Lieutenant-Colonel ‘Paddy’ Mayne is a legendary figure in the history of the Special Forces. A celebrated sportsman with a turbulent character, he played a vital role in the early successes of the Special Air Service (SAS), becoming one of its most important commanders.
One of seven siblings, Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne (1915-55) was born into a prosperous family in Newtownards in Northern Ireland. He was a superb athlete and all-round sportsman, most notably representing both Ireland and the British Lions at rugby.
Mayne was a complex and enigmatic character. A man of great intelligence, he trained as a solicitor and developed a love of literature. Yet he was also troubled and tempestuous. Overly fond of alcohol, with an outrageous sense of humour, Mayne’s raucous behaviour could often spill over into violence.
His antics during the British Lions tour of South Africa in 1938 have become the stuff of legend. Accounts of his behaviour there include smashing up hotel rooms, drunken brawling with dock workers, freeing a convict he had befriended, and dumping the bloody carcass of an antelope on the floor of his hotel following a midnight hunting adventure.
Early in the Second World War (1939-45), Mayne joined the Royal Ulster Rifles. But his thirst for adventure soon led him to volunteer for the Commandos, Britain’s new amphibious assault troops.
Arriving in the Middle East in 1941, Mayne’s unit – No 11 (Scottish) Commando – fought in Syria against the Vichy French. Mayne distinguished himself in his first experience of combat during the Battle of the Litani River. He earned a Mention in Despatches for capturing his objectives and many prisoners.
According to regimental tradition, Mayne was recruited into the SAS from a prison cell, where he was awaiting court martial for striking his commanding officer. Whatever the truth of this story, Mayne proved to be a great asset to his new unit.
Following its disastrous opening operation in North Africa in November 1941, it was Mayne who first brought badly needed success to the SAS.
On the night of 14 December, he led a small group in an attack on Tamet airfield in Libya. Mayne’s team burst into the officers’ mess and gunned down the Germans and Italians inside. They then set about attaching Lewes Bombs to some aircraft and shooting up the cockpits of others.
In total, 24 aircraft were destroyed, together with fuel tanks, an ammunition dump and a line of telegraph poles. This attack is also famous for Mayne wrenching out the control panel of an enemy aircraft – a Herculean act, which has gone down in SAS legend.
