Robert Blair Mayne was born at the family home, Mountpleasant on the 11th January 1915 in the busy commercial town of Newtownards in Northern Ireland. He was the second youngest child in a family of seven, four boys and three girls and was named after his Mothers cousin, Robert Blair. Perhaps there was an element of fate in that particular choice of name as Robert Blair was then a Captain serving with the Border Regiment. He too proved to be a brave soldier as he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1915 for rescuing some men while they were trapped under heavy German fire. Sadly he was killed while in the trenches by a single shot, possibly a snipers bullet on the 16th July 1916. Education for the young Blair took place at three schools, Miss Brown's kindergarden, The Ards Academy and Regent House. It was while at Regent House that his prowess and skill at the game of rugby started to develop and even though he was only sixteen he was also playing for his local club side Ards RFC. His education continued at The Queens University in Belfast. where he was studying for his chosen profession of law. He continued playing rugby (pictured below) and also took part in the sport of boxing at which he went on to become the Irish universities heavyweight champion. But it was rugby that was really his main passion and he gained many representative honours for his province, Ulster and six international caps for his country Ireland. Perhaps his greatest sporting honour was to be selected to play in South Africa as a member of The British Lions Touring Party of 1938. The one word used over and over again by the press and media of the time to describe his performances on the field was outstanding. His playing career was cut short by the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939 and it was this, plus the injuries he suffered during the hostilities, that surely robbed him of being awarded many more sporting honours, and also his country of a superb and highly talented rugby union player.
The Officer Training Corps at Queens University had been his first contact with military life, training and discipline, but sadly they did not see his true potential. They quite foolishly made some derogatory remarks regarding his soldiering qualities and abilities. These men, just like so many other people of higher rank, would be proven very wrong.
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
The British Isles Touring Party in South Africa 1938.
(Word Format)
compiled by Stewart McClean
* Click on the link above to download details*
*If any information from this page is used, in any form, please always remember to credit either the author or this web-site*
