Robert Blair Mayne | |
---|---|
![]() Paddy Mayne near Kabrit, Egypt, in 1942 | |
Nickname(s) | Paddy The Irish Lion |
Born | Newtownards, County Down, Ireland | 11 January 1915
Died | 14 December 1955 Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland | (aged 40)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1939–1945 |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Commands | 1st Special Air Service Regiment |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
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.