A Family at War - The Ings Family of Breadalbane

This is a slightly rewritten version of an essay completed to fulfill a requirement of a Unit HAA107 in the Diploma of Family History at the University of Tasmania. It is built around the WWI experiences of my husband's grandfather.

-----------------------------------------

Cecil William Ings was a fortunate man, surviving two years of WWI in France in a heavily engaged battalion without any physical injuries or illnesses. After the war, despite being warmly welcomed back into his rural community and workplace, he nevertheless chose to leave and create a new life in the city.

Cecil’s grandfather, Silas Ings migrated to Australia with his family in 1856, joining relatives in Picton.^1,2 Between 1858 and 1869 The Great Southern Railway (GSR) between Campbelltown and Goulburn was under construction.³ There are indications that Silas was involved in the work. His youngest son, Edwin, was born in 1865 at “Soapy Flat” west of Jellore State Forest, where Silas held a timber licence in 1866 (sleepers for the railway?).^4,5 For whatever reason, the Ingses became a “railway family”, with all three of Silas' sons who survived to adulthood working as fettlers on the GSR.^{6 p xi,7-9} (Note that Paul Ings, great-grandson of Silas, continued the tradition and finally retired as a locomotive driver in 2011.^9,10)

Edwin was mainly based on the GSR between Goulburn and Junee, and in 1891 he married Emma Apps in Breadalbane. However their first child, Silas, was born at Gerogery, possibly in a tent in the goods yard.^{11,12,6 pp84-7} After that the family based themselves at Breadalbane near Emma’s family.^13-14 As a fettler Edwin would have spent long periods away from home and being near family would have helped Emma.^{6 pp 91-9} Cecil was their third son, born 1895.¹⁴ Then, Emma died in 1898 and Edwin would have needed her family’s support to continue working as a fettler while raising three young sons.^15-16 In 1900 Edwin married for a second time to Leah Worner, one of Emma’s cousins on her paternal, Apps, side.^17-18

William and Philadelphia Apps were among the early assisted migrants to NSW, arriving in 1839 and settling in Parkesbourne.¹⁹ Of their offspring, four sons and three daughters married and settled locally. Consequently, Cecil was related to a large fraction of the close-knit communities around Breadalbane.¹⁸ Rather than follow his Apps relations into farming, he followed his father and two Ings uncles into Railway employment as a Probationer at Breadalbane Station in 1910 and by 1915 was promoted to porter at Moss Vale station.^20,21

When Australia went to war in August 1914, unless you lived in one of the capital cities, enlistment involved a long journey.^{22 p 6} During the call for reinforcements after Gallipolli, Cecil’s older brother, Percy, travelled to Liverpool to enlist in July 1915, embarking for Egypt in November.^{23,24,25 p 1}

In August 1915, the Goulburn Military Camp was established.²⁶ With permission from his father and leave of absence from the Railway, Cecil, age 20, enlisted there on 5th December following brother Percy into the A.I.F..^{27,28 p 1}

Figure 1: Cecil Ings (left) after enlistment. (Photo in possession of Alan Law, used with permission.)

Percy arrived in Suez on 11 December 1915 and on 23 March 1916 was transferred to the 8th Machine Gun company.^{25 p 5} After completing training, the company embarked for France, arriving on 23 June. That same day Cecil, having completed basic training, embarked in Sydney with the 3rd reinforcements 55th Battalion.^{29,25 p 11} Percy’s company arrived at Morbeque on 28th June.²⁹ On 10 July his brigade took over trenches in the front-line at Bois Grenier.²⁹ Then, on 19th July the 5th Australian Division attacked towards the German positions at Fromelles and on 20th July 1916 Percy was killed in action while his company was covering the divisional retreat.^{30 chs 7 & 8, 29, 25 p 3} He had been on the front-line for ten days. Cecil was still at sea.

Figure 2: Memorial Photo of Pte. P. E. Ings. (Sydney Morning Herald, Tues 3 Oct 1916, page 3.)

Back in Australia, Edwin  received notification of Percy's death by telegram from the A.I.F.'s London HQ on 12th August 1916.³¹ One wonders how he would have felt with Percy dying so rapidly and Cecil, still not 21, approaching England and headed for the Western Front. Edwin wrote to the A.I.F. asking for details of Percy’s death. In response he was told merely that it was probably during "recent operations" in France. Later he was informed that Percy was buried in Sailly-sur-la-Lys Cemetery.^{25 pp 16 & 27} We do not know when Cecil learnt of his brother's death, but it was probably not until he received a letter from his father later in the year. For example in a published letter from Pte. J. M. McLean in England dated 29 November 1916 to Mr & Mrs C. Apps (uncle and aunt of Cecil), Pte. McLean stated he hadn’t learned of Percy’s death until he received Mrs Apps’s recent letter.³²

Cecil arrived at Plymouth 25th Aug 1916 and would have entrained for the A.I.F. training grounds on Salisbury Plain.^33,34 By 11th November he had been transferred to the 35th Battalion (“Newcastle’s Own”) along with three other recruits from the Breadalbane area.^{27 p 4,35} He may have felt lonely as the 35th Battalion was, at this time, definitely a Newcastle miner’s battalion.^{34 8-10 Mar 1920} We have no indication to which company Cecil was allotted, and no indication of what duties he performed.^{28 p 4, 36} On 21st November the battalion embarked for France.^{28 p 4&11,34}

