John Hardy Boyd OBE (20 April 1899 – 7 December 1962) was an English first-class cricketer and an officer in the British Army.

John Boyd
Personal information
Full name
John Hardy Boyd
Born20 April 1899
Stockport, Cheshire, England
Died7 December 1962(1962-12-07) (aged 63)
Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
BattingUnknown
BowlingUnknown
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1921/22Europeans
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 1
Batting average 1.00
100s/50s –/–
Top score 1
Balls bowled 54
Wickets 0
Bowling average
5 wickets in innings
10 wickets in match
Best bowling
Catches/stumpings 3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 17 December 2023

Boyd was born at Stockport in April 1899. He attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, graduating from there during the latter stages of the First World War into the Royal Engineers as a second lieutenant.[1] While serving in British India, Boyd made two appearances in first-class cricket for the Europeans cricket team against the Hindus and the Parsees at Bombay in the 1921–22 Bombay Quadrangular.[2] He was appointed an adjutant in November 1926, by which point he held the rank of lieutenant.[3] Promotion to captain followed in June 1929,[4] prior to his appointment as an assistant instructor at the School of Anti-Aircraft Defence from October 1931 to January 1936.[5][6] He was then appointed to be an instructor in searchlights with the 1st Anti-Aircraft Division in April 1936,[7] with promotion to major following in June 1938.[8]

Boyd served in the Second World War, during which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1944,[9] with him also being made an OBE in March 1945 for gallant and distinguished service in the North-West Europe campaign of 1944–45.[10] Following the war, he retired from active service in October 1949, at which point he was granted the honorary rank of brigadier.[11] Boyd died at Salisbury in December 1962. To friends and colleagues in the Royal Engineers, he was better known as George Boyd.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "No. 30728". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1918. p. 6669.
  2. ^ "First-Class Matches played by John Boyd". CricketArchive. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  3. ^ "No. 33227". The London Gazette. 7 December 1926. p. 8001.
  4. ^ "No. 33513". The London Gazette. 2 July 1929. p. 4362.
  5. ^ "No. 33761". The London Gazette. 9 October 1931. p. 6465.
  6. ^ "No. 34241". The London Gazette. 10 January 1936. p. 233.
  7. ^ "No. 34276". The London Gazette. 21 April 1936. p. 2558.
  8. ^ "No. 34517". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1938. p. 3638.
  9. ^ "No. 36695". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 September 1944. p. 4207.
  10. ^ "No. 37004". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 March 1945. p. 1703.
  11. ^ "No. 38745". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 October 1949. p. 5122.
  12. ^ The Royal Engineers Journal. London: Institution of Royal Engineers. 1963. p. 73.

External links edit