About John Boyes

Fascinated by all things aeronautical, I originally wanted to join the RAF, but wiser counsel prevailed and pointed me in the direction of a ‘more solid’ career. I therefore duly qualified as a Scottish chartered accountant and thereafter spent my working life in various aspects of the motor industry. I did, however, retain an interest in the services and served in the Territorial Army’s Media Operations Group for seventeen years.

My final job was with a well-known Japanese motor manufacturer and on my retirement, I decided that now was the time to properly understand the history of early UK ballistic missiles. One that had always interested me was the Douglas Thor, sixty of which were fielded by twenty RAF squadrons on the east coast of Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

As no one had written a comprehensive history of this little-known aspect of RAF history, I decided to take on the task myself. The result: ‘Project Emily – Thor IRBM and the RAF’. Shortly after its publication, an invitation arrived to attend the 50th Anniversary of Thor along with Douglas personnel in California.

I willingly accepted and managed to include a visit to Vandenberg Air Force Base where RAF Thor crews actually launched missiles. The anniversary not surprisingly produced many new contacts who had worked on Thor and this led in due course to ‘Thor Ballistic Missile – The United Stares and the United Kingdom in partnership’.

But that was not the end of UK ballistic missile history as there was the ill-fated Blue Streak and Skybolt to cover as well. ‘Blue Streak – The United Kingdom’s MRBM’. The cancellation of these latter two missiles saw the UK’s strategic deterrent handed over to the Royal Navy with Polaris.