William Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork
The Earl of Cork | |
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Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order |
Boyle also served in the
Early years
Born the second of four sons of Colonel Gerald Edmund Boyle (a grandson of the Edmund Boyle, 8th Earl of Cork) and to Lady Elizabeth Theresa Pepys (daughter of Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham), "Ginger" Boyle joined the training ship HMS Britannia as a cadet on 15 January 1887.[1] He was assigned to the turret battleship HMS Monarch in the Channel Squadron in December 1888 and, following promotion to midshipman on 15 June 1889, appointed to the battleship HMS Colossus in the Mediterranean Fleet in March 1890.[2]
Boyle transferred to the
First World War
Boyle served in the
Inter-war years
Boyle became commanding officer of the battlecruiser
Boyle succeeded his cousin as Earl of Cork and Orrery and Baron Boyle of Marston in 1934 and attended the funeral of King George V in January 1936.[21] He was appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King on 12 July 1936[22] and attended the coronation of King George VI in May 1937.[23] He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in July 1937 and, having been promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 21 January 1938,[24] was still "...exceedingly fit and full of energy and drive."[1]
Second World War
Lord Cork served in the
Cork then became commander designate of a planned Anglo-French expedition to assist the Finns in the Winter War they were waging against a Soviet attack: Finland agreed to Soviet terms in March 1940 and this expedition was also called off.[14]
In April 1940 Cork was given command of a naval force with a mission to retake the strategic port of Narvik in Norway from the Germans: he flew his flag from the cruiser, HMS Aurora.[14] Cork was in favour of an immediate storming of Narvik using both military and naval forces, but the more cautious army commander, Major General Pierse Joseph Mackesy, had orders not to attempt an opposed landing.[27] Cork bombarded Narvik and then abandoned the mission in the face of strong German opposition.[27] Cork provided covering fire for the landing of troops of the French Foreign Legion at Bjerkvik in May 1940 and, although Narvik was briefly captured, he was asked to support the withdrawal of all allied troops in June 1940.[27] He was awarded the Norwegian Order of St. Olav for this operation on 13 October 1942.[28]
Later years
Churchill was outraged at Admiral Sir James Somerville for not continuing the pursuit of the Italian Navy after the Battle of Cape Spartivento in November 1940 and dispatched Cork to conduct an inquiry, but Cork found that Somerville had acted entirely appropriately.[27]
Cork served in the
Family
Boyle married, at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Chelsea, on 24 July 1902 Lady Florence Keppel (1871–1963), youngest daughter of the William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle.[32] They had no children.[2]
References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32015. Retrieved 20 September 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d Heathcote, p. 30
- ^ "No. 26534". The London Gazette. 20 July 1894. p. 4154.
- ^ "No. 26671". The London Gazette. 15 October 1895. p. 5640.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36797. London. 18 June 1902. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Heathcote, p. 31
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36854. London. 23 August 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "No. 27982". The London Gazette. 1 January 1907. p. 31.
- ^ "No. 28733". The London Gazette. 1 July 1913. p. 4640.
- ^ "No. 12922". The Edinburgh Gazette. 31 March 1916. p. 631.
- ^ "No. 29848". The London Gazette. 5 December 1916. p. 11840.
- ^ "No. 30451". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1917. p. 80.
- ^ "No. 31876". The London Gazette. 23 April 1920. p. 4716.
- ^ a b c d e f g Heathcote, p. 32
- ^ "No. 32767". The London Gazette. 14 November 1922. p. 8034.
- ^ "No. 32878". The London Gazette. 9 November 1923. p. 7658.
- ^ "No. 33394". The London Gazette. 15 June 1928. p. 4108.
- ^ "No. 33722". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1931. p. 3625.
- ^ "No. 33880". The London Gazette. 4 November 1932. p. 6991.
- ^ "No. 34184". The London Gazette. 26 July 1935. p. 4841.
- ^ "No. 34279". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 April 1936. p. 2782.
- ^ "No. 34312". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 August 1936. p. 5184.
- ^ "No. 34453". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 November 1937. p. 7050.
- ^ "No. 34476". The London Gazette. 25 January 1938. p. 512.
- ^ Ruotsila, p. 74
- ^ Regan, pp. 76–77
- ^ a b c d e Heathcote, p. 33
- ^ "No. 35743". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 October 1942. p. 4450.
- ^ "Training Ships". Workhouses. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ^ "No. 39575". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 1952. p. 3351.
- ^ "William Henry Dudley Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork and Orrery, Viscount Dungarvan b. 30 Nov 1873 d. 19 Apr 1967: MacFarlane Clan & Families Genealogy". Clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36829. London. 25 July 1902. p. 8.
Sources
- Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
- ISBN 0-233-99978-7.
- Ruotsila, Markku (2005). Churchill and Finland: a study in anticommunism and geopolitics. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-34971-0.
Further reading
- Boyle, Admiral of the Fleet the Earl of Cork & Orrery, William (1942). My Naval Life 1886–1941. Hutchinson & Co., London.
External links
- Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork
- The Dreadnought Project: William Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork