R. Blair Mayne
by Steven Moore
When it comes to warriors, few stand out more as a breed apart than Robert Blair Mayne. A man of both physical and historical stature, he arguably should be the holder of a Victoria Cross and ended the war as one of the most decorated British soldiers.
Mayne was born in January, 1915, one of four boys in a family of seven children, and he attended Regent House school in Newtownards where his abilities on the rugby field were quickly recognised and it was on the sporting field than he first made his name. He played rugby for Ulster, won six caps for Ireland and in 1938 was selected to play for the British Lions in South Africa.
He also laced on the boxing gloves at Queen's University in Belfast - where he was studying law - to become the Irish Universities' heavyweight champion.
The outbreak of the Second World War cut short his sports career. Blair "Paddy" Mayne, a member of the Territorial Army who had attended the officer training corps at Queen's, was to prove a natural fighter if sometimes indisciplined soldier.
After passing through a number of units, including the Royal Ulster Rifles and Cameronians, he saw action with the 11th (Scottish) Commando which led on to him being selected by David Stirling as one of the founding members, and the second-in-command, of what was destined to become the Special Air Service.
Mayne proved himself to be a master of irregular warfare. Personally fearless and leading from the front, he took part in countless missions behind enemy lines in the desert, attacking enemy airfields - destroying more than 100 aircraft on the ground - storage dumps and depots.
He was similarly effective in Sicily, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway and Germany, commanding the 1st SAS regiment after the capture of Stirling.
Mayne was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his daring to which he added a further three bars and a Croix de Guerre and Legion d'Honneur. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
He was also recommended for the Victoria Cross for an action in Germany in April, 1945.
Mayne's unit, trail-blazing the route for the 4th Canadian Armoured Division - led by the Armagh-born Major-Gen Christopher Vokes - was being held up by enemy positions in a farm building and nearby wood.
After ensuring another house was clear, Mayne, armed with a Bren gun he fired from the shoulder, took up a position in the open and poured fire on the German stronghold, killing or wounding everyone inside.
Enlisting the help of another volunteer to fire a machine-gun from the rear of a jeep, Mayne drove it past the wood three times in full view of the enemy - which withdrew shortly afterwards - to gather some of his wounded men.
Despite the endorsement of a number of senior figures, including two generals and the Ulster Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, he was denied the VC.
After the war Mayne found it hard to settle back to civilian life and a career as a lawyer. Even before leaving the Army he had signed up to take part in a survey of the Falkland Islands along with a couple of former comrades, and didn't return to Northern Ireland until 1946.
He earned a reputation - disputed by some - for partying hard and drinking heavily and tales of his exploits are legendary.
Mayne died almost 50 years ago, in December, 1955, when he crashed his car in Newtownards, as he returned home early one morning.
Today, a statue stands in the centre of his home town, Newtownards; roads are named after him and his grave in Movilla cemetery in the town still attracts the curious.