Pte 16970 Lawrence Ernest Ingham

• Age: 22
• From: Tenbury Worcester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

16970 Private Lawrence Ernest INGHAM, 18^th Battalion KLR.

Lawrence was born on 17th September 1893, his birth was registered at Tenbury, Worcestershire. He was the eldest of four children and the only son of Reverend Ernest Arthur Ingham MA and his wife Sarah Elizabeth (nee Corbett), who married on the 18th August 1892 at St Peter's Church, Chester. Ernest was a 27 year old Clerk of the Holy Order, of 13 St Martin-in-the-field, father Lawrence, whilst Sarah was aged 22 of 38 Nicholas Street, father John. 

His father was the son of a blind musician who graduated from St John’s College and was ordained in 1891 as an Anglican priest. Amongst his positions he served as chaplain aboard Cunard Line ships and in 1936 sailed on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary to America. He was also Precentor of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for 7 years and was a well known organist.

Lawrence was baptised at St. Paul's Church, Stalybridge on 08th November 1893.

In 1901 the family lived at “The Grove”, Parliament Street, Upholland, when Ernest is shown as a 35 year old clergyman born in Chester, his wife is 31 years of age and was from Halesowen, Worcestershire and the 1901 Census shows Lawrence as having been born in Hanley William, nr Tenbury, Worcestershire. His family tree, however, says he was born in Stalybridge. He has three siblings in the household; Edith M. aged 6 born in Chester, Dorothy E. aged 4 born in Seaforth and Grace E. aged 1 and also born in Seaforth. There is also a servant listed; Alice Mills aged 18.  

Lawrence was educated at Liverpool Institute from 1907 where he was a member of their Cadet Force.

In 1911, the family live at 95 Grove Street, Liverpool. Both parents are present, his father, Arthur Ernest, is aged 45, a Clerk in the Holy Order, mother Sarah Elizabeth is aged 41, and they  and advise that they have been married for 18 years and four of their five children have survived.  Lawrence is now 17 years of age and said to be a boy with a dry goods warehouse.  He has three siblings in the household:  Edith Maud 16 at school, Dorothy Elizabeth 14 at school and Amy Ethel aged 7 at school.   

Lawrence enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02^nd September 1914 joining the 18th Battalion as Private 16970. He was aged 20 years and 350 days, born in St Catherines, Liverpool, and gave his occupation as clerk and his home address as 95 Grove Street. He was described as being 5' 9" tall, weighed 120lbs, 35" chest and was of fresh complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. His religion is stated as Church of England. 

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On his charge sheet there is a note that he was confined to barracks at Knowsley on 28th January 1915 for refusing to obey an order. On 30th April 1915 the 18th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He crossed to France with his Battalion on 07/11/1915 on board the SS Invicta.

Lawrence was killed in action on 01^st July 1916, with 14 Platoon, No 4 Company of the 18th Battalion during the attack on the village of Montauban. He was 22 years of age.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as his  name appears on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 28th July 1916: 

He is also remembered on the following war memorials:

Parish Church of St Mary, Towerlands Street, Edge-Hill, Liverpool

Y.M.C.A. war memorial, Liverpool

Liverpool Institute war memorial in Mount Street.

He was also commemorated on the war memorial that once stood in St Catherine’s Church, Abercromby Square, Liverpool until the building was badly damaged in WWII and subsequently demolished.