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Irish president McAleese may join VC battle for Mayne
Thursday, 12 November 2009
enlargeIrish president Mary McAleese could be enlisted in the fight to get what many believe to be a deserved Victoria Cross for Newtownards war hero Blair Mayne.
Supporters claim Mayne, a founder member of the SAS, should have received Britain’s highest honour for gallantry after performing a daring rescue of under-fire troops in Germany in 1945.
But in the event the grocer’s son received a second bar to his DSO (Distinguished Service Order), the two previous DSOs having been awarded for bravery.
Now supporters, many mobilised into groups on Facebook, hope to right the “injustice” and obtain a VC for Mayne.
The SAS man, whose statue was erected in the square in Newtownards in 1997, was part of a unit clearing a path to Berlin for the Canadian armoured division.
His comrades came under fire and Mayne drove a Jeep up the road three times under heavy fire — but his vehicle and its machine-guns were able to drive back the Germans.
Derek Harkness, a member of the Blair Mayne Association, said some “very influential” TDs had joined the campaign to get Mayne a VC.
And he said they may bring the campaign to Irish President Mary McAleese.
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Blair Mayne was the only World War 2 ground soldier awarded four Distinguished Service Orders. Why would anyone suggest taking that unique distinction away from a gallant and remarkable man. The Victoria Cross has never been awarded more than six years after the action being commended. Do we want to imitate the US Medal of Honor where a quarter of all medals have been awarded more than six years after the action and two awards ten years ago were for actions a century or more earlier.
Posted by Anthony Staunton | 13.11.09, 13:50 GMT
North Down Man, Your one of these people who would rather have seen Hitler succeed than the allies win, just because British forces were involved in his downfall. Unlike yourself Blair Mayne was a extremely brave man and proved it time and time again. Get a life you sad man.......bloody moron!
Posted by William | 12.11.09, 15:58 GMT
North Down man, grow up. Bloody hell, with people like you around thinking as you do... will we ever move forward?!
Damed ifyou do.... damed if you don't!
Fairplay to her I say.
Posted by Guinness | 12.11.09, 11:47 GMT
Hopefully President McAleese will join the ever increasing numbers to pay tribute to this gallant and remarkable man
Posted by Ulsterman | 12.11.09, 11:21 GMT
I hope she does North Down man as I do too
Posted by Jim | 12.11.09, 10:53 GMT
Surely Ms McAleese regards Blair Mayne as a Nazi just like the rest of his co-religionists?!
Posted by North Down man | 12.11.09, 10:12 GMT