Pte 51603 Joseph Ingoldsby

• Age: 22
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: II.B.22

Joseph Ingoldsby was born on the 15th May, 1894 in Liverpool and was baptised 08th April, 1897 in St Francis Xavier, Liverpool and was the son of John Henry Ingoldsby and his wife Margaret (nee Meek) who were married in 1882. Margaret was widow after her first husband Thomas Bradley died.   

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 86 Stitt Street, Everton, Liverpool.

Father John is aged 37, a print compositor born in Liverpool, mother Margaret is aged 34 and born in Kings Cross, London. Children John aged 18, occupation shops butcher and born Liverpool, William is aged 9, born Liverpool, and Joseph aged 6 and born King’s Cross?. 

Joseph's father ,John Henry, died aged 41 in Walton workhouse in 1903 and was buried at Ford Cemetery on the 05th August 1903.  

Joseph was educated at St Francis Xavier School from 1900 and St Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Schools and Campion Bilateral Secondary Modern before he left school in 1908 as he was of working age.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 32 Field Street, Everton, Liverpool.

His mother Margaret is aged 50, born 1861 and born in London. She is a widow and has three sons, all born in Liverpool.  John is aged 24, born 1887 and occupation is carter, William aged 18, born 1893, a shop assistant, (butcher) and Joseph working as a shop assistant. Joseph has no GRO but on the baptism mother is “Meek”. 

His mother died, aged 54, in 1915 and was buried in Ford Cemetery on the 12^th November, her address 114 Stitt Street.

Joseph married Josephine O’Donnell on the 07^th May 1916 at St. Francis Xavier. Joseph was of 114 Stitt St, parents Joseph Henry and Margaret, whilst Josephine was of 12 Elizabeth Terrace, Salisbury St, parents Bernard and Ellen. 

He enlisted as Rifleman 4598 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Rifles). He embarked from Folkestone - Boulogne on 19th July 1916 and reached the 24th Infantry Base Depot on 20th July. He then proceeded to the 11th Entrenching Battalion on 02nd August before proceeding to the 17th Battalion K.L.R. on 05th August and was posted to the 17th Battalion on 05th September 1916 as Private No 51603. 

Joseph was killed in action on the 12th October 1916, aged 22, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed,  5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.” 

Joseph was initially reported as Missing in the Liverpool Daily Post on 16^th November 1916: 

MISSING. 

King’s (Liverpool Regt.) - Ingoldsby, 51603, J.;  

Confirmation of his death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 20^th April 1917: 

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, NOW 

REPORTED KILLED. 

King’s (Liverpool Regt.) - Ingoldsby, 51603, J.; 

Joseph now rests at Warlencourt British cemetery, France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.  

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Josephine (later Barrett), 3 Marvin Street, Kensington.  Josephine remarried to Leo Patrick Barrett on the 11^th March 1920, both of 33 Prospect StREET. They had three children; Leo B.(1920), Veronica (1923) and Bernard J.(1927). 

They appear on the 1939 register at 88 Empress Road, Josephine has a date of birth of 07^th April 1895. She died aged 88 in 1983.  

Grateful thanks are extended to Kevin Shannon the author of the book The Liverpool Rifles for providing details of Joseph's service with the 6th Rifles.   

We currently have no further information on Joseph Ingoldsby, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.