BORN COOKTOWN, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, ON 23/09/1890. SON OF EDWARD ROBERT FINDLAY FORD (1855-1900) AND ELEANOR ANN LOUISA LEE (1860-1946), OF TOOWOOMBA, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. SON OF A SURVEYOR. HE HAD ONE SISTER, RUTH (1887-1979). HIS FATHER WAS BORN IN MIDDLESEX, LONDON. HIS MOTHER WAS BORN IN CROWLE, LINCOLNSHIRE.
EDUCATED AT THE CHARTERS TOWERS SCHOOL OF MINES 1909-1912. HE COMPLETED THE DIPLOMA, IN METALLURGICAL CHEMISTRY AND ASSYING. HE WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE KENNEDY CITIZEN FORCE, A TERRITORIAL UNIT. HE IS DESCRIBED AS A MINER (1913 AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL RECORDS).
HE WAS AN ENGINNER, WORKING FOR THE TARQUAH GOLD MINING COMPANY, IN THE WEST AFRICAN GOLD COAST, EITHER SIERRE LEONNE OF GHANA.
HE MARRIED MINNIE ELIZABETH HILL, AT QUEENSLAND, ON 23RD MARCH 1913.
HE ENLISTED IN AUSTRALIA, ON 14TH AUGUST 1914. SERVED AS PRIVATE, 1582, IN THE AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE. PART OF THE FORCE TO CAPTURE GERMAN NEW GUINEA. HOWEVER THERE WAS TROUBLE CAUSED BY FIREMAN ON BOARD THE “KANOWNA” SHIP AND HE RETURNED TO TWONSVILLE. HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM SERVICE ON 18TH SEPTEMBER 1914 (BUT ELIGIBLE FOR THE BRITISH WAR MEDAL).
HE TRAVELLED TO ENGLAND IN 1915 TO VISIT HIS AUNTIE, LENA (SELINA BROWN) IN HULL. HE LIVED AT 209, ST GEORGES ROAD, HULL. HE RE-ENLISTED. JOINED THE ROYAL ENGINEERS. POSTED TO FRANCE, ON 06/12/1916. PROMOTED TO SECOND LIEUTENANT, AND TRANSFERRED TO THE 38TH SQUADRON AS A PILOT INSTRUCTOR IN THETFORD NORFOLK TRANSFERRED TO THE 100TH ROYAL FLYING CORPS, A BOMBING SQUADRON, BASED IN DUNKIRK, IN MAY 1918. HE WAS KILLED IN A FLYING ACCIDENT, ON 05/04/1918, AGED 28, OVER THE CHAMPAGNE, ARDENNES AREA. HE WAS BURIED AT VILLENEUX, BEFORE THE GRAVES WERE MOVED TO THE FERE-CHAMPENOISE FRENCH NATIONAL CEMETERY, MARNE, FRANCE
HIS PENSION WENT TO HIS WIDOW, MRS M.E. FORD, IN TOOWOOMBA, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. HE SENT HER HIS PORTRAIT FROM HULL ON 6TH DECEMBER 1915.
HIS NAME WAS RECORDED ON THE LOCAL WW1 MEMORIAL AT ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, NEWINGTON, HULL. AYOUNG AUSTRALIAN FOREVER REMEMBERS ON THE WHITE MARBLE PLAQUE THAT LISTS 301 MEN FROM THE PARISH THAT DIED DURING WW1.
