Private 99388 William Thomas Wauman Ingram

Killed in Action on Sunday, 24th March 1918, age 33.
Commemorated on Panel 90 to 93 of Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France.

Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), 58th Battalion. 58th Division.
Formerly 28418 Ox & Bucks Light Infantry.

Husband of Mrs Rosannah Ingram, of 40 Tipton Road, Tividale, Staffs.
Born: Birmingham, Enlisted: Birmingham, Resident: Tividale.

First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Commemorated on the Tipton Library, and St. Augustine's memorials.
Commemorated here because he appears on a Tipton memorial.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1583216/

Genealogical Data

Birth of William Thomas Wauman Ingram registered December quarter 1884 in Solihull. Mother's maiden name was Wauman.

1901 Census
19 Brewery Street, Handsworth, Staffs.
Thomas Ingram (50, Stableman - Livery, born Yardley), his wife Mary E. (47, Laundress, born Staverton), and their 4 children: William T.W. (16, Gardener - not domestic, born Yardley), Florence A. (14, Laundress, born Yardley), Ernest R. (10, born Yardley), and Louisa M. (8, born Yardley).

Marriage of William T. W. Ingram and Rosannah Allmark registered September quarter 1910 in Dudley.

No trace can be found of William and Rosannah Ingram on the 1911 census.

William and Rosannah seem to have emigrated to Canada for a time as their first child was born in England in 1911, their second child was born in Canada in 1912, and their third child born in England in 1917. Their 3 children were: William born 1 June 1911 Rowley Regis, Decemas (known as Dessie) born 24 December 1912 in Newtonbrook, Ontario, Canada, and Raymond born 8 April 1917 in Tividale.

Personal Data

WT Ingram is commemorated on the Tipton Library Memorial, the 'Staffordshire Roll of Honour' records Pte WT Ingram, Machine Gun Corps. "Soldiers Died in the Great War" records him as born and enlisted in Birmingham, which is confirmed by the 1901 census, and confirms him as WTW Ingram. The Roll of Honour of Tividale Ward provides his address as 40 Tipton Road, Tividale.

After William's death, his outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £6/3/8d (6 pounds, 3 shillings and 8 pence) and his War Gratuity was £6/0/0d (6 pounds exactly). These were paid to his widow, Rose, as one sum in August 1919. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that William had enlisted in October 1916.

William's widow, Rosannah, was granted a one-off pension grant of £5/0/0d in November 1919, and a Widow's Pension of £1/9/7d (1 pound, 9 shillings and 7 pence) per week for herself and her 3 children, effective from 25th November 1918. Her address was 40 Tipton Road, Tividale. Rosannah's widow's pension would have stopped on her marriage to Charles Simcox in 1921; this would have been compensated by a Remarriage Grant, typically around a year's worth of pension payments. The pension element in respect of her 3 children would have continued until their 16th birthdays.

Action resulting in his death

As of August 2026, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission shows Ingram as 58th Company, Machine Gun Corps. They have acknowledged wide-spread errors in recording the MGC unit after the creation of MGC Battalions in March 1918, and will be addressing this long-standing error. Ingram's unit was 58th Battalion, MGC, within 58th Division - a London Division.

The German Spring Offensive, known as Operation Michael, began on the 21st March 1918. 58th Division was astride the River Oise, about 15 miles south of St. Quentin with 18th Division on their left and the French troops on their right. The overwhelming German attacks were forcing 58th Division to withdraw in a generally south-west direction following the River Oise. 58 Battalion MGC, were employed in causing as much damage to the German attackers as possible, in the vain hope of stemming their advance.

Late on 23rd March, 58 Battalion MGC had been defending the villages of Viry and Viry-Noureuil. Overnight their defence was handed over to the French, and the 58 MGC withdrew to the defence of Chauny.

The actions on the 23rd and 24th March were to inflict as much damage as possible on the attackers. This was achieved, but ultimately the guns were in many cases put out of action either by damage or by being overwhelmed by the German attackers. The War Diary of 58 MGC for 24th March reports: Other Ranks - 1 wounded and 44 missing. The CWGC has 9 Other Ranks of 58 MGC being killed on that date, many of the others 'missing' would have been taken Prisoners of War.

Amongst the 9 Other Ranks of 58 MGC killed on 24th March was Private William Ingram. His body was never identified and so has no known grave; he is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

Newspaper Cuttings

None.