William Forster

Date of Birth: 1810
Place of Birth:
Date of Death: 14th February 1874
Date Arrived: 13th February 1830
Ship Arrival: Hooghly
Occupation: Owner of the Narrogin Inn
Family: Wife Maria, daughters Mary, Sarah, Matilda and Ellen, sons William, James, Fredrick and Edward.

William Henry Forster was born in 1810 in England.

He arrived in Western Australia on board the Hooghly on 13th February 1830 as a widower. Here he met Maria Read who arrived on board the Rockingham with her parents George and Elizabeth Read, three months after William.

They were married on the 9th November 1836 in Perth and had eight children together. William worked hard to support both families and his hard work paid off when he became the owner of the Narrogin Inn in 1860s. The Narrogin Inn is now known as the Ye Old Narrogin Inn and can be found in Armadale, Perth today.

William was murdered by his servant cook John Gill who was a convict on the 14th February 1874. He was shot in the right side while he was in the stables at the Narrogin Inn on a Friday evening. He staggered a few paces and fell to his knees to exclaim that “the wretch has shot me! Send for a doctor”. His eighteen year old daughter Matilda Forster was in the house at the time and she went for help from their neighbours but it was too late. John Gill was arrested for committing murder. All of William Forster’s possessions, including the Narrogin Inn were passed onto his wife, sons and daughters.