Duncan Gordon Boyes
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox military person Duncan Gordon Boyes VC (5 November 1846 – 26 January 1869) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. The award was bestowed upon him for his actions during the Shimonoseki Expedition, Japan in 1864. He was later discharged from naval service as a result of ill-discipline and moved to New Zealand to work on his family's sheep station. Suffering from depression and alcoholism, he committed suicide at the age of 22 in Dunedin.
Early lifeEdit
Duncan Gordon Boyes was born on 5 November 1846 in Cheltenham, to John and Sabina Boyes, who had married in Hobart, Tasmania.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His father was a merchant, and Boyes was one of nine children.<ref name=Izzard/>
In 1860, Boyes' sister, Louisa Mary, married Thomas James Young, who received a Victoria Cross for his actions at Lucknow, India, in 1857.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At least one of his brothers also served in the Royal Navy.<ref name=Izzard/> Boyes' sister Helen was the wife of M. A. Bayfield.
Boyes completed his schooling at Cheltenham College<ref name=Ashcroft>Template:Cite book</ref> before joining the Royal Navy at the age of 14. He was assigned to HMS Euryalus, joining the ship in 1862 when it was serving as part of the East Indies station.<ref name=Izzard>Template:Cite book</ref>
Victoria CrossEdit
Boyes received his VC at the age of 17, for his part in action at Shimonoseki, Japan on 6 September 1864. During the fighting, he carried the Queen's Colour as part of the company leading the assault on the Japanese stockade. Boyes was credited with keeping the colours flying despite heavy fire that inflicted numerous casualties. Along with Colour Sergeant Thomas Pride who was badly wounded, Boyes continued pressing forward and only stopped his advance when ordered to do so.<ref name=Ashcroft/>
The citation was published in the London Gazette of 21 April 1865 and read:
Sir Ernest Satow mentioned Duncan Boyes in his memoirs entitled A Diplomat in Japan (London, 1921) in the following terms: "Lieutenant Edwards and Crowdy of the Engineers were ahead with a middy [midshipman] named D.G. Boyes, who carried the colours most gallantly; he afterwards received the V.C. for conduct very plucky in one so young."<ref>A Diplomat in Japan, first edition, p. 112.</ref>
Boyes, William Seeley, and Thomas Pride were invested with their Victoria Crosses on 22 September 1865 by Admiral Sir Michael Seymour GCB (Commander-in-Chief to Portsmouth) on the Common at Southsea.<ref name=Izzard/>
Later lifeEdit
After Euralyus was paid off, Boyes was reassigned to HMS Wolverine, a corvette serving in North American waters. On 9 February 1867, he and another midshipman, Marcus McCausland, were court-martialled for breaking into the Naval Yard at Bermuda. On the night of the incident, the two men had been ashore drinking and upon their return had been refused entry at the main gate as they did not have the required passes. Both men admitted they were guilty of the offence and were discharged from the Navy as a result of the incident.<ref name=Izzard/>
Following this, Boyes suffered from depression and alcoholism. He subsequently moved to New Zealand to join two of his brothers on their sheep station at Kawarau Falls near Queenstown,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but after his father died, he suffered a nervous breakdown. On 26 January 1869, Boyes committed suicide jumping to his death from the window of a house in Dunedin. He was aged 22 years and 2 months. The official cause of death was listed as delirium tremens.<ref name=Izzard/>
He was buried locally in the Dunedin Southern Cemetery with a stone at his head and feet, though on 4 May 1954 the Dunedin branch of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association (RSA), in consequence of his VC, reburied him in the servicemen's section of Andersons Bay Cemetery in Anglican Southern Section, Block 6, Plot 24.<ref>Dunedin branch – RSA Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Boyes' grave/memorial headstone Template:Webarchive</ref>
The medalEdit
Between 1978 and 1998, the medal was held by Cheltenham College.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Boyes V.C. sold for 51,700 pounds at auction by Spink, the auctioneers in London,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on behalf of Cheltenham College for the purpose of establishing a scholarship in Boyes' name.<ref>John Vincent in the Sunday Times, 22 July 1998</ref>
Lord Michael Ashcroft bought the medal at the auction in 1998 for his collection. It is now in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CommemorationEdit
A series of posters of Duncan Boyes VC and other medal recipients was put on view on the Victoria line in London on 11 November 2004.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Duncan BOYES VC – a man more sinned against than sinning? (biography and background)
- Find a Grave entry for Duncan Boyes
- Mention of the suicide of Boyes Template:Webarchive in The Cruise of the Flying Squadron 1869–70 by Marcus McCausland