Gerald Sclater
Ingram was born on 24th July 1890 at South Kensington, London. He
was the only son of William R Ingram (born c 1857) and Beatrice Eleanor Ingram, the daughter
of Major Edmund Crofts, Royal Welch Fusiliers. William Ingram appears
on the 1881 census as a 24 year old stockbroker although he is noted elsewhere as a sculptor.
He was also the grandson of James Ingram of Ades, Chailey and the nephew of John Ingham Blencowe (who had married one
of James Ingram’s seven daughters: Mabel F Ingram).
Gerald appears
on the 1891 census as an eight month old baby living at 25 Wilton Place,
Knightsbridge. His relationship to the head of the household is noted as “Son”
but the only other people present there when the census was taken were servants: a cook, parlourmaid, nurse and housemaid. Ten years later, the 1901 census notes that he is a pupil at Pemberton Lodge, Southbourne,
Hampshire.
Gerald Sclater
Ingram went on to be educated at Winchester College
(1904 to 1909) and Christ Church College, Oxford (1910).
On 16th July 1912, in The London Gazette, his name appeared in an unattached list for
the Territorial Force which noted that Gerald Sclater Ingram was to be Second Lieutenant.
In the Gazette edition of 6th February 1914, under The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment”, the following
information appears:
Second Lieutenant Gerald Sclater Ingram, from the Unattached List Territorial Force (University Candidate),
to be Second Lieutenant. Dated 3rd September 1912, but not to carry pay or allowances
prior to 7th February 1914.
When war was declared,
Gerald Sclater Ingram went to France with
A Company, the 2nd Queen’s. He was promoted lieutenant in September
1914 and was killed in action at Zonnebeke on 21st October that year, the same day that Lieutenant E W Bethell from C Company
was also killed.
On 4th November,
The Times published a notification of his death as follows:
LIEUTENANT GERALD SCLATER INGRAM, 2nd Queen’s Regiment, who was killed near Ypres
on October 21 was the only child of Mrs William Ingram of 77 Eccleston Square,
SW. He was born in July, 1890, and was educated at
Winchester and Christ Church,
Oxford. He was
gazetted to a second lieutenancy in his regiment in February last, and was promoted last month.
Gerald Sclater
Ingram has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ypres. Although his name is inscribed on Chailey’s war memorial his connection with the village appears
to be by association (through the Ingram and Blencowe families) and he does not feature at all in Chailey’s Parish Magazine. At the time of his death, his widowed mother was living at 77 Eccleston Square, London SW.
Sources & Acknowledgements:
- 1881 Census of England & Wales
- 1891 Census of England & Wales
- 1901 Census of England & Wales
- Wykehamist War Service Roll, 1915, 1917, 1919
- Winchester College Register, 1884-1924
- Oxford University Roll of Service, 1920
- Officers Died in The Great War
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Debt of Honour Register
- The Bond of Sacrifice
- British Battalions France & Belgium
1914 by Ray Westlake
- Dick Flory (Great War Forum) for the information obtained from college registers
- Thomson & Gale - The Times Digital Archive 1785-1985
- Garth McGowen for the photograph of Gerald Ingram's name on the Menin Gate
