He was Chief of the Air Staff in the late 1950s and, in that role, deployed British air power during the Suez Crisis in October 1956 and defended the RAF against the views of Duncan Sandys, the Minister for Defence, who believed that the V bomber force rendered manned fighter aircraft redundant.

Born the son of Alexander Francis and Anna Maria (née Harpur) Boyle, Dermot was brought up in Abbeyleix, Queen's County and educated at St Columba's College, Dublin.

1 Squadron at RAF Hinaidi in Iraq to undertake air policing duties in December 1925[3][4] and, having been promoted to flying officer on 31 January 1926,[5] he transferred again this time to No.

[6] Boyle became a Qualified Flying Instructor at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in January 1930 and then returned to No.

[8] Boyle served in the Second World War, initially as a Staff Officer at Headquarters of the Advanced Air Striking Force in Reims,[2] and was promoted to the temporary rank of wing commander on 1 January 1940[9] (made permanent in April 1942).

[13] Promoted to the temporary rank of group captain on 1 December 1941,[14] he became Station Commander at RAF Stradishall in January 1942 and Senior Air Staff Officer at No.

[16] Boyle was appointed Air Aide-de-Camp to the King on 1 January 1944[17] and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1945 New Year Honours.

[21] After the War Boyle stayed in the RAF, being appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1946 New Year Honours[22] and relinquishing his rank of acting air vice marshal on 19 March 1946.

[3] In this role he deployed British air power during the Suez Crisis in October 1956 and defended the RAF against the views of Duncan Sandys, the Minister for Defence, who believed that the V bomber force rendered manned fighter aircraft redundant.