Name: Frank Forbes Regimental Number: T4551 Rank: Private Unit: 1st/6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment British Army Date of Birth: unknown Place of Birth: Argyle,Yarmouth Co., N.S. Place of Enlistment: Bristol, England Date of Death: July 27, 1916 Age at Death: 36 Cemetery: Puchevillers British Cemetery, France (Plot: II. B. 38) Commemorated on Page 570 of the First World War Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on December 11 Listed on the Yarmouth War memorial as “Forbes, Frank L.” Frank Forbes was the son of Joseph Forbes (1840-1924) and Emeline Morton Forbes (1852-1909). His father served in the United States Navy during the American Civil War from June 3, 1861 to June 23, 1862. Frank’s siblings included Hattie Zula Forbes (1873-1878), Horace Franklin Forbes (born 1876), Maud Louise Forbes (1878-1948), and Hattie May Forbes (born 1879). Frank enlisted in the British Army under the name John Franklin Dolan and served with the Gloucestershire Regiment. His unit of, the 1st line of the 6th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, belonged to the 144th Brigade of the 48th (South Midland) Division. After an extended period in the quieter Hébuterne sector, the 48th Division entered the Somme Offensive in mid‑July 1916. By late July, the 1/6th Battalion was engaged in the fighting around Pozières, a key position on the Pozières Ridge. The battalion entered the battle on July 23, 1916, with the objective of capturing German positions on the ridge, a heavily defended area of strategic importance. At 12:30 a.m. on 23 July, the battalion launched an attack near the railway line. The assault met concentrated machine‑gun fire, and only a small number of soldiers reached the German trenches before being forced back. In the days that followed, the battalion remained in the forward area, where it faced continuous artillery fire, sniper activity, and the strain of holding and repairing damaged trench positions. Private Frank Forbes died on 27 July 1916 of wounds received during the Somme operations. He is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, France, in Plot II, Row B, Grave 38, under the name Pvt. J. F. Dolan, the identity under which he had enlisted. His Commonwealth War Graves Commission record now reflects his correct name, Frank Forbes.

Frank Forbes