Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Victor Ingram was one of three only sons, all of whom served, of Edward and Elizabeth Ingram, of East Perth, Western Australia. The father had passed away by 1921. Victor was one of many men who died at Fromelles on 19 July 1916 who death was sudden and probably unwitnessed by any survivors.

His brother, 44 Pte. George Ingram 13th Battalion had been killed in action at Gallipoli on the 9 September 1915, aged 29.

Another younger brother, 916 Pte. Ernest John Ingram, was an original member of the 11th Battalion, and was severely wounded at Pozieres on 22 July 1916, had a leg amputated at the knee and was returned to Australia in mid-1917.

Victor Robert Ingram was born in Perth, Western Australia in the year 1888 to parents Edward George and Elizabeth Ingram (nee Henderson) who were married in August 1885 in Perth. Victor was the second sibling of five siblings with two brothers and two sisters.
 
Victor attended the St Patricks Boys School in Irwin Street Perth. His father Edward was employed by the West Australian Government Railways. It was in 1891 when Victor’s youngest brother, Ernest was born his father purchased the licence of the York Hotel. He also leased the local brickyard in York and standing for the York election to the local council which he was successful.
 
It was over a period of nine years that Victor with his siblings moved to various towns with their father again purchasing the leases of local hotels and standing for election to the local councils. After York the Ingram family moved to Bunbury with his father purchasing the lease to the Prince of Wales Hotel. From Bunbury they moved to Fremantle where they finally moved to East Perth.
 
In was in Perth in 1899 that Victor’s father was declared bankrupt after an attempt to take over the lease of the Cremorne Gardens and Hotel in Murray Street Perth. It was about this time that Victor’s parents separated with the five siblings living with their mother Elizabeth in Aberdeen Street Perth. It was in 1921 that Victor’s father passed away.
 
By 1914 the eldest sibling, Edward George had left Western Australia and was working as a miner in the state of New South Wales. Victor was living and working in Perth, where his youngest brother Ernest John was employed as a plumber’s assistant in Narrogin, Western Australia.
 
It was in August 1915 that Victor enlisted into the A.I.F. attending Blackboy Hill training camp where he conducted his basic training attached to 28th Battalion, 7th reinforcements. It was in January 1916 that Victor embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia on board HMAT A7 Medic, disembarking in Alexandria, Egypt in February 1916.
 
Victor’s eldest brother Edward George Ingram, enlisted in the A.I.F. in September of 1914 as George Ingram. He was attached to 13th Battalion a New South Wales battalion, embarking from Melbourne in December 1914. George’s battalion was involved in the Gallipoli campaign where George was killed in action on the 9thSeptember 1915. He has no known grave.
 
Victor’s youngest brother Ernest John Ingram (Ernie) also enlisted into the A.I.F. in September 1914 in Perth, Western Australia attached to 11th Battalion and embarking from Fremantle in November 1914. In April 1915 Ernest with his battalion embarked from Alexandria for the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was at Gallipoli that Ernest was wounded, shot in the left arm where he was evacuated to the 1st Australian General Hospital Heliopolis, Greece. He re-joined the battalion 6 weeks later at Gallipoli, however he was again wounded in action and evacuated from the Gallipoli Peninsula.
 
By April 1916 Ernest had re-joined his battalion which by now was heading for the Western Front France. It was at the battle of Pozieres that Ernest was again wounded in action receiving a gunshot wound to his thigh. He was evacuated to England for treatment however his wound did not heal, with his leg being amputated. It was in August 1917 that Ernest returned to Australia and was discharged from the A.I.F. in October 1917.
 
With Victor in Egypt conducting further training with the 28th battalion, it was in the April of 1916 at Duntroon Plateau that Victor was transferred to the 32nd battalion. During May of 1916 Victor was hospitalised for minor illnesses, where in June 1916 he embarked from Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front, disembarking at Marseilles France. Victor was sent Morbecque near Hazebrouck in northern France with his new battalion.

It was in July 1916 that Victor with the battalion moved to their billets at Fleurbaix in preparation for an assault on the German trenches at Fromelles. The plan was to use Brigades from the Australian Fifth Division to conduct a diversionary assault of the German trenches at Fromelles.

The Australian 8th Brigade which 32nd Battalion was a part of along with 31st Battalion were to assault the German trenches on the left flank crossing only 100 metres of no man’s land to get the trenches. The 32ndBattalion was on the extreme left flank their job made more difficult, not only did they have to protect themselves, but advancing on the German lines they had to block off the Germans on their left, to stop them from coming around behind them whilst advancing. The assault was due to commence just before 6pm on 19th July 1916.

It is not known what company of the 32nd Battalion Victor was attached to, but the battalions’ companies of A, B, C and D formed four waves of attack against the German trenches. Even before the attack commenced the Australians not only suffered casualties from the German artillery but also from their own inexperienced Australian artillery who lacked the skills to provide artillery cover for the assault.

With the 32nd and 31st Battalions commencing their assault and suffering heavy casualties, against all odds the men were able to capture the German frontline trenches opposite them. Pushing onto their final objective, the support trenches they failed to find these trenches which turned out to be ditches or abandoned trenches overgrown with grass and half full of water. The failure to locate these trenches was due to the poor planning by the commanders who had selected the final objective for the 8th Brigade came down to the reading of unreliable aerial maps that were taken in the previous year of 1915 when the Germans first dug these trenches.

With the 32nd Battalion suffering heavy casualties from continued German counter attacks during the night, the German infantry which were able to penetrate the gaps in the Australian lines. The Australians maintained their positions until about 3.45am before being surrounded. It was at this time the Australians decided to withdraw from the trenches to fight their way back to their lines.

There were no witness accounts to Victor’s fate on the night of the assault, even if he made it across no man’s land to the German trenches. There are no official reports of Victor’s fate, eventually he was determined to have been killed in action, in the field on the 19th July 1916.

With the Fromelles battleground littered with Australian dead it is impossible to determine Victor’s exact resting place, as evident two and half years later when Charles Bean, Australia’s official war historian attended the battlefield observing the large amount of bones, torn uniforms and Australian kit still on the battlefield.

Victor has no known grave and is commemorated on VC Corner Australian Military Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles France. This memorial is built on no man’s land. He was 29 years of age.