Shock at road accident death of pensioner Terri Forster

Aug 3 2009 by Neil McKay, The Journal

A CLOSE-KNIT country community is mourning the death of a popular pensioner killed in a road accident on Saturday

Former Land Army girl Terri Forster, 80, was knocked down by a tractor towing a trailer in Wolsingham, Weardale, County Durham, on Saturday morning.

Mrs Forster, a widow of Stanhope Road, Wolsingham, was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where she later died from internal injuries.

People in Weardale were left shocked by the death of Mrs Forster, who fell in love with the area, and with her late husband Maurice, after being billeted there as a Land Army girl from her native Sunderland more than six decades ago.

One local woman said: “Everybody is upset. Terri was a lovely lady who was a big part of the community, she was a member of many local organisations including the WI.

“She was sent here from Sunderland during World War II as a Land Army girl and quickly adapted to country life, learning to drive a tractor on a farm at Eastgate. It is bitterly ironic that she was killed by a tractor and trailer. She married Maurice Forster, a local farmer who was also a popular dance band leader.”

Locals said Mrs Forster left a son and daughter, who both live in the area.