Michael Forrester
Michael Forrester | |
|---|---|
| Born | 31 August 1917 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 15 October 2006 (aged 89) Alton, Hampshire, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1938−1970 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 69349 |
| Unit | Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) Parachute Regiment |
| Commands held | 1/6th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment 16th Parachute Brigade Group 4th Division |
| Battles/wars | Arab revolt in Palestine World War II Mau Mau Uprising |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order & Bar Military Cross & Bar Mentioned in dispatches |
Major-General Michael Forrester CB CBE DSO & Bar MC & Bar (31 August 1917 – 15 October 2006) was a British Army officer who served with distinction in World War II and later commanded the 4th Division.
Early life and military career[edit]
Educated at Haileybury,[1] Forrester was commissioned into the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) in 1938[2] and, serving with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment, then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ross, took part in the response to the Arab revolt in Palestine in 1939.[1]
World War II[edit]
He served in World War II in Greece and in the Western Desert before becoming Commanding Officer of the 1/6th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment in 1943; in that role he secured the key bridge at Scafati in Italy and then took part in the Normandy landings before being wounded there in October 1944.[1]
Postwar[edit]
He was appointed CO of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment and served in Cyprus and Egypt during 1951 and 1952.[2] He was made Director of Staff at the Staff College, Camberley in 1953, a General Staff Officer at General Headquarters East Africa in 1955 during the Mau Mau Uprising[1] and Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in 1957.[2] He went on to be Colonel, Military Operations at the War Office in 1960, Commander of 16th Parachute Brigade Group in 1961 and General Officer Commanding 4th Division in Germany in 1965.[2] His last appointment was as Director of Infantry at the Ministry of Defence in 1968 before he retired in 1970.[2]
Family[edit]
In 1947 he married Pauline Fisher (the marriage was dissolved in 1960); they had two sons.[1]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- 1917 births
- 2006 deaths
- Academics of the Staff College, Camberley
- Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies
- British Army major generals
- British Army personnel of World War II
- British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine
- British military personnel of the Mau Mau Uprising
- British Parachute Regiment officers
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College
- Military personnel from Portsmouth
- Queen's Royal Regiment officers
- Recipients of the Military Cross