An Unknown Monument

I visit Darvel every week and have blipped a memorial to Alexander Fleming but today was the first time I had seen this memorial. I was on my way to the Darvel Telephone Exchange when I came across it.

Lt Col Paddy Mayne was born in County Down in 1915 and graduated in law from Queen's University, Belfast where he also played rugby and boxed. In 1941 Mayne joined the SAS despite being under arrest for hitting his commanding officer. The SAS raided German airfields in North Africa and later he led an SAS regiment in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany.

Sadly he found it difficult to adjust to post war civilian life and he died in 1955 as a result of a road accident.

A sad end for such a distinguished soldier.