Dates:
War Service:
Lieutenant ALFRED HENRY FORSTER of the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) died in hospital on 10 March 1919 of wounds sustained on 17 October 1918.
Location of Memorial:
He is buried in St Katharine’s church, Exbury, near the family home at Lepe, Hampshire. His name is on the village war memorial in the church. While Alfred Forster was in hospital he became friends with a young sculptor called Cecil Thomas and after Alfred’s death his parents commissioned him to design a memorial to Alfred and his elder brother John. This bronze memorial was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1924 and is now in St Katharine’s. A copy of the memorial is in Christ Church cathedral, Newcastle, Australia where his father served as Governor General.
There is a memorial to both brothers in the church of St John the Baptist, Southend and in 1919 Forster Memorial Park in Whitefoot Lane was given to the people of the Borough of Lewisham in their memory.
Details:
He was born on 7 February 1898, the son of Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster of Lepe and Lady Rachel Cecily Forster. The Forsters were the owners of a large estate in the Bromley Road/Whitefoot Lane area. His brother John was killed in September 1914 while serving with the Kings Royal Rifle Corps.
Source:
Contributed By: Andy Pepper
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