A company in an A.I.F. Battalion was a self-contained unit. All the manual work of day to day life from fighting to trench-digging to cooking to sanitation was done by the privates.^{37 pp 48-74, 38 ch 3} Generally communication was by “runner” (another private) so when a company was in the front line, Company HQ was perforce also close to the line and Battalion HQ with the reserve company was not far behind.^{36 p8} The Company cooks brought their wagon as close to the line as possible so the food would at least be warm after being carried on foot by ration teams to the men in front line positions.^{34 16 & 27 Mar 1920} When on front line duty, everyone in the Battalion was within range of the guns, the bombers and German breakthroughs.^{34 10 & 13 Apr 1920}

The Battalion fought at Messines and Passchendaele. They successfully defended Villers-Bretonneux against the first German Attack on 4th April 1918 and captured Bray and Chapeau-de-Gendarmes during the advance on the Hindenburg Line.^39,34 During the crisis at Villers-Bretonneux “every Tom, Dick and Harry in the place - cooks, batmen, bandsmen, sanitary men, headquarters' staffs, everyone, were collected” and “the motley crowd from the town” fought in the counter attack.^{34 1 Apr 1920} Before the attack on Chapeau-de-Gendarme the cooks brought their noisy wagon right up to the attack assembly point to provide hot tea for the attackers, terrifying the attackers lest the Germans be alerted by the noise (though they were grateful for the hot tea).^{34 19 Apr 1920}

Apart from one short period of leave Cecil was with his Company from 11th November 1916 to 11th November 1918.^{28 p 11}

After the armistice, the A.I.F. was billeted in towns well away from the front.^{34 1-5 May 1920} The Battalions were broken up into “quotas” for repatriation, seemingly losing men in a rather random fashion. During this time Cecil was promoted to “Temporary Corporal” on 27 Jan 1919. He marched out of the Battalion with No. 51 Quota and on 3rd July boarded the “Prinz Hubertus” for the trip back to Australia.^{28 p11-12} He arrived home at Breadalbane Railway Station on 31st August, his twenty-fourth birthday.⁴⁰

There was a major welcoming parade on the day he arrived, and a family party a few days later. At these events he was presented with “a suitable gold medal” and “a gold albert” respectively.⁴⁰ On 5th December 1919 he was back at work on the Railway, based at Goulburn.²⁷ But on 26th May 1920 he resigned from Railway service and in the 1921 Sands Directory his address is given as Railway Parade, South Granville.^27,41 Why?

Figure 3: First Marriage of Cecil Ings. (Photo in possession of Alan Law, used with permission.)

Cecil was a typical A.I.F. volunteer, with close ties to England via his father’s family. Silas Ings (the immigrant) had seven grandsons of an age to enlist and four did so.⁴² Cecil probably enlisted in emulation of his older brother, Percy. He was not ashamed of his part in the war with the gold albert and medal on proud display in photos of his first wedding (see Figure 3). He also re-enlisted in 1939 and served in WWII.^{28 p 1} He maintained good, ongoing relationships with his family, his daughter, Betty having many fond memories of holidays with the Ings and Apps families at Breadalbane.⁴³ There may, however, have been an issue with his father.⁴⁴ There are indications Edwin could not let go of Percy’s memory. For example, in March 1921 Edwin ordered fifteen copies of the official photograph of Percy’s grave.^{25 pp 19-21} Could this, in such close-knit home and working communities, have led Cecil to feel guilty about surviving, causing him to break away from his former life and build a new life in Sydney or could he just not settle down again? Cecil displayed no overt mental damage from his war experiences, marrying twice and having five children who survived to adulthood from these marriages.⁴⁵ He lived to the ripe age of eighty-one, dying in 1976.⁴⁶

