A gas turbine combustor adapted for combusting fuel with compressed air supplied from a compressor so as to produce combustion gas and then feeding the so-produced combustion gas into a turbine, the combustor comprising: a combustion cylinder constituting a combustion chamber; a fuel injection unit adapted for supplying the fuel to a head portion of the combustion cylinder; a support member configured for supporting the fuel injection unit in the combustion cylinder, the support member comprising a holding aperture; and a heat shield adapted for heat-insulating the support member from the combustion gas in the combustion chamber, wherein the fuel injection unit includes a fuel injection valve adapted for injecting the fuel, and a swirler adapted for supplying the compressed air to the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve while swirling the compressed air, wherein the swirler and the heat shield are connected together, thereby constituting a swirler unit, and wherein the swirler unit is detachably attached to the support member via a fastening member, wherein the combustion cylinder is of an annular type including an inner liner, an outer liner and a cowling connected with each head portion of these liners, and the fastening member is exposed to the outside from an air flow opening formed in an apex of the cowling, such that the fastening member can be accessed from the outside through the air flow opening, wherein the swirler includes an attachment plate extending radially outward from a downstream end wall of the swirler, and characterised in that the support member comprises a pair of recesses, the holding aperture having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the swirler, wherein each recess extends radially outward in communication with the holding aperture, and each recess has a shape for allowing the attachment plate to be inserted therethrough. a combustion cylinder constituting a combustion chamber; a fuel injection unit adapted for supplying the fuel to a head portion of the combustion cylinder; a support member configured for supporting the fuel injection unit in the combustion cylinder, the support member comprising a holding aperture; and a heat shield adapted for heat-insulating the support member from the combustion gas in the combustion chamber, wherein the fuel injection unit includes a fuel injection valve adapted for injecting the fuel, and a swirler adapted for supplying the compressed air to the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve while swirling the compressed air, wherein the swirler and the heat shield are connected together, thereby constituting a swirler unit, and wherein the swirler unit is detachably attached to the support member via a fastening member, wherein the combustion cylinder is of an annular type including an inner liner, an outer liner and a cowling connected with each head portion of these liners, and the fastening member is exposed to the outside from an air flow opening formed in an apex of the cowling, such that the fastening member can be accessed from the outside through the air flow opening, wherein the swirler includes an attachment plate extending radially outward from a downstream end wall of the swirler, and characterised in that the support member comprises a pair of recesses, the holding aperture having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the swirler, wherein each recess extends radially outward in communication with the holding aperture, and each recess has a shape for allowing the attachment plate to be inserted therethrough.