Robert Blair Mayne | |
|---|---|
 Paddy Mayne near Kabrit, Egypt, in 1942 | |
| Nickname(s) | Paddy The Irish Lion |
| Born | 11 January 1915 Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Died | 14 December 1955 (aged 40) Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| 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.
- ^ The Oxford Companion to World War II, Oxford University Press, 2001 paperback edition, ISBN 0198604467, 'Special Air Service'