Real SAS Rogue Heroes revealed: Never-before-seen pictures show the real Paddy Mayne and other members of crack Who Dares Unit immortalised by BBC series

• The photos were owned by Lance Corporal Gerald Hutchinson 

A series of unseen images showing original members of the SAS in the Second World War are set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The photographs, described as an ‘exceptional find’, offer a rare pictorial glimpse into the day-to-day life of men who served in the British Army’s top secret special forces unit, which was formed in 1941.

They appear in a unique photo album owned by Lance Corporal Gerald Hutchinson, of the 1st SAS Regiment.

The trove shows SAS troopers on manoeuvres in the desert of North Africa and later in ski uniforms during training exercises. 

Among them is renowned SAS commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Mayne, who was infamous for his violent antics.

A series of unseen images showing original members of the SAS in the Second World War are set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. Above: Lieutenant-Colonel Paddy Mayne, one of the original SAS members

The photographs, described as an ‘exceptional find’, offer a rare pictorial glimpse into the day-to-day life of men who served in the British Army’s top secret special forces unit, which was formed in 1941. Above: SAS troops 

Mayne and Lieutenant-Colonel David Stirling, the unit’s founder, were portrayed in recent hit BBC series SAS Rogue Heroes.

The military collection includes Lance Corporal Hutchinson’s full set of medals and corresponding miniatures, rare uniform cloth badges, scrapbooks, poems and associated paperwork, including a certificate signed by Mayne.

It states Lance Corporal Hutchinson served in the 1st Special Air Service Regiment from 1942 to 1945 during campaigns in the Western Desert and Italy, and that he was awarded the 1939/45 Africa Star with 8th Army Clasp and the Italy Star.

The collection will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ Medals and Militaria Auction in Etwall, Derbyshire, on June 15 with a guide price of £4,000 to £5,000.

The firm’s militaria consultant Matt Crowson said: ‘This could be the find of the year. 

‘It’s an exceptional collection offering a pictorial insight of day-to-day life for SAS regiment soldiers in the 1940s.

‘It deserves to perform well at auction. The guide price has been set at £4,000 to £5,000 but I’m confident it may eclipse that and hammer closer to £10,000 based on previous auction results.

The images appear in a unique photo album set for auction as part of a military collection relating to Lance Corporal Gerald Hutchinson (pictured), of the 1st SAS Regiment. Above: Hutchinson in a Jeep in 1954

The collection will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ Medals and Militaria Auction in Etwall, Derbyshire, on June 15 with a guide price of £4,000 to £5,000. Above: Sergeant Harold Bunfield

‘I understand from the seller, Gerald Hutchinson’s grandson, that his grandfather was a very humble man. 

‘He rarely spoke about his wartime experiences but occasionally pulled out the photo album if asked to share wartime stories.’

Lance Corporal Hutchinson was born in Scotland in 1922 and later relocated to the north of England. 

In the post-war era he emigrated to Canada, becoming a miner for a number of years. 

He later worked for the Department of Health and Social Security until his retirement. He died in 1989 at the age of 67.

Mr Crowson added: ‘The family don’t really want to part with the collection but feel it is so important it deserves to be in a war museum or preserved as part of Britain’s WW2 historical records.’

As well as his exploits in the SAS, Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne also played professional rugby and was capped for Ireland and the British Lions.

He was also an amateur boxer and workers as a lawyer.   

An image from Lance Corporal Hutchinson’s collection shows senior members of the SAS

Members of the SAS are seen posing for a group photograph on a skiing trip 

Two members of the SAS enjoy a spot of lunch next to their skis. The image is from Lance Corporal Hutchinson’s archive

Members of the SAS are seen during the Second World War in another image from the archive

Members of the SAS are seen sitting at mounted machine guns on their Jeeps

British Lions at rugby union, was an amateur boxer and worked as a lawyer.

During the Second World War, he became one of the British Army’s most highly decorated soldiers. 

However, he was controversially denied a Victoria Cross, despite a recommendation by Allied commander Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who in a citation singled out his ‘brilliant military leadership and cool calculating courage’, as well as a ‘single act of bravery’.

His heroics included leading armoured Jeep squadrons through the front lines toward Oldenburg, Germany. 

He rescued wounded men and eliminated a German machine-gun position.

Lance Corporal Hutchinson’s war service certificate shows the medals he was awarded

The military collection includes Lance Corporal Hutchinson’s full set of medals and corresponding miniatures, rare uniform cloth badges, scrapbooks, poems and associated paperwork, including a certificate signed by Mayne

The SAS was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950 was reconstituted as a corps. 

The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action and covert reconnaissance. 

Much of the information about the SAS is highly classified, and the unit is not commented on by either the British government or the Ministry of Defence due to the secrecy and sensitivity of its operations. 

It famously came to public attention in the 1980 siege of the Iranian embassy, when soldiers rescued 24 hostages as millions watched on the television news. 

Source: Read Full Article