Amos Adolphus Ford (5 November 1916 – 28 March 2015) was a Belizean forester, civil servant and writer.[1][2] During the Second World War Ford served with the British Honduran Forestry Unit.[1][2]
Amos Ford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Amos Adolphus Ford 5 November 1916 |
| Died | 28 March 2015 (aged 98) London. UK |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse |
Mavis Waugh
(m. 1965; died 1997) |
| Children | 4 |
Biography
editAmos Adolphus Ford was born on 5 November 1916 in Belize City, British Honduras (present-day, Belize) to Amos Ebenezer Ford, a policeman and later plantation owner.[1][2] Ford was one of eleven children.[1][2]
Ford initially settled in Mexico where he worked as a forester in a mahogany camp, but later returned to British Honduras due to job scarcity.[1][2] In 1941, Ford volunteered to join the British Honduran Forestry Unit (BHFU).[1][2] Arriving in Scotland in October, Ford began working as a "scaler".[1][2] In contrast to the forestry units from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the BHFU were given poor rations and inadequate clothing and accommodation.[1][2][3]
After the BHFU was disbanded in 1943, Ford remained in the UK and moved to Newcastle upon Tyne.[1][2] Initially working at a brewery, Ford later became a civil servant and worked for the Ministry of National Insurance.[1] Whilst working in the Department, Ford discovered government documents detailing how the British government undermined and attempted to cover up the contributions of the BHFU from public record.[3] Ford published two books Telling the Truth. The Life and Times of the British Honduran Forestry Unit in Scotland (1941-44) (1985) and Recollections (1989), which detailed his research and own experiences in the BHFU.[1][2][3]
Personal life
editPublications
edit- Ford, Amos A. (1985). Telling the Truth. The Life and Times of the British Honduran Forestry Unit in Scotland (1941-44). London: Karia Press. ISBN 9780946918034.
- Ford, Amos A. (1989). Recollections. Devon: Phoenix Print. ISBN 9780708598276.
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Obituary: Amos Ford, forester". The Telegraph. London. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Reynolds, Nia (14 May 2015). "Ex-serviceman spent years defending 'defamed' black unit". The Voice. London. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hennessey, Martin (20 September 1992). "Britain shunned wartime volunteers: Amos Ford says there has been a cover-up over the shabby treatment of British Hondurans who came to help us out, reports Martin Hennessey". The Independent. London. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Amos A Ford and Mavis E Ford [Marriage Index]". England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. 5c (Q3). London: General Register Office: 1591. 1965.
- ↑ "Mavis Ellis Ford [Death Index]". England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London: General Register Office. May 1997.
- ↑ "Amos Adolphus Ford [Death Index]". England and Wales, Death Index, 1989–2025 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2015.