Paddy Mayne

Robert Blair Mayne
Paddy Mayne near Kabrit, Egypt, in 1942
Nickname(s)	Paddy The Irish Lion
Born	(1915-01-11)11 January 1915 Newtownards, County Down, Ireland
Died	14 December 1955(1955-12-14) (aged 40) Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1939–1945
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands	1st Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/wars	Second World War North African campaign Battle of the Litani River Sicily Campaign Operation Overlord Operation Houndsworth Operation Wallace Operation Howard
Awards	Distinguished Service Order & Three Bars Mentioned in Despatches Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France)
Alma mater	Queen's University Belfast Regent House Grammar School
Other work	Secretary to the Law Society of Northern Ireland, lawyer, boxer

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne, DSO & Three Bars (11 January 1915 – 14 December 1955), better known as Paddy Mayne, was a British Army officer from Newtownards, capped for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions at rugby union, lawyer, amateur boxer, and a founding member of the Special Air Service (SAS).

During the course of the Second World War, Mayne became one of the British Army's most highly decorated soldiers.^[1] He was controversially denied a Victoria Cross.