Major-General Michael Forrester CB CBE DSO MC

Michael Forrester was born on 31st Aug 1917, educated at Hailebury and was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion Queen's Royal Regiment in 1938. His first service overseas was in Palestine where the battalion was active in dealing with the Arab Revolt. He won his first of many bravery awards, the MC, for leading his platoon into an Arab village, during which he was wounded.
When War broke out His second MC was won in Crete where he led a charge of Greek soldiers and civilians. At El Alamein he was a brigade major and was mentioned in despatches. He was promoted to commanding officer of the 1/6th Battalion Queen's at the age of 26 and led them in the Salerno landing and breakout from the beachhead as part of the 7th Aroured Division. He won the DSO at Scafati bridge over the river Sarno, capturing and holding it against attack from the Herman Goering Division.
The division was returned to the UK for the invasion of Normandy and they arrived soon after D-Day to be heavily engaged at Villers Bocage where Forrester won the DSO for a second time. He was wounded soon after that and did not fight again in the war.
After the war he held staff appointments and became commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion Parachute regiment, then he commanded 16th Parachute Brigade. In 1960 he was awarded the MBE and in 1963 the CBE. After attending Imperial Defence College he became GOC 4th Division in Germany, then Director of Infantry and Colonel of The Queen's Division. In 1969 he was appointed to the Order of the Bath as CB. He died in October 2006 having lived out his retirement at Alton.

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