Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Heinrich Christian FORST was born in Exeter, South Australia on 20th June 1909

His parents were Hans Christian FORST & Charlotte Elizabeth MOULDER

He married Linda Dorothy BOWDEN on 10th February, 1934 in the Sacred Heart Presbytery in Semaphore, SA

He enlisted in Wayville, SA on 25th Septe,ber 1942 and was discharged on 20th May, 1944

He was awarded the Military Medal for outstanding valour & courage on 17th November, 1943

Heinrich died on 4th September, 1985 and is buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery, SA with his wife Lind

Heinrich Christian Forst was born on the 20th of June, 1909 in Exeter, South Australia. Prior to the Second World War, he lived in Port Adelaide and worked as a barber. On 10th of February 1934 he married Linda Dorothy Bowden in Semaphore, South Australia. 

Heinrich Christian Forst enlisted in the Australian Army on 25 September 1942 at Wayville, South Australia, when he was 33. He served as a ‘Private’ in the 7th Infantry Battalion, which was part of the Jungle Training Centre, which is a unit responsible for preparing troops for combat in tropical and jungle conditions. Forst embarked from Townsville on the ship Duntroon on 16 March 1943 and disembarked at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on 19 March 1943, where he served in the tropical jungle environment of the Pacific theatre.

Serving in the dense tropical jungle, he faced harsh environmental conditions and the threat of enemy action, and was treated for malaria and a gunshot wound to his right hand, requiring evacuation to the 2/2 Australian Field Ambulance and the 105th Australian General Hospital.  His service was recognised through the award of the Military Medal (MM) for bravery during the war. Page 4 of his service record has the detail of why he was given the medal 'for outstanding personal courage and unseflish bravery in rescuing two wounded comrades while under intense enemy fire"

Forst returned home safely to South Australia after being discharged from the army on 20 May 1944. Heinrich Christian Forst lived until 4 September 1985, passing away at the age of 76, and was buried in Cheltenham Cemetery, South Australia.

Bibliography
Primary Sources:

Virtual War Memorial Australia. “Forst, Heinrich Christian (Private, SX18856).” 
Australian Government. World War II Service Record: Heinrich Christian Forst (Service No. SX18856). National Archives of Australia.
Service and Casualty Form A.F. B.103–1 (Adapted) – Heinrich Christian Forst’s official military service papers.
Australian War Memorial. World War II Nominal Roll – Heinrich Christian Forst.
Secondary Sources:

Australian War Memorial. New Guinea Campaign Overview. (AWM Collection, n.d.)
Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Australia and the Pacific War (1939–1945). Commonwealth of Australia, 2023.
Trove Digital Archives. National Library of Australia.
Virtual War Memorial Australia. Biographical Summary – Heinrich Christian Forst.
Australian Government, Department of Defence. Jungle Training Centre – Role and Operations in WWII.(Historical Record, 2020).