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Forbes of Newe
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Arms: Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Azure, three bears heads couped Argent, muzzled Gules (Forbes); 2nd and 3rd, Azure, three cinquefoils Argent (Fraser).
Major Sir Hamish Stewart Forbes of Newe, 7th Bt., MBE, MC, KStJ, Born 15 Feb 1916 – died 3 Sep 2007 at age 91. Born in London, he was educated at Eton, and at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, USA, then at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
He was a British Army officer in the Welsh Guards in WW2 serving as a battalion intelligence officer in the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940. He led a reconnaissance patrol in Arras in May 1940 where he was captured by the Germans and was awarded a Military Cross for his actions just prior to his capture.
Forbes remained a prisoner for the duration of the war but attempted to escape ten times finally succeeding into the arms of the advancing First United States Army and was returned to England. His escape attempts led to a mention in dispatches in 1945 and this was upgraded to an MBE (Military Division.
Forbes continued to serve in the Welsh Guards after the war in England, Germany and Turkey finally retiring as a Major in 1958.
Post military he worked for Calmic Chemicals, Gillette and Shell-Mex BP until 1964. He retired to Strathdon in Aberdeenshire. He became secretary of the Order of St. John from 1973 to 1983 and president of the Church Lads’and Church Girls’ Brigade Association from 1974 until 2000.
In 1984 he succeeded his cousin as 7th Baronet and became the patron of the Lonach Highland Society. This society was founded in 1822 by his ancestor, Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Bt. to preserve and promote Highland culture and the Scottish Gaelic language.
He was married twice, first in 1945 to Jacynthe Elizabeth Mary, the only daughter of Eric Gordon Underwood and had issue a son, James Thomas Stewart ( today the 8th baronet ) and three daughters. He divorced in 1981 and remarried to Mary Christine Rigby (MBE)
Whilst he was in the hospital dying, Mark Dennis painted the hatchment shown above in great haste. The hatchment was presented to him literally on his death bed ( hence it is not blacked in). Mark was told that Sir Hamish was deeply pleased and gratified. Mark’s comment to me was “He was a fine fellow”.
The artwork is a rendition by Mark Dennis and is reproduced here with his permission.
2020 0523
dqw266@gmail.com
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