Douglas Boyle

Vice Admiral Douglas Seaman Boyle CMM, CD (29 November 1923 – 23 July 2001) was a Canadian Forces officer who served as Commander of Maritime Command from 1973 to 1977.

Douglas Boyle
Born	29 November 1923 Revelstoke, British Columbia
Died	23 July 2001 (aged 77) Ottawa, Ontario
Allegiance	Canada
Service/branch	Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Forces
Years of service	1939–1977
Rank	Vice-Admiral
Commands held	HMCS Athabaskan HMCS Saguenay 4th Canadian Escort Squadron Standing Naval Force Atlantic Maritime Command
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Order of Military Merit Canadian Forces Decoration

Career

Boyle joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1939 and trained at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth before serving in the cruiser HMS Diomede and the destroyers HMS Wolsey, HMCS Iroquois and HMCS Chaudiere during the Second World War.[1] He became Commanding Officer of the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan in 1957, Commanding Officer of the destroyer HMCS Saguenay in 1959 and Commander of the 4th Canadian Escort Squadron in 1962.[1] He went on to be Director Naval Training at the National Defence Headquarters in 1964, Director Senior Appointments (Navy) in 1964 and Director General Postings & Careers in 1966.[1] After that he became Commander NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic in 1970, Director General Plans Requirements and Production in 1971 and Chief of Personnel for the Canadian Armed Forces in 1972.[1] His last appointment was as Commander Maritime Command in 1973, in which role he complained about the gap between commitments and capability at Maritime Command,[2] before retiring in 1977.[1]

Awards and decorations

Boyle's personal awards and decorations include the following:

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Military Merit (CMM)	Appointed Commander (CMM) on 14 June 1976[3]
	1939–1945 Star	WWII 1939-1945
	Atlantic Star	WWII 1939-1945 with France & Germany Clasp
	Defence Medal (United Kingdom)	WWII 1939-1945
	Canadian Volunteer Service Medal	WWII 1939-1945 with Overseas Service bar
	War Medal 1939–1945 with Mentioned in dispatches	WWII 1939-1945[4]
	Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	Decoration awarded in 1952
	Canadian Centennial Medal	Decoration awarded in 1967
	Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)	with two Clasp for 32 years of services

References

1. Boyle, Douglas Seaman The Nauticapedia
2. Generally Speaking Canadian Naval Review, Winter 2008
3. "Order of Military Merit List". The Governor General of Canada.
4. "For outstanding leadership, skill and devotion to duty in HMS Icarus and H.M. Canadian Ships Chilliwack, Chaudiere, Fennel, Gatineau and St. Catherines in a successful operation against a U-Boat.
   Chapter 34 of "The Canadian Naval Chronicle 1939–1945" describes the sinking of U-744 by C-2 Support Group on 6 March 1944 in the Atlantic. HMCS Chaudiere was part of C-2 Support Group."