not
surprisingly, he became an active
motorcyclist. My mother met him through a
motorcycling club. He raced at the famous
Brooklands track on a 500cc Norton and took
part in many trials and off road racing,
popular before the war. He had worked in a
stockbrokers in the city of London and in
the insurance business.
I am not
sure, but I believe from things my mother
said, that early in the war he had been
working as an instructor for the RAF before
he joined the RAF proper and went for
Aircrew training."
He was married to
Mildred Forth, of Morden, Surrey. They had
a son, Peter and two daughters, Patricia and
Janet.
William Forth joined the Royal
Air
Force and became a Flight Engineer with 218 squadron, operating out of Downham Market, Norfolk. The squadron flew
Stirling bombers at the time.
On 4/5 May 1943,
596 bombers were sent out to attack the
German city of Dortmund.
Sgt William Forth and
his crew flew in Stirling BF505 on
this mission. The rest of his crew consisted
of Pilot F/L Wilbur Turner, second pilot
Navigator Sgt J.L. White, Bomb Aimer P/O
P.S. Beck, and air gunners Sgt J.M.J. Smith
DFM, Sgt Herbert W. Sawkings and Sgt George
A. Hinshelwood. Also flying with the crew
this night was Sgt Frank Norman Robinson. He
flew as a second pilot on what was probably
a familiarization flight for him.
