John Forrest

John Forrest, CB, QHP (20 June 1804, Stirling, Scotland – 10 December 1865, Bath, England ) was a British military medical officer.

Forrest dedicated 36 years of service to the Army Medical Staff, providing support to the British Army during numerous conflicts, including the Crimean War. He briefly held the position of overseeing Scutari Hospital where Florence Nightingale was stationed, and through his diligence and duty was made an Honorary Physician to the Queen. The Medical and Surgical Reporter hailed him as "one of the most distinguished medical officers of the British Army".

However, at the age of 18, as a student of medicine aiming to deepen his medical knowledge, he became involved in grave-robbing in his hometown of Stirling. He faced charges for this crime, along with the local gravedigger and cemetery key keeper who were detained. He fled the country and was subsequently declared an outlaw. Although his accomplices were initially released, this action incited a riot in the town, compelling authorities to return them to jail for their own safety. A year later, Forrest received a pardon from the King, thanks to a successful petition by his Brother in law. The petition pleaded for clemency based on Forrest's age and his circumstances at the time of the crime.

Childhood and education

John Forrest was born on 20 June 1804 in Stirling, Scotland, the son of John Forrest, a physician, and Elizabeth Glas. |group="nb" The crime was discovered, and John, along with James Shiels, a street sweeper; Daniel Mitchell, a servant and changekeeper; and James McNab, the local gravedigger, were implicated as the culprits.

A trial was held at the Stirling Spring Circuit Court on 19 April 1823; however, Forrest had absconded and was absent from the hearings. He was assumed to be heading for Paris while McNab and Mitchel were held prisoners in the Stirling Tolbooth. The court documents do not mention Shiels, however. The crime had been discovered when the grave of Mary Stevenson, wife of Joseph Witherspoon, that had been dug only a week before, was observed to be a couple of inches below the surface. A rope was discovered near the surface, and digging down to the coffin revealed it had been broken open and the body removed; however, the clothes had been thrown back inside.

In McNab's statement, he described Forrest as the ring-leader who had approached him a number of times trying to persuade him to assist in the removal of bodies from the church yard, offering him up to four guineas per body. In McNab's role as the church gravedigger he would have held the keys to the churchyard, which would be of great use in such a crime. Although McNab admitted being with Forrest, Mitchel, and Shiels on the night before the crime was discovered, he protested his innocence and claimed the crime was conducted after he left the group.

Mitchel goes on to describe how Forrest had offered him a large amount of whisky, and so being intoxicated, he agreed to go with him, McNab, and Shiels to the churchyard where Mr. Johnston gave him a pound note (which he admits he split with Shiels the following day). However, Mitchel denied assisting with the crime, saying he left immediately afterwards. Outlawry was one of the harshest criminal penalties, as the eighteen year old Forrest would no longer be protected by the legal system, and anyone could commit a crime against him (including murder) without any punishment. To be declared an outlaw was to suffer a form of civil or social death, as the outlaw was debarred from all civilized society. No one was allowed to give him food, shelter, or any other sort of support—to do so was to commit the crime of aiding and abetting, and to be in danger of the ban oneself. As such, Forrest could not return to his family home in Stirling and had to support himself entirely.

The Lord Advocate also decided that because Forrest was absent, the trial against McNab and Mitchel, who had merely been acting as agents, was halted pro loco et tempore. In Scots law this phrase refers to a case where the trial is stopped but the prosecution retains the right to bring a fresh indictment against the accused. They were freed from jail; however, this incensed the local populace who formed an angry mob and started to riot in the streets. The 77th Regiment was brought down from the Castle to disperse the rioters who fired on the mob in Spittal Street, but no-one was injured, the soldiers intentionally firing over the people's heads. For their own safety, McNab and Mitchel had to take refuge in the jail they had just been released from.

