The Association has learned of the death of Captain Michael Forrest RN on 3 August 2014.
Notice from the Bridport and Lyme Regis News 7 August 2014:
CAPTAIN MICHAEL FORREST R.N. 1933 – 2014 Gail, Peter, Stephen, Timothy & Sarah, father-in-law to Francesca, are sad to announce that Mike died peacefully at home on Sunday, August 3rd. He leaves 12 Grandchildren. GRIEF IS THE PRICE WE PAY FOR LOVE
From his wife Gail
Mike was born in York in 1933. After education at the Northern Seminary of Ushaw, Co. Durham as a lay student he entered B.R.N.C. Dartmouth as a 16 year old.
After training he saw service in Korea on board HMS Birmingham, HMS Glory and HMS Modeste. His first introduction to Japan was on R&R trips to Kure and Sasebo. Having studied Classics at school and Russian and French at Dartmouth he did not like being in a country where he couldn’t speak the language so he set himself to study Japanese in his spare time.
He was returning to the UK on the troopship Empire Trooper, in 1954 when it sank in the Mediterranean Sea after a boiler explosion, which killed four crew members. All troops and families were rescued including Mike’s elder brother John who was returning from his National Service in the Army, in Korea. They were both taken to Algiers and repatriated via Gibraltar.
1955 he was sub of the gun room on board HMS Ark Royal. Mike then decided to take up flying and was the first recipient of the Kelly Memorial Trophy for the best fighter pilot under training. He did a round the world tour in Seahawks on board HMS Albion, 1958/9.
On his return to the UK he met Gail again at the Farnborough Air Show and they became engaged that evening. He had previously met Gail while flying from RAF Valley where her father was in the same Mess/Wardroom, a year before. The wedding took place in London in January 1960.
By then Mike had decided to change to helicopters and they spent time at Culdrose, Portsmouth and Portland and some time on HMS Hermes, while Gail lived in Malta for a year and saw him when the squadron flew into Hal Far, when the ship gave leave he flew out from the UK for two weeks.
His Japanese had advanced to the stage where a young Japanese student, son of an Ambassador, came to stay to help with Oral Studies. (He flooded the bathroom trying to have a Japanese style bath in an English flat and the water dripped through the ceiling of a Commander’s flat below!!). He passed the exam with flying colours even without studying for the year at University. Against the advice of senior officers he applied for the two year language course in Japan. They travelled from Hamburg on the NYK ship Shizuoka Maru. Gail was seasick for six weeks and they arrived in Kobe in the middle of a typhoon. They lived in a tatami house in the middle of the countryside where nobody spoke English so Gail had to learn the language as well.
Their first son was born in the USNH in Yokosuka. On return to UK two more sons were born in Cornwall while Mike was CO of Hampshire Wessex Flight. Later he was CO Britannia Flight and a House Officer at the college, their daughter was born during that time. He then returned to sea as ‘little F’ (Lt Cdr Flying) and the family lived in Johore Bahru for a year, seeing Mike when HMS Albion was in Singapore.
He was then appointed to command the biggest squadron in the Navy; 829. The parent base was Portland but there were more helicopters on ships around the world. Promotion to Commander effectively ended his flying career.
After various Staff and MOD appointments, including that of Senior Naval Officer Cranwell, he was promoted Captain and sent to Tokyo as HBM’s Naval Attache. The boys were at university or boarding school so Sarah and Gail lived in the residence and the boys came out on holidays. Gail also passed an exam in Japanese which was useful to the Ambassador to know that he could rely on Mike and wife when no English was being spoken; this also helped when visiting firemen needed to be taken sightseeing.
When he was working in the Embassy not away on official visits, he would get up early and exercise with the Tokyo Police Judo team having achieved his Black Belt in the 60s. The holidays resulted in 2nd son being fascinated by the language and poetry and he is now a Professor of Japanese Literature at a US University with an American wife, two sons and two daughters who are now in Japan, one studying on a Japanese Government Scholarship and the other teaching English there.
After three years Mike retired but was called back each year for ten years for liaison and interpreting duties. In retirement in Dorset he bought a canal boat on the Midlands network of canals, which provided exciting holidays for most of the twelve grandchildren. He continued to study Japanese and corresponded with several retired JMSDF Admirals and Captains that he got to know so well. He also wrote two books and played the organ at two churches. After bouts of ill health he kept fit as much as he was able and died peacefully at home with Gail and her sister with him on August 3rd 2014.
From Records
Michael’s FAA career can be seen below:
804 Sqn 1958 – 59
814 Sqn 1960 – 61
737 Sqn 1961
CO Hampshire Flt 1964 – 66
CO Britannia Flt 1966 – 68
Lt Cdr (F) HMS Albion 1968 – 69
CO 829 Sqn 1968 – 71
T1 on Staff of FONAC 1972 – 74