During the 1938 Lions tour it is said that Mayne relaxed by "wrecking hotels and fighting dockers". During the war, his men admired him in battle but were very wary of him during quiet times once he had consumed alcohol. Many urban legends of his post-war years exist in Belfast and Newtownards. These mostly tell of incidents in which, after drinking for several hours, Mayne would challenge every man in the bar to a fight, which he would invariably win. Other accounts describe him as a courageous leader of his men and a ferocious opponent.