Colonel J D Boyd DSO*
Commanded 1st Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment from May 1932 December 1934.
John Dopping Boyd was born on 14th February 1886 and was educated at Rossall School. He was commissioned in the Donegal Royal Garrison Artillery, Militia in April 1905 and was granted a Regular Army Commission in The Queen's Royal Regiment on 6th July 1907. He joined the 2nd Battalion at Colchester. In August 1913 he was posted to the 1st Battalion and served with that Battalion in France. On 1st November 1914 Lieut Boyd found himself in command of the Battalion, now reduced to two officers and thirty-two Other Ranks. When the Battalion had embarked for France its strength was twenty-seven officers and 971 Other Ranks.
In 1915 after the First Battle of Ypres he was awarded the DSO and for his service in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 was awarded a bar to the DSO. He was also awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre.
After holding various Staff appointments in France he attended the Staff College, Camberley in 1921.
He was adjutant of the 1st Battalion from February 1922 to July 1923 when he was appointed Brigade Major of 16 Brigade. Subsequently he held other Staff appointments and from May 1932 commanded the 1st Battalion in North China but was invalided home in December 1934 as a result of an injury sustained while playing hockey for the Battalion. He then held Staff appointments at the War Office until he retired from the Army on 17th January 1938.
On the outbreak of War in 1939 he was recalled and served as AAG, Eastern Command until August 1943.
He was a member of the 2nd Battalion's Bayonet Fencing Team which won the Championship at Olympia in 1908. He was a keen hockey player and played for the Army in England versus the Army in Ireland in 1908-9.
He died on 18th February 1958 in Dorset.
For obituary see the Journal of The Queen's Royal Regiment Vol XI (November 1958) No 4 page 178.
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