Athol Forbes
British flying ace of WWII / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Athol Forbes, OBE, DFC & Bar (4 April 1912 – 18 August 1981) was a British flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with having shot down at least nine aircraft.
Athol Forbes | |
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Born | (1912-04-04)4 April 1912 London, England |
Died | 18 August 1981(1981-08-18) (aged 69) Stratford-upon-Avon, England |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1935–1948 |
Rank | Group Captain |
Commands held | No. 165 Wing No. 66 Squadron |
Battles/wars | Second World War |
Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Silver Cross of the War Order of Virtuti Militari (Poland) |
Born in London, Forbes joined the RAF in 1935. After completing his training, he served as an instructor at the School of Army Co-operation. The year after the outbreak of the Second World War, he was posted to No. 303 Squadron, which was composed mostly of Polish flying personnel. Forbes was involved in the training to bring the squadron up to operational standard. From September, he flew extensively during the Battle of Britain, achieving most of his aerial victories, but also being wounded twice. He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Polish honour of the Silver Cross of the War Order of Virtuti Militari for his service with the squadron. From mid-October 1940, he commanded No. 66 Squadron for a year. He spent most of the remainder of the war serving in India as a wing leader and staff officer. He left the RAF in 1948 as a group captain and later worked in civil aviation. He died at Stratford-upon-Avon at the age of 69.