Paddy Mayne
Robert Blair Mayne | |
|---|---|
Mayne as a lieutenant near Kabrit, Egypt, in 1942 | |
| Nickname(s) | Paddy The Irish Lion |
| Born | 11 January 1915 Newtownards, County Down, Ireland |
| Died | 14 December 1955 (aged 40) Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1939–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Service number | 87306 |
| Commands | 1st Special Air Service Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
| Alma mater | Regent House Grammar School Queen's University Belfast |
| Other work | Solicitor, Secretary to the Law Society of Northern Ireland |
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne, DSO & Three Bars (11 January 1915 – 14 December 1955), best known as Paddy Mayne or familiarly as Blair, was a British Army officer from Newtownards. He was an amateur boxing champion, qualified as a solicitor and was capped for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions at rugby union before becoming a founding member of the Special Air Service (SAS).
Serving with distinction during the Second World War, Mayne became one of the British Army's most highly decorated officers. He was controversially denied the Victoria Cross, a decoration which King George VI remarked "so strangely eluded him".