Henry Forster Withy was born on 10 October 1910 in West Hartlepool, Durham, the elder son of Henry Daubeny Withy (1882-1914) and Emily Edith Withy née Wilson (1879-1932). His birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1910 in the Hartlepool registration district, Durham.
On the 1911 census return form completed by his father he was shown as aged 5 months, living at 79 Hutton Avenue, West Hartlepool, with his parents, together with a female domestic general servant. His father described himself as superintendent marine engineer. His brother, John Forster Withy (1911-1942), was born on 25 October 1911.
Electoral registers in 1932 show him and his mother listed at Langsmead, Blackdown Avenue, Pyrford, Woking, Surrey.
On 5 March 1933 he is shown as disembarking from the S.S. Britannia of the Anchor Line at Liverpool, Lancashire, having travelled from Marseilles, France. The ship's manifest showed him as aged 22 years, of no occupation, travelling 1st class and recorded his address as 10 Malvern Court, London, SW7.
On 16 October 1933 he obtained his Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate, No:11524, at Brooklands Flying Club, Weybridge, Surrey, flying a de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth aeroplane. His certificate confirmed his address as 10 Malvern Court, London, SW7. Electoral registers in 1933 show both him and his brother, John Forester Withy, listed at this address, whilst telephone directories in 1934 and 1935 show him listed at 69 Curzon Street, London, W1.
On 16 July 1935 he married Jane Womersley (1913-1992) at St Wilfred's Church, Harrogate, Yorkshire and they had two children: John D. F. Withy (b.1938) and Timothy Forster Withy (1940-2009).
Telephone directories show him list in 1937 at Miswells, Turners Hill, Sussex, where in the 1939 England and Wales register he was described as a underwriting agent & a Member of Lloyds living with his wife, cook, a nurse and a house parlourmaid.
He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 102293. The London Gazette shows that on 23 July 1941 as a Leading Aircraftman he was commissioned as Pilot Officer on probation and that on 23 July 1942 his probation appointment was confirmed and he was promoted to Flying Officer. On 25 May 1943, aged 32 years, he was, according to the UK, World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of Honour 1939-1945, serving as a Flight Lieutenant attached to No.185 Squadron and flying his Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc, Serial Number JK463, when it crashed into the sea off Salina Bay, Malta, from a high altitude during a scramble, possibly due to oxygen starvation. As he has no known grave he is commemorated on Panel 6, Column 1 on the Malta Memorial, Ir-Re Dwardu VII, Floriana, Valletta, Malta.
Probate records confirm that his address had been 116 Duchy Road, Harrogate, Yorkshire and that when probate was granted on 21 November 1944, jointly to his widow and to his solicitor, William Marriott, his effects totalled £88,975-10s-0d.
He is shown as Withy, Henry Forster on both the Lloyd's of London WW2 memorial and a stone tablet on the west wall inside St Leonard's Church, Turners Hill Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, RH10 4PB. He is also commemorated on the Royal Air Force Commands website and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
