Paddy Cullinan was born in 1938 in Jerusalem, where his father was an executive of the Shell Oil Company.
He was educated at Wellington, where he excelled at sport, representing the college in rugby, boxing, squash, fives and athletics.
In 1957 Paddy was called up for National Service and ordered to report for training with the ‘Skins’ at Catterick.
On arrival at the station with other hapless recruits, he was delighted to find Nick Ansell, then a newly commissioned officer but later to become a major general, in charge of the meeting party.
Since Nick had been a friend at Wellington, Paddy greeted with him a cheery ‘Nick, old boy, great to see you!’ To which he received the brisk retort ‘Get yourself in the back of that truck, Cullinan, and look sharp about it. And don’t forget, in future, you call me Sir!’
Thus Paddy was introduced to the harsh realities of Army life.
After Catterick and Mons OCS, Paddy was commissioned into the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, stationed at Luneburg, an hour or so from the still heavily war-ravaged city of Hamburg, with its seedy Lily Marlene style nightlife.
He joined ‘B’ Squadron then commanded by the genial Peter Ford, with the redoubtable and grizzled veteran SSM Peart running the show. As a young officer, I recall telephoning the ‘B’ Squadron office to be answered by Mr Peart with the words ‘I am saluting now Sir!’. This is said with heavy irony!
Paddy was a popular, party-loving officer and as at Wellington, his sporting abilities soon found him in the Regimental teams for rugby, boxing, golf (handicap 7) and squash.
Following the amalgamation of the 4th and 8th Hussars, Paddy left the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars in 1959 and joined AJ Pryor and Co, a small firm of city stockbrokers. There his ability to charm and entertain clients over long bibulous lunches, led to a lucrative career, until the great crash of 1973 when the FT Index sank to about 150, and AJ Pryor went into liquidation.
At this point, Paddy and his elder brother Peter, an ex-Royal Marine who had been in advertising, decided to make a completely fresh start and they bought the Mill House Inn in Trebarwith, north Cornwall.
In due course, the brothers went their separate ways, and Paddy moved to south Cornwall where he took over the tenancy of the New Inn at Manaccan, near the Helford River.
On reflection, it might be said that Paddy’s years as a publican were noted for none-too close attention to official opening hours, and an enthusiastic enjoyment of the products with which his bar was well stocked.
Unfortunately, the latter eventually took a severe toll on his health, and he retired to a house in Falmouth, where he enjoyed the company of his devoted partner Margaret, his dogs and visits to the local pub and bridge club.
