Rear Admiral Edward Courtney Boyle, VC (23 March 1883 – 16 December 1967) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

officer and an English recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Early life

Boyle was born on 23 March 1883 in Carlisle, Cumberland, and educated at

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Hugget ...

Naval career

Boyle joined the

, and HMS ''Britannia'', in 1897. He joined the submarine service in July 1904 when he was sent to the depot ship . He was soon promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

and given command of one of the Holland-class submarines. He served in the surface fleet on from November 1908 until January 1910 when he returned to submarines. Boyle was 32 years old, and a

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

in the Royal Navy during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC, the citation was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

on 21 May 1915: The large transport sunk by was the ''Gul Djemal'', which was sunk in shallow waters with the loss of 2000 troops and a battery of artillery. Its sinking ended Ottoman attempts to reinforce Gallipoli by sea. In addition to Boyle's VC, Edward Geldard Stanley and Acting Lieutenant Reginald Wilfred Lawrence were both awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

and all the ratings were awarded the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

. Boyle made at least two more tours into the Sea of Marmara aboard ''E14'' during the Gallipoli Campaign.

Personal life

Boyle married Marjorie Leigh in Marylebone, London in 1912.

Later life

Boyle retired with the rank of rear admiral in 1932, but was recalled to serve 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 ...

. He served as Flag Officer-in-Charge, London, from 1939 to 1942. In December 1967 Boyle was knocked down by a lorry driver on a pedestrian crossing and died of his injuries. For the last few years before his death he had resided at the Station Hotel in Sunningdale, near to Sunningdale Golf Club where he golfed several times a week. The collision occurred a hundred yards from his hotel whilst he was crossing the A30. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Royal Navy Submarine Museum The Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport is a maritime museum tracing the international history of submarine development from the age of Alexander the Great to the present day, and particularly the history of the Royal Navy Submarine Service ...

, Gosport,

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 ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Edward Courtney 1883 births 1967 deaths Military personnel from Cumberland British Gallipoli campaign recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy submarine commanders People educated at Cheltenham College People from Carlisle, Cumbria Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Navy officers of World War I Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Recipients of the Legion of Honour Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in England