Bill Boaks
| Bill Boaks | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 May 1904 Walthamstow, London |
| Died | 4 April 1986 (aged 81) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1920–1949 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Unit |
HMS Basilisk HMS Rodney |
| Battles/wars |
World War II • Dunkirk evacuation • Last battle of the Bismarck |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross |
| Other work | Campaigner for Road Safety |
Lieutenant Commander William George Boaks DSC (25 May 1904 – 4 April 1986) was a British Royal Navy officer who became an eccentric political campaigner for road safety. He died at the age of 81 as a result of a road traffic accident. He jointly holds the record for the fewest votes recorded for a candidate in a British by-election, taking five at a by-election in 1982.
Boaks was born in Walthamstow, into a naval family, and was educated at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He entered the Royal Navy in 1920, aged 16, as a boy seaman, and was promoted from acting sub-lieutenant to sub-lieutenant on 1 December 1928. He was granted a temporary commission as a flying officer while on attachment to the Royal Air Force between 2 October 1930 and 7 May 1931, and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1931, and to lieutenant-commander on 1 December 1939.
Boaks was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his part in the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940, during which his ship HMS Basilisk was sunk, and also took part in the sinking of the Bismarck while serving as a gunnery officer on board HMS Rodney in May 1941.
He served in the Navy for nearly thirty years, becoming a qualified submarine officer and deep-sea diver. Boaks retired from the Navy in May 1949. He then worked as an executive officer of the Building Apprenticeship Training Council.
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Wikipedia