Samuel McCaughey Boal D.F.C.

Wing Commander Samuel McCaughey Boal D.F.C. (37713) served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the youngest son of Hugh Boal and Ann “Annie” Boal (née McCay) of Slatt House, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, and the husband of Joycella “Joy” Boal of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.

In the interwar years, Boal rose through the ranks of the R.A.F. from Acting Pilot Officer on 30th March 1936 to Pilot Officer on 3rd February 1937 and to Flying Officer on 3rd November 1938. On 28th January 1941, he was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also twice Mentioned in Despatches on 1st January 1941 and 1st June 1942.

Wing Commander Boal died on 1st April 1942 while serving as Commanding Officer of R.A.F. 217 Squadron. Boal had been Commanding Officer of the squadron since February 1942. He died as a result of the shooting down of Bristol Beaufort Mk I AW196. The plane crashed into the sea after coming under attack over the Skaggerak Strait between Denmark and Norway. Wing Commander Boal has no known grave and his name is on Panel 64 of the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.