Paddy Mayne
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne DSO & 3 Bars (11 January 1915 - 14 December 1955) was a Northern Irish soldier.
Early life and sporting achievements
Born in the County Down town of Newtownards, Mayne attended Regent House Grammar School. It was here that his talent for rugby union became evident, playing for the 1st XV whilst also playing for local Ards RFC team at the age of 16.
He later studied law at Queen's University of Belfast, qualifying as a solicitor. Whilst at university he took up boxing, becoming Irish Universities Heavyweight Champion.
After gaining six caps for the Irish rugby team, Mayne was selected for the 1938 British Lions Tour of South Africa. He played in seventeen of the twenty provincial matches and all three tests.
His sporting career was cut short by the outbreak of World War II.
World War II
After initially serving with The 5th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery SR, The Royal Ulster Rifles, The Cameronians and The 11th (Scottish) Commandos, Mayne was chosen by David Stirling as one of the founder members of the SAS.
After Stirling's capture Mayne was given joint command of 1st SAS and saw active service in Italy, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany and Norway eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. During the course of the war he became one of the British Army's most decorated soldiers and receiving the Distinguished Service Order with three bars, one of the few people to receive the award four times.
It has often been questioned why Mayne was not awarded a Victoria Cross. Major General Sir Robert Laycock, Post War Chief of Combined Operations stated that:
I feel I must drop you a line just to tell you how very deeply I appreciate the great honour of being able to address, as my friend, an officer who has succeeded in accomplishing the practically unprecedented task of collecting no less than four DSO's. (I am informed that there is another such superman in the Royal Air Force.)
You deserve all the more, and in my opinion, the appropriate authorities do not really know their job. If they did they would have given you a VC as well. Please do not dream of answering this letter, which brings with it my sincerest admiration and a deep sense of honour in having, at one time been associated with you.
An Early Day Motion in June 2005 also stated that:
This House recognises the grave injustice meted out to Lt Col Paddy Mayne, of 1st, SAS, who won the Victoria Cross at Oldenburg in North West Germany on 9th April 1945; notes that this was subsequently downgraded, some six months later, to a third bar DSO, that the citation had been clearly altered and that David Stirling, founder of the SAS has confirmed that there was considerable prejudice towards Mayne and that King George VI enquired why the Victoria Cross had `so strangely eluded him'; further notes that on 14th December it will be 50 years since Col Mayne's untimely death, in a car accident, and this will be followed on 29th January 2006 by the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Royal Warrant to institute the Victoria Cross; and therefore calls upon the Government to mark these anniversaries by instructing the appropriate authorities to act without delay to reinstate the Victoria Cross given for exceptional personal courage and leadership of the highest order and to acknowledge that Mayne's actions on that day saved the lives of many men and greatly helped the allied advance on Berlin.
After the war
After a period with the British Antarctic Survey, cut short by a crippling back complaint that emerged during his army service, Mayne returned to Newtownards to work as a solicitor and then as Secretary to the Law Society of Ireland. It is also said the Mayne could not adapt to being second in command in the survey party. In December 1955 he died in a car crash a short distance from his home, in a collision with a lorry parked with no lights in the middle of a road.
Reputation
Accounts of Mayne's personality and appearance vary greatly. He is mentioned as being anything between six feet and six feet four inches tall. Some sources describe him as being reckless and uncontrollable when drunk, he was allegedly under arrest for knocking out his Commanding Officer when David Stirling came to recruit him for the SAS. But all accounts describe him as a courageous leader of his men and a ferocious opponent. He was wont to remonstrate with colleagues in the SAS who showed little understanding of the political situation in Northern Ireland.
A statue of Mayne stands in Conway Square, Newtownards, and the western bypass of the town is also named in his honour.
A British Army base in Kuwait was named for him. It was here that Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins made his famous speech to his troops on the eve of the Gulf War.
A film of his life has long been mooted, with recent speculation linking Liam Neeson to the role. Eddie Irvine has become executive producer for the film. Two books have been written about Mayne. Rogue Warrior of the SAS: The Blair Mayne Legend was written by Martin Dillon and published by Mainstream Publishing in 1989 and updated in 2003. It features a foreword by written by David Stirling. Paddy Mayne by Hamish Ross was published by Sutton Publishing in 2004.
Full list of decorations
DSO (24 February 1942, Middle East)
1st bar (21 October 1943, Sicily)
2nd bar (29 March 1944, Normandy)
3rd bar (9 April 1945, Germany)
Africa Star, 8th Army bar, Italy Star, France & Germany Star, 1939-45 War Medal, Defence Medal, War Medal & Oak Leaf, Légion D' Honneur, Croix De Guerre & Palm.