The chairman welcomed members and visitors to the meeting of Bangor Historical Society held on 9 November 2023. He began with a sidelight on the area’s history. He told us about a site for a wheel-powered pulley at the foot of Crawfordsburn railway viaduct. The pulley was used to raise stone during the construction of the viaduct.

Our speaker was Peter Forbes and his subject was the Newtownards born soldier Blair Mayne. His talk was illustrated by photos taken at various stages of Mayne’s life. It also dispelled some of the myths which surrounded him. He stressed that the family called him Blair and did not use the phrase Colonel Paddy. He then referred to the different roles Mayne had during his life: soldier, rugby international, solicitor, champion golfer, hero, legend.

Blair Mayne was born in the family home in High Street, Newtownards in 1915. This was just off Conway Square. Mr Forbes corrected stories which said Mayne was born in Mount Pleasant, but the family only moved to this house after his birth. One of his sisters was the first female major in the army and this had a great influence on him. He was educated at the original Regent House School, where he was outstanding at sports including rugby, golf, shooting and boxing.

He went to Queen’s University where he played rugby. He later played for Ulster, then Ireland and ultimately for the British Lions. Peter told stories about events on overseas tours, especially one to South Africa. There have been comments about his character, but the daughter of a friend of his recalled how he was allowed to babysit for her when both her parents went out.

Mayne’s career was cut short by the outbreak of World War Two. He had been in the OTC at Queen’s, but was told he was not officer material! Now he joined the Territorial Army, supplementary reserve. Then he moved to the Royal Artillery and then to the Royal Ulster Rifles. He was left behind when the latter went off to war, so he joined the newly formed 11th Scottish Commandos. He excelled at the very tough training.

David Stirling wanted to set up a new regiment. This would consist of a few highly trained men who would create havoc behind enemy lines. Although this became the SAS[Special Air Service] it was land based for the majority of the war. It operated in North Africa, destroying enemy arms dumps etc. Mayne and his best friend from Queen’s were among the first to enlist and so he became one of the founding fathers of the SAS. He took care of this men, making sure they returned safely from raids and writing to the families of those who were lost. Peter told us about some of the raids that Mayne was involved with. He received the DSO for one success and later added 3 more – only seven other men received as many.

After David Stirling was captured by the enemy, Mayne reluctantly replaced him: he preferred action to meetings. Then he realised he had to get the SAS together again and by the end of the war it had 2,000 members. It served in Italy and then occupied France before D Day.

Among the famous exploits of Mayne was one which took place at a house in Chelmsford where the SAS was billeted. Following a challenge from an American he drove a jeep up the staircase, but it had to be dismantled to get it down again.

After the war Mayne returned to Newtownards where he continued to work as a solicitor. He found it difficult to settle back into civilian life. He suffered from a back injury and drank a lot. Today he would have been diagnosed with PTSD. On 14 December 1955 he was killed in a car accident in Newtownards when he was aged only 40. His funeral cortege was a mile long and he was buried in Movilla Cemetery. He is remembered by a statue in Conway Square and his story has been told in a number of books.

Things belonging to him have been displayed in a museum in Ballyclare(The War Years Remembered). Now these artefacts and many other war items are being relocated to Newtownards to a site on the Crawfordsburn Road. The Spectator of 30 November featured the plans for the new site.