60th
Anniv Formation of Sqn Signed Marshal of the RAF Sir Dermot Boyle
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Ja 75 Vallet postmark Postmark 13
Squadron Flown Canberra from RAF Luqu Personally Signed by Personally Signed
Sir Dermot Alexander BOYLE, (1904-1993), Marshal of the Royal Air Force at
17 sqn 1924 to 25
Dermot Boyle became the first ex-Cranwell Cadet to
reach the position of Chief of the Air Staff.
He qualified as a QFI at the CFS in 1927 achieving a rare 'A1'
rating. Whilst serving at the Central Flying
School in 1928, he led the school's
display team of two Genet Moths, the other pilot being fellow instructor,
Richard Atcherley. However, he nearly
did not achieve his ultimate greatness. He was carrying out a low slow roll in
one of the School's Tomtits, when the engine cut out. The aircraft crashed and was declared a
write-off but Boyle walked away owing to the strength of it's metal
construction.
In 1935 he had the privilege of taking The Queen
Mother (then the Duchess of York) for her first flight. This took place from the grounds of Sir
Philip Sassoon's residence in a Puss Moth.
The flight resulted in an instruction from the Air Council that members
of the Royal Family where not to be flown "in conditions unbecoming of
their station".
Appointed to the staff of the Advanced Air Striking
Force in 1939, he was tasked with the organisation of the final withdrawal of
the Force’s remaining units through Brest and
together with his AOC, became one of the last RAF officers to leave France.
Whilst AOC, No 1 Group, he
undertook a flight from London to Valetta in a Canberra, setting a new speed record for the journey. In 1952 he flew one of the four Canberras
involved in Operation' Round Trip'. This
consisted of a seven week tour taking in 14 South American countries covering 24,000
miles. Shortly after taking up his
appointment as CAS, he undertook a tour of RAF bases in the Middle and Far East by piloting himself in a Canberra
covering around 20,000 miles. Following
his retirement from active service he joined ? (Aircraft Company) becoming
Vice-Chairman of the British Aircraft Corporation in 1962 until 1971. He was also Master of the Guild of Airline
Pilots and Air Navigators (1965 - 66), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
RAF Museum
(1965 - 74) and Deputy Chairman of the RAF Benevolent Fund (1971 - 80
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