Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce Obituary

Admiral of the Fleet Michael Boyce, KG, GCB, OBE, KStJ, DL was a British Royal Navy officer born in South Africa.

Boyce went to Hurstpierpoint College and the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth for his education.

He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1961 and, after training as a submariner, was confirmed as a sub-lieutenant on 10 December 1965, promoted to lieutenant on 30 August 1966, and served in the submarines HMS Anchorite, HMS Valiant, and HMS Conqueror.

Boyce commanded three submarines and then a frigate before rising through the ranks to become First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from 1998 to 2001, and then Chief of the Defence Staff from 2001 to 2003.

As Chief of Defence Staff, he is said to have expressed reservations about the United States plans for a national missile defence system.

In early 2003, he advised the British Government on troop deployment for the Iraq invasion, seeking assurances about the legitimacy of the deployment before it was allowed to proceed.

Admiral of the Fleet Lord Michael Boyce passed away at the age of 79 after a cancer battle on 6 November 2022.