TARBAT WAR MEMORIAL

Henry Forbes was born in Kent, his father George was a farm worker and moved about with the work, so Henry was educated in Cromarty, Tarbat and Aberfeldy. Before the war he worked with his father who was the cattleman at Bindal Farm. Like many before the war he joined the Territorials and was a drummer and bugler in the 4^TH Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, and was mobilised when war broke out. He was under age to go with 51^ST Highland Division to France, the Division that fought so bravely to protect the Dunkirk evacuation before having to surrender low on ammunition at St Valery-en-Caux.

Henry became part of the reformed 51^ST Highland Division that sailed for North Africa, but this time with 5^TH Seaforths, to take part in the war in the desert, arriving on the 14^TH August 1942.

21 year old Henry died during the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa. The battle for Alamein started on October 23^RD 1942, it was Field Marshall Montgomery's last chance to hold back the advancing German Afrika Korps who were at the gates of Alexandria.

The Seaforth Highlanders were held in reserve for a second attack, which took place on the night of the 1^ST/2^ND  November. Their part of the attack was to advance over 2 miles on foot behind an artillery barrage, cross no-man's land, through German minefields and breach a hole in the Geman front line so Allied tanks could drive through and attack the Afrika Korps from the rear.

This attack was successful and the Afrika Korps were in retreat but the cost in dead and wounded to the Seaforths was high, 177 men in all were killed or wounded.

Henry was the son of George and Isabella Turner Forbes of Bindal and later Nigg Station; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.

'About Henry, as far as I know he is still missing, perhaps his people at home may have had word from him, that's to say if he got wounded and was picked up by the ambulance people. I do hope he is OK.' Part of letter from Edward Shearer to his sister Mary.

'The chance is very faint but he [Henry] may be a prisoner.' Part of letter from Douglas Gordon to his mother.