Colonel Oswald Boyd Forbes CBE ED (10 August 1887 – 26 March 1960) was a tea-broker, military officer and politician in Colonial Ceylon.[1]

Early life and education

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Oswald Boyd Forbes was born 10 August 1887 at Bishop's House, Colpetty, the third son of James Forbes (1851 - 1939) and Caroline née Delmege.[2] His older brother, Charles Morton, was a Royal Navy officer, achieving the rank of Admiral of the Fleet in 1940. Oswald received his education at Haileybury College between 1901 and 1906.[3]

Career

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In 1909 he joined his father's firm, Forbes and Walker Ltd (a merchant brokerage house), after business training in an accountants' office and in the Hong Kong Bank in London.[2] Forbes was a member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and served as its president in 1948.[4] In 1923 he was made a partner in Forbes and Walker remaining with the company until his retirement as senior partner in 1946.[2][5]

Forbes served as the inaugural Secretary of the Ceylon Cricket Association following its formation in 1922,[6][7] later serving as the Association's president in 1928.[8]

In 1957 he was appointed as a member of the Parliament of Ceylon,[9] replacing Reginald Percy Gaddum.[10]

Military service

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He was a member of the Ceylon Defence Force and served as the commanding officer of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery.[11][12] In 1937 Forbes attended the Coronation of King George VI, as one of the official representatives of the Ceylon Defence Force, for which he received the Coronation Medal.[13]

Family

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Forbes married Gladys Irene née Copland Mackie on 19 November 1919[14] at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Edinburgh.[15]

Honours

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He was appointed Commander of the British Empire in 1941.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "Hon. Forbes, Oswald Boyd (Colonel), M.P." Directory of Past Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Dury, N. D., ed. (1995). History of Forbes & Walker, Ltd (1881-1954). Colombo: Whittall Company Ltd. p. 2.
  3. ^ "Pupils at Haileybury College prior to 1912". Haileybury College. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Ceylon Chamber of Commerce - Annual 2015/16" (PDF). Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. p. 161.
  5. ^ Ukers, William H. (1935). All About Tea. Vol. 2. New York: The Tea and Coffee Journal Company. p. 161.
  6. ^ Wagg, Stephen (2017). Cricket: A Political History of the Global Game, 1945-2017: 1945 to 2012. Routledge. p. 140. ISBN 9781317557296.
  7. ^ "Ceylon Cricket Association is formed". The Sunday Times. 15 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  8. ^ Perera, S. S. (1999). Muthiah, S. (ed.). The Janashakthi Book of Sri Lanka Cricket, 1832-1996. Janashakthi Insurance. pp. 305–306.
  9. ^ "Parliamentary Debates". 27 (1–15). Parliament of Ceylon. 1957: xxxvi. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ Members of the Legislatures of Ceylon, 1931-1972. National State Assembly Library. 1972. p. 51.
  11. ^ "The Tea Quarterly". 33–35. Tea Research Institute of Ceylon. 1962: 46. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ^ Tissainayagam, Romesh (7 April 2002). "Japan's Easter Sunday raid". The Sunday leader. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  13. ^ "The Crown Colonist". 7. Crown Colonist. 1937: 133. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ^ "Marriages". The Straits Times. Singapore. 10 November 1919. Retrieved 1 July 2019 – via National Library Board, Singapore.
  15. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. No. 22, 908. Victoria, Australia. 3 January 1920. p. 1. Retrieved 1 July 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ Ferguson, Alastair MacKenzie, ed. (1966). Ferguson's Ceylon Directory. Vol. 108. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 93.
  17. ^ Debrett, John, ed. (1973). Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage. Kelly's Directories. p. 2641.