In spite of his outlaw status, Forrest continued his education at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1823 he became a licentiate of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

In June 1824, Forrest's brother-in-law, Robert Adie, submitted a "memorial" (a petition) to the King to pardon Forrest. This included an assumption of guilt of the crime but pleaded clemency on a number of factors including:- Forrest's age at the time of the crime - being vulnerable to the influence of others; the fact his father had died only a month before the crime took place; the impact of Forrest's outlawry on his widowed mother; the state of anxiety Forrest had been suffering since his conviction - being rendered a fugitive not protected by the Law; and that another trial could stir up public emotions again as it did previously. Adie also included a number of testimonials from distinguished medical teachers and responsible inhabitants of Stirling attesting to Forrest's good character and diligence as a student. One such character reference included the fact that Forrest had been providing medical assistance to the poor of Edinburgh:

The Petition was successful as on 22 June 1824 Forrest was granted a free pardon by the King.

Forrest continued his education and, in 1825 was awarded a Doctorate from Edinburgh University.

Early military career

Much of Forrest's military career is documented in his obituary in the British Medical Journal:

Forrest joined the British Army as a Hospital Assistant on 10 November 1825. Through his diligence, he was promoted to Assistant Surgeon in the 20th Regiment of the Foot on 9 February 1826. This period of history was relatively peaceful, and regiments were posted around the British Colonies to ensure order was maintained. The 20th Regiment was based in India and Forrest was involved in the expedition against the Rajah of Kolapore in 1827. daughter of Captain Donald Mclachlan. The following month they left Stirling with Captain Donald and family in the barque Arione and journeyed to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, where Forrest and his new wife disembarked. Her father and family continued to Australia, reaching Port Phillip towards the end of 1839, where they settled.

Forrest was promoted to surgeon of the 2nd class in the 75th Regiment of Foot where he was attached from 2 July 1841 until 13 May 1842 when he transferred to the hospital staff in Cape Town. and John (born 2 February 1841). However, Ann died soon after on 1 August 1842 and was buried at St George’s Anglican Church, Cape Town on 2 August 1842.

Forrest's role as hospital staff in Cape Town included involvement in the expedition against the insurgent Boers beyond the Orange River in 1845, and in the Kaffir War of 1846, for which he received the South African Medal.

On 21 May 1850, Forrest was promoted to Surgeon of the First Class and served as hospital staff in Glasgow and Chatham, Kent.

Crimean War

On 28 March 1854, Forrest was promoted to Deputy-Inspector of Army Hospitals and on 13 April 1854 was ordered to be in medical charge of the 3rd division of the Eastern army in Gallipoli and Bulgaria, accompanying the expedition to the Crimea on 17 September 1854.

In his capacity of Principal Medical Officer, Forrest was present at the affair of Bulganac, capture of Balaklava, battles of the Alma and Inkerman, and siege of Sebastopol. Forrest was noted in Lord Raglan's despatch after the Battle of Inkerman, "for his able exertions, as deserving to be most honourably mentioned".

It was not long before the extent of the conditions at Scutari became clear to Forrest, as described in his letter to John Hall on 4 January:

Florence Nightingale, a nurse at Scutari who worked hard to make improvements for the overworked staff against official indifference, wrote of Forrest in her letter to Sidney Herbert on 8 January 1855, stating:

The conditions are revealed also in a letter dated 16 January from Forrest to John Hall:

We are going on very quietly here. Miss Nightingale & Co have not disturbed me. I hope you will not send any more sick down here until our numbers are reduced, as there is no room for them in the hospitals – the weather here is very stormy and I pity the troops in camp with all my heart – their sufferings must be great and I can see nothing before them but certain death. He was also awarded the Turkish Crimea Medal. and received the fourth-class Order of the Medjidie on 2 March 1858 for his efforts in the Crimean War.

Forrest remarried on 12 August 1858 in Gibraltar, Emma Jenkin, daughter of George H. Jenkin.

He was promoted to Inspector-General of Army Hospitals

In 1860, the hospital at Villa Spinola in St. Julian's was adapted into a 42-bed army hospital to serve the newly opened barracks at Pembroke and by serving as a sanatorium to absorb some of the overflow from Valletta General Hospital. This hospital was named Forrest Hospital after Forrest.

Forrest died at 10 Queens Parade in Bath, Somerset, on 10 December 1865, He is buried at Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath.

Career timeline