Colleagues pay tribute to 'the 100 per cent fireman'

Mr Forbes, 37, fulfilled a life-long dream when he joined the fire service, first as a retained officer, based at Acomb, and then full-time when he took up a position in Scarborough three years ago.

His wife, Lyn, 35, whom he met when they both worked at Rowntree, in York, 18 years ago, said he never gave up his ambition, despite several knock-backs.

She said: "It was a passion for him, it was something he always wanted to do.

"They supported him completely. He tried time and time again to get in, and failed at different stages and for different reasons. But he never gave up.

"When he was part-time he used to just disappear in the middle of the night to go to a fire and he never once grumbled - he was 100 per cent fireman."

The couple have three sons, Sam, 11, Jamie, nine and Lewis, four, and moved from their Acomb home to Rawcliffe when Mr Forbes took up the full-time position on White Watch.

Mrs Forbes, an NHS community nurse, said her husband had many talents, including woodwork, motor sports and playing the electric guitar, although his efforts to become Eric Clapton were not entirely successful.

She said: "Sam said he wanted to play the guitar, so David decided that they would muck in and learn together and it just took off from there. He would try anything.

"Jamie is a very good footballer so he always supported him with his football, even though he didn't like football.

"He learned to play Sunflower, by Paul Weller, on the guitar just before he died, which I will play at the funeral, it's a song that reminds me of him.

"His colleagues will be there, some of the lads from White Watch will be carrying the coffin, there will be family and friends, school friends, there were so many people that he knew. He had lots of friends, he was a nice guy and he would do anything for anybody."

The funeral was taking place today at York Crematorium.

Updated: 11:34 Thursday, March 28, 2002