Sources

1. NSW State Archives: Persons on bounty ships to Sydney, Newcastle and Moreton Bay (Board's Immigrant Lists), NRS-5317 (Archives Resources Kit Reel 2474), Record for Silas Ings arrived 27 Jun 1856.
2. NSW State Archives: Persons on bounty ships (Agent's Immigrant Lists) NRS-5316 (Archives Resources Kit Reel 2138), Record for Silas Ings arrived 27 Jun 1856.
3. William A. Bayley, Picton-Mittagong Loop-Line Railway, Austrail Publications,  Bulli,1974, p. 10ff.; NSWrailnet, 'Main South Line', https://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:main_south, accessed 5 Sep 2020.
4. Birth Certificate of Edwin Ings, born 15 Feb 1865, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1865/005968.
5. 'Timber Licences', New South Wales Government Gazette, 11 Jan 1867, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225472413.
6. Robin Bromby, Australian Railways: Their Life and Times, Highgate Publishing, Edgecliff, 2013, p. xi.
7. 'List of Persons employed in the Railways and Tramways on the 31st December 1893', New South Wales Government Gazette, 27 Jun 1894, p. 4127, Ancestry, accessed 16 Aug 2020, entry for Richard Ings.
8. 'List of Persons employed in the Railways and Tramways on the 31st December 1893', New South Wales Government Gazette, 27 Jun 1894, p. 4127, Ancestry, accessed 16 Aug 2020, entry for Silas Ings.
9. 'List of Persons employed in the Railways and Tramways on the 31st December 1893', New South Wales Government Gazette, 27 Jun 1894, p. 4126, Ancestry, accessed 16 Aug 2020, entry for Edwin Ings.
10. Louis Thrower, 'Last call of duty after 51 years', Goulburn Post, 2 Oct 2011, https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/972711/last-call-of-duty-after-51-years/, accessed 3 Sep 2020.
11. Marriage Certificate of Edwin Ings and Emma Apps, married 25 Jun 1891, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1891/002078.
12. Birth Certificate of Silas Ings, born 9 Oct 1891, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 16902/1891.
13. Birth Certificate of Percy Edwin Ings, born 3 Jul 1893, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 3977/1893.
14. Birth Certificate of Cecil William Ings, born 31 Aug 1895, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1895/021861.
15. Death Certificate of Emma Ings, died 12 Apr 1898, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1898/005459.
16. 'Breadalbane', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 21 Apr 1898, p. 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98677697.
17. Marriage Certificate of Edwin Ings and Leah Fanny Worner, married 3 Jan 1900, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1900/001343.
18. G. Weatherstone, Parkesbourne : A Journey into the Past, G. Weatherstone, Gunning, 1986.
19. NSW State Archives: Persons on government ships NRS-5313 (Archives Resources Kit Reel 1309), Record for William & Philadelpia Apps arrived 26 Oct 1839.
20. NSW State Archives: Railway Personal History Cards - Employees born before 1900 NRS-12922, Employment record for Cecil William Ings.
21. 'Presentation at Breadalbane', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 1 May 1915, p. 1, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98837499.
22. Bill Gammage, The Broken Years : Australian Soldiers in the Great War, Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne, 2010.
23. K. H. Jobson, 'First AIF Enlistment Patterns and Reasons for Their Variation', Australian Defence Force Journal, no. 132, 1998, pp. 61–66.
24. 'Presentation and Send-off', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 22 Jul 1915, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98842870.
25. Service record of Percy Edwin Ings, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914–1920, National Archives of Australia, B2455, INGS PERCY EDWIN, p. 1.
26. 'The Depot Camp', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 14 Aug 1915, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98843726.
27. NSW State Archives: Railway Personal History Cards - Employees born before 1900 NRS-12922, Service record of Cecil William Ings.
28. First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914–1920, National Archives of Australia, B2455, INGS CECIL WILLIAM.
29. War Diary, 8th Machine Gun Company, A.I.F., June 1916, Unit and Commander's War Diaries, First World War, Australian War Memorial, AWM4 24/13.
30. Charles Bean (Ed), Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1921-42, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1416844, Volume III, Chs. 7 & 8
31. 'Pte. Percy Ings Killed', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 12 Aug 1916, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98896860.
32. 'Pte. J. M. McLean', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 3 Feb 1917 p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98878504.
33. Graham Wilson, 'The Relevance of Miscellany Administrative, Support and Logistic Units of the AIF', Sabretache, vol. 44, no. 1, 2003, p. 58-9.
34. M. E. Lyne, 'Newcastle’s Own: The Story of the Battalion', Newcastle Sun, Mar 8 1920 - May 8 1920, sec. Serial, Trove, accessed 26 Jul 1920, 9 Mar 1920 & 10 Mar 1920.
35. 'Soldier's Letter', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 9 Jan 1917 p. 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98878504.
36. War Diary, 35th Battalion, A.I.F., Unit and Commander's War Diaries, First World War, Australian War Memorial, AWM4 23/52.
37. Robert Stevenson, 'The Battalion: The AIF Infantry Battalion and Its Evolution', in Jean Bou (Ed) The AIF in Battle: How the Australian Imperial Force Fought 1914-1918, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 2016.
38. Gordon Corrigan, Mud, Blood and Poppycock, London, Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2004.
39. Australian War Memorial, '35th Australian Infantery Battalion', https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51475, accessed 26 Jul 2020.
40. 'District News: Breadalbane', Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 6 Sep 1919, p. 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98837499.
41. Sands Sydney, Suburban and Country Commercial Directory 1921, Sydney, 1921.
42. Alan Law, 'Alan Law Pedigree View - Ancestry.Com', https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/tree/15522224/family?cfpid=275486378, accessed June 27, 2020.
43. Personal communication, Betty Mary Law nee Ings to Susan Hilary Law, conversations, 1975-2017.
44. Kathryn M. Hunter, 'Australian and New Zealand Fathers and Sons during the Great War: Expanding the Histories of Families at War', First World War Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2013.
45. Personal communication, Alan Raymond Law to Susan Hilary Law, conversations, 1975-2017.
46. Death Certificate of Cecil William Ings, died 29 Dec 1976, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1977/000485.