Hamish Forbes

Major Sir Hamish Stewart Forbes, 7th Baronet,

Lonach Highland and Friendly Society

from 1984 until his death.

Early life

Forbes was born in London. He was the second son of Lieutenant Colonel James Forbes and his wife, Feridah Taylor. He was educated at Eton College, at Lawrenceville School in the United States, and at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.^[1]

Before World War II, he worked for health salts manufacturer Eno and for sugar broker Czarnikow.

Military career

Forbes was commissioned as a subaltern in the 1st Welsh Guards in 1939. After a short period in Gibraltar, he served as battalion intelligence officer in the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940. Leading a reconnaissance patrol near Arras in May 1940, he was captured by the Germans. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his conduct.

He was held in a series of German prisoner-of-war camps until the end of the war, but was involved in at least 10 attempts to escape from the four prisoner of war camps in which he was detained. He and six others escaped from Oflag IX-A/Z at Rotenburg. He was quickly recaptured and jailed. He was involved in three attempts to escape from Oflag VII-C at Laufen, and three further attempts at Oflag VI-B at Dössel (now part of Warburg).

He was moved to

First United States Army

, and was quickly returned to England.

His escape attempts led to a

mention in dispatches

in 1945, upgraded to an MBE (Military Division).

He continued to serve in the Welsh Guards after the war, in England, Germany and with

CENTO forces in Turkey

. He retired from the Army as a major in 1958.

Later life

After leaving the

Shell-Mex & BP until 1964. He was also an amateur painter and sculptor. He retired to Strathdon in Aberdeenshire

.

Affiliations

He was General Secretary of the Church Lads' Brigade from 1964 to 1973, resigning to become Secretary of the

Lonach Highland Society

that year.

The Society was founded in 1822 by his ancestor Sir Charles Forbes, the 1st Baronet, to preserve and promote

Scottish Gaelic language

.

Personal life

He married twice. He married Jacynthe Underwood in 1945, and they had a son and three daughters. They divorced in 1981. He remarried later that same year, to Mary Christine Rigby (MBE).

Death

He died in Aberdeen, Scotland and was survived by his second wife, and son and daughters from his first marriage. His son, James, succeeded him as 8th Baronet.

References

^ "Major Sir Hamish Forbes, Bt: Champion of Highland and Gaelic culture who as a wartime PoW had been decorated for his numerous escape attempts", The Times, 20 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007. "Hamish Stewart Forbes was educated at Eton, at Lawrenceville in the United States and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London."

Sources

Obituary, The Times, 20 September 2007
Obituary, The Herald, 20 September 2007
Obituary^{[dead link]}, The Daily Telegraph, 28 September 2007
Obituary, The Herald, 6 September 2007

Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Stewart Forbes	Baronet (of Newe) 1984–2007	Succeeded by James Stewart Forbes

[1] "Major Sir Hamish Forbes, Bt: Champion of Highland and Gaelic culture who as a wartime PoW had been decorated for his numerous escape attempts", The Times, 20 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007. "Hamish Stewart Forbes was educated at Eton, at Lawrenceville in the United States and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London."

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