BBC One’s SAS Rogue Heroes is back for its second series, picking up after the capture of David Stirling, portrayed by Connor Swindells. With Stirling absent, Paddy Mayne, played by Jack O’Connell, takes the reins, leading to a heart-wrenching start to the show.
Mayne pens a letter to his mother, explaining his inability to attend his father’s funeral. His voiceover reads: “Dearest mother, I write to you with a heavy, heavy heart to tell you that I will not be able to attend dad’s funeral.
“I applied to my superior officers in Cairo to grant me compassionate leave. For reasons they didn’t care to explain, this permission was denied to me.
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“As I’m sure you can imagine, Ma, this unexplained refusal left me in a poor frame of mind and has led be to become somewhat aggrieved.”
The scene then shifts to the Palm Court Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, where Mayne is seen flipping a table in anger and shattering a wooden chair.
His outburst continues, much to the shock of the other hotel guests, as he vents about how “GHQ Cairo has got my f****** goat”. When armed officers attempt to restrain him, he retaliates, knocking two of them to the ground before engaging in a brawl with several others.
In reality, Mayne was indeed refused leave to attend his father’s funeral, an event which triggered a significant emotional downturn for him.
As the conflict deepened, Paddy retreated into himself further, and his father’s passing only exacerbated the situation.
Denied leave to be present at the funeral, he spiralled down a path of alcohol and aggression in Cairo.
In one inebriated episode, he sought out renowned war reporter Richard Dimbleby to confront him physically; fortunately, his attempt was unsuccessful.
Hamish Ross recounts these events in a biography, where he delves into how the war led Paddy to isolate himself, favouring books over social interactions.
This behavioural shift became even more apparent after his father’s demise and the military’s rejection of his request for leave to attend the funeral.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Paddy’s method of unwinding involved “wrecking hotels and fighting dockers”.
His life came to a tragic end when, following an engagement, he drove drunk and collided with a farmer’s vehicle, resulting in his death. The accident occurred at 4am on December 13, 1955.
The series SAS Rogue Heroes is available for viewing on BBC iPlayer.
