Tuhia he tomokanga mō tēnei wāhanga - I whānau mai a Blair hei tama a Arthur Blair, ā, i kuraina ia ki te Kura o Harrow me te Royal Military College, Sandhurst, i whakawhiwhia a Blair hei tuarua tuarua ki roto i te Seaforth Highlanders i te 26 o Hānuere 1939. I mahi ia i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao me te 2nd me te 7 o nga Battalions o tana rerenga. I te mahi ki te 2nd Battalion, i hangaia hei waahanga o te 51st (Highland) Division, i te 1940, i akiakihia te puranga ki te tuku i Dunkirk, a ka noho ia hei hoia hoia i te puni Oflag V-B i Biberach i Baden-Württemberg. I rere ia ki Switzerland, mai i reira ki Spain, ki Gibraltar. Ko ia te rangatira tuatahi i hoki ki te kaainga i muri i tana rerenga mai i te puni herehere o te pakanga. I whakawhiwhia a Blair ki te Cross Military mo ana mahi. I muri mai ka mahi ia ki te 7th Battalion, Seaforths, i uru ki te 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, a i te ope taua i te pakanga katoa i te raki o Uropi
I tae atu ki Normandy i muri tata o te Rā D i Hune 1944 me te whawhai tae noa ki te Rā Wikitoria i Uropi tata tonu ki te tekau ma tahi marama i muri mai.