sentences:  His father was a tea-broker, founder of the merchant brokerage house Forbes and Walker Ltd. Charles Forbes was educated at Dollar Academy and Eastman's Royal Naval Academy.He joined the training ship HMS "Britannia" as a cadet on 15 July 1894.He was promoted to midshipman on 15 July 1896 and posted to the battleship in the Channel Fleet in September 1896 and to the armoured cruiser on the Pacific Station in January 1898.