Revealed: SAS legend Paddy Mayne's words of defiance after WWII unit was disbanded in 1945 - and how they prove portrayal in BBC's Rogue Heroes was wrong
A defiant letter sent by legendary SAS commander Blair 'Paddy' Mayne to a comrade just weeks after their elite unit had been disbanded has been found 80 years on.
Writing in late November 1945, Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne eulogised about the courage of the men under his command.
He told Major Harry Poat that they had fought in the 'best disciplined, most pleasant and best scrapping unit in the British Army'.
Lt Col Mayne, who died in a car accident a decade after writing the letter, added that he would 'never forget' their contribution.
His letter was sent a little over a month after the Special Air Service was disbanded by officials despite its contribution to the Allied victory in the Second World War.
The two-page message was discovered recently by the late Major Poat's nephew in a trunk being stored in his attic.
The document was then shared with leading SAS historian Damien Lewis, who alerted the Daily Mail about the thrilling discovery.
Lt Col Mayne's emphasis on his unit's discipline in the letter contrasts with his controversial portrayal by Skins star Jack O'Connell as a rebellious, often-drunk lout in BBC series SAS Rogue Heroes.
A defiant letter sent by legendary SAS commander Blair 'Paddy' Mayne to a comrade just weeks after their elite unit had been disbanded has been found 80 years on. Above: Lt Col Mayne and Major Harry Poat, the letter recipient
The letter discovery comes amid a campaign to award Lt Col Mayne the Victoria Cross after he was controversially denied the honour in 1945 despite saving the lives of comrades in a Nazi ambush in Germany in 1945.
Lt Col Mayne said in his letter: 'My dear Harry, I am not very good at saying goodbye or in telling people how much I admire and like them, but I only started enjoying the S.A.S. on that day at Kabrit when yourself, Marsh and McDermott joined.
'From then on it appeared to me that there were some decent people in the unit, people that were interested in the men and the regiment and not what they themselves could get out of it; and I may say that I wasn't the only person to value that ever since then, it has given me great pleasure to notice and to see how popular and well respected you were by the men and the officers.
'If I hadn't also respected and liked you I could easily have become most jealous.
'It has been good fun since then and I have an awful lot to thank you for, your loyalty and ability are a byword in this Brigade.
'Between us we commanded and fought in the best disciplined, most pleasant and best scrapping unit in the British Army; that is something I shall never forget and I know that you won't either.
'I do wish I was properly able to thank you for all the help, assistance and friendship you have given me during the last few years.
'Yours ever, Paddy
'PS. Looking this over it appears terribly stilted and doesn't express half of what I want to say.'
Writing in late November 1945, Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne eulogised about the courage of the men under his command
Lt Col Mayne ended his letter by saying: 'Looking this over it appears terribly stilted and doesn't express half of what I want to say'
After taking to social media to announce the 'beyond extraordinary' find, Mr Lewis told the Daily Mail: 'This is the one that really got me. Words fail me. It says everything about Paddy Mayne and the regiment, the brotherhood and everything else.
'It's the kind of thing people need to read. It's never seen the light of day before.
'There's lots of stuff I've seen written to Mayne, it's much rarer to see stuff he has written. You almost never come across it.
'The letter is erudite and sympathetic, all the things we know him to be.
'It was written just after the disbandment of the SAS, so imagine how poignant that moment was.'
He added: 'His assessment of them as a unit, just dwell on that. The most disciplined regiment in the British Army.
'It's diametrically opposed to how Paddy Mayne and his men were portrayed in SAS Rogue Heroes.
'We know this is the truth because this is a private letter that was never supposed to see the light of day.'
Lieutenant Colonel Blair 'Paddy' Mayne was portrayed by Jack O'Connell in SAS Rogue Heroes as an often drunk and ill-disciplined rebel
Mayne was one of the original members of the SAS. Above: In North Africa with dog Withers
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne is pictured right in Norway in 1945. The SAS wreaked havoc against German and Italian positions
Mr Lewis said Lt Col Mayne's words add will add further fuel to the calls to award Lt Col Mayne a posthumous Victoria Cross.
'We are all very hopeful that the right decision will be reached to grant Mayne a posthumous VC. This letter is grist to the mill.'
'He did not want to give credit to himself but to those under his command. This is transformational command, it's leading by the front and with humility.
'This letter lays it out in black and white detail.'
Major Poat, a former tomato farmer from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, joined the SAS in 1942, the year after it was formed by David Stirling.
He went on to become one of Lt Col Mayne's most trusted lieutenants.
The soldier, who won the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order, died aged 66 in October 1980.
The letter discovery comes after the Government announced a probe into claims that Lt Col Mayne was denied the gallantry medal because of a glaring 'clerical error'.
In April, defence minister Al Cairns told MPs that a review will be launched into the controversial decision to award Lt Col Mayne a Distinguished Service order - his fourth - instead of the VC.
It is believed to be the first time such a move into a medal decision has been made - and could result in Lt Col Mayne's medal being dramatically upgraded.
The soldier was initially recommended for a VC following his heroics in 1945.
Paddy Mayne in his uniform in 1945. The soldier was born in Newtownards, Northern Ireland
SAS Rogue Heroes is based on a book of the same name by historian Ben Macintyre. The on-screen adaptation was written and created by Steven Knight, the man behind hit show Peaky Blinders
Lt Col repeatedly drove through a blistering ambush in his lightly armoured jeep while his gunner, Sergeant John Scott, laid down fire from mounted machine guns.
His actions saved many comrades from death or capture.
But Lt Col Mayne's VC recommendation was later downgraded in Whitehall.
A document unearthed in Canada suggested that this was because senior officers assessing Lt Col Mayne's citation appear to have made an embarrassing mistake by confusing the word 'signal' with 'single'.
The Royal Warrant that instituted the VC in 1856 states that the medal is awarded to those who have performed 'some signal act of valour or devotion to their country.'
But Lt Col Mayne appears to have missed out because he received help from a Sergeant Scott which, it was argued, meant his feat was not a 'single' act of valour.
Lt Col Mayne's bravery in Germany came after several other immense feats of courage and leadership during fighting in North Africa.
He is regarded by experts as one of Britain's greatest ever front-line soldiers.
The SAS was re-established in 1947 and has ever since been regarded as one of the most effective elite fighting forces in the world.
