of rounded grains of rock, esp quartz; (in pl) a tract covered with this, as on a seashore or desert; (in pl) sandstones; (in pl) moments of time, from the use of the grains in an hourglass; firmness of character, grit