Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff (CAS), who were ...

Sir Dermot Alexander Boyle, (2 October 1904 – 5 May 1993) was a senior officer in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. He served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

initially as a staff officer with the

Advanced Air Striking Force The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of 1 Group RAF Bomber Command, which took part in the Battle of France during the Second World War. Before hostilities began, it had been agreed between the United Kingdom a ...

in Reims in which capacity he organised the evacuation of the Force through

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

in May 1940. His war service included tours as a bomber squadron commander, as a station commander and also as an air group commander. He was Chief of the Air Staff in the late 1950s and, in that role, deployed British air power during the Suez Crisis in October 1956 and defended the RAF against the views of

Duncan Sandys Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys (; 24 January 1908 – 26 November 1987), was a British politician and minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a son-in-law of Winston Churchill and played a key r ...

, the Minister for Defence, who believed that the V bomber force rendered manned fighter aircraft redundant.

RAF career

Born the son of Alexander Francis and Anna Maria (née Harpur) Boyle, Dermot was brought up in

Abbeyleix Abbeyleix (; ) is a town in County Laois, Ireland, located around south of the county town of Portlaoise. Abbeyleix was formerly located on the N8, the main road from Dublin to Cork. At one point, up to 15,000 vehicles passed along the town' ...

, Queen's County and educated at

St Columba's College, Dublin St Columba's College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school founded in 1843 located in Whitechurch, County Dublin, Ireland. Among the founders of the college were Viscount Adare (who later became The 3rd Earl of Dunraven and M ...

. He joined the

on 14 September 1922 as a flight cadet at the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

. On successfully passing through the college, he was commissioned as a pilot officer on 31 July 1924 and immediately posted to No. 17 Squadron at

RAF Hawkinge Royal Air Force Hawkinge or more simply RAF Hawkinge is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Ashford, north of Folkestone, Kent and west of Dover, Kent, England. The airfield was used by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal ...

where he flew

Snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

s. He transferred to No. 1 Squadron at

RAF Hinaidi Royal Air Force Hinaidi or more commonly known as RAF Hinaidi (or Hinaidi Cantonment), is a former Royal Air Force station near Baghdad in the Kingdom of Iraq. It was operational from 1922 until 1937, when operations were transferred to RAF ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

to undertake air policing duties in December 1925Probert, p. 51 and, having been promoted to flying officer on 31 January 1926, he transferred again this time to No. 6 Squadron at RAF Mosul also in Iraq in November 1926. He attended the Flying Instructor's Course at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

in March 1927 and then became a Qualified Flying Instructor there the following month. Dermot Boyle and

Richard Atcherley Air Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley, (12 January 1904 – 18 April 1970) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Air Force from 1949 to 1951. Early life Richard Atcherley and ...

together formed the school's display team while they were resident at the Central Flying School at this time. Boyle was made Assistant Adjutant at No. 601 (County of London) Squadron at

RAF Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Grea ...

on 5 October 1929 and was promoted to flight lieutenant on 13 October 1929. Sopwith Snipe

Boyle became a Qualified Flying Instructor at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in January 1930 and then returned to No. 601 (County of London) Squadron as Adjutant in January 1931. He joined the Personnel Staff at Headquarters

RAF India RAF India, later called Air Forces in India (1938–47) was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active from 1918 until Indian independence and partition in 1947. It was the air force counterpart of the British Army in India. Origi ...

in April 1933 and then attended the

RAF Staff College The RAF Staff College may refer to: *RAF Staff College, Andover (active: 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970) *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park The RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park, was a satellite staff college for the Royal Air Force based at Buls ...

in 1936. Promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

on 1 October 1936, he became Officer Commanding No. 83 Squadron at

RAF Turnhouse Royal Air Force Turnhouse or more simply RAF Turnhouse is a former Royal Air Force Sector Station located in Edinburgh, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of G ...

flying Hind bombers in January 1937. He went on to be Chief Flying Instructor at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in July 1937 and was awarded the Air Force Cross on 8 June 1939. Boyle served in the

, initially as a Staff Officer at Headquarters of the

in Reims, and was promoted to the temporary rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

on 1 January 1940 (made permanent in April 1942). In May 1940, when the German Army broke through, he organised the evacuation of the Force through

.Probert, p. 52 He joined the Air Staff responsible for operations at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command in June 1940 and again became Officer Commanding No. 83 Squadron in November 1940 now based at

RAF Scampton Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England. RAF Scampton stands on the site of a Firs ...

and flying Hampden bombers. He went on to be Assistant Secretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence in February 1941 and was mentioned in despatches on 1 January 1941 and again on 24 September 1941. Promoted to the temporary rank of group captain on 1 December 1941, he became Station Commander at

RAF Stradishall Royal Air Force Stradishall or more simply RAF Stradishall is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Haverhill, Suffolk and south west of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. Part of the site remains in use as Stradishall Traini ...

in January 1942 and Senior Air Staff Officer at No. 83 Group in May 1943. He was mentioned in despatches again on 2 June 1943 and promoted to group captain on a war substantive basis on 17 November 1943. Boyle was appointed Air Aide-de-Camp to the King on 1 January 1944 and a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the Britis ...

. He became Air Officer Commanding No. 85 (Base) Group, responsible for the various support units within

Second Tactical Air Force The RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces ...

,Probert, p. 53 with the acting rank of air vice marshal, on 26 April 1945 and went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group in July 1945. He appointed a Commander of the Order of the Crown with Palms and awarded the Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palms by the Prince Regent of Belgium on 11 July 1947 for his role in liberating

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. After the War Boyle stayed in the RAF, being appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginni ...

and relinquishing his rank of acting air vice marshal on 19 March 1946. He attended

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in 1946 and became Assistant Commandant of the

RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters. ...

in January 1947 before being promoted to the air commodore on 1 July 1947. He became Director-General of Personnel at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

with the acting rank of air vice marshal on 26 July 1948 and Director General of Manning at the Air Ministry in August 1949. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No.1 (Bomber) Group in April 1951 and was advanced to Knight Commander of the

in the 1953

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

. He became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Brita ...

with the acting rank of air marshal on 7 April 1953 and, having attended the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 16 July 1953 and confirmed in the rank of air marshal on 1 January 1954. Boyle became Chief of the Air Staff and was promoted to air chief marshal on 1 January 1956, the first graduate of the RAF College Cranwell to be appointed to this post. In this role he deployed British air power during the Suez Crisis in October 1956 and defended the RAF against the views of

, the Minister for Defence, who believed that the V bomber force rendered manned fighter aircraft redundant.Probert, p. 54 He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1957

and promoted to the rank of

on 1 January 1958 before retiring in January 1960.

Later career

In retirement Boyle became vice-chairman of the British Aircraft Corporation.Probert, p. 55 He was instrumental in founding the

RAF Museum The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity. The museum is split into two separate sites: * Ro ...

at Hendon and became the first Chairman of its trustees. He was also vice-chairman of the

RAF Benevolent Fund The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (RAF Benevolent Fund or RAFBF) is the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF – regardless of rank – as wel ...

for most of the 1970s and President of the

Royal Air Force Club The Royal Air Force Club, or RAF Club in short-form, is a club located at 128 Piccadilly, London. Membership is open to men and women who hold, or have held, commissions in the RAF, PMRAFNS, Reserve Forces and Commonwealth and friendly fore ...

. He died at Sway in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

on 5 May 1993.

Family

Boyle married Una Carey in 1931; they had two sons and a daughter.

References

Sources

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Dermot 1904 births 1993 deaths People from County Laois Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Chiefs of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Marshals of the Royal Air Force Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Irish Anglicans Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies