An emotive Great War Battle of Neuve Chapelle Officer’s casualty 1914-1915 Star trio awarded to Lieutenant J.A.C. Inglis, 4th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry attached 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders who saw service on the front lines for just a few days before he was killed in action during the fighting close to Port Arthur near Neuve Chapelle on 9th May 1915 when he was shot through the head and killed instantly while attempting to dress a fellow soldier’s wounds who had been hit by a piece of shell. Having no known grave he is now remembered on the Le Touret Memorial. He had earlier been educated at the Edinburgh Academy, Cargilfield and Eton, and was a veteran of the Boer War having served with the City of London Imperial Yeomaney.
Group of 3: 1914-1915 Star; (LIEUT. J.A.C INGLIS. HIGH.L.I.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (LIEUT. J.A.C. INGLIS.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
James Arthur Chetwynd Inglis was the only child of Major J.A.S. Inglis who died in 1883 while Commissioner of Nikosia, Cyprus. He was a grandson of the late Colonel Keith Young, C.B. Judge-Advocate General in Bengal, and a nephew of Sir Arthur Young, K.C.M.G., Governor of the Straits Settlements.
Born in Edinburgh during 1883, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Cargilfield and Eton. At the age of seventeen he enlisted in the City of London Imperial Yeomanry. “The Rough Riders”, with which corps he served in the South Africa War during 1901-1902, receiving a Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps. On his return home he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th (Militia) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, and trained for several years, going through the School of Musketry at Hythe.
In 1909, he entered the Cambourne School of Mines, Cornwall, passing out first in Metallurgy and Assaying and later was elected a Student of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
In 1911 he resigned his commission, and after travelling extensively in Australia and North and South America, to gain experience in various branches of mining, he went to Tahiti, where he was residing when war against Germany was declared. He took the first available mail boat for San Francisco, en route for home, and on his arrival in England, in October 1914, was gazetted Lieutenant in his old regiment, the 4th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.
After training with the battalion in camp near Plymouth during the winter, he proceeded with a draft to France in March 1915, and was attached to the 1st Seaforth Highlanders at the front. He joined that battalion only a few days before he was killed on the 9th May 1915 close to Port Arthur, near Neuve Chapelle, together with six of his brother officers, many others being wounded.
His colonel wrote:
‘He fell at about 5.40am when gallantry leading his platoon in an attack on the German trenches’. These were found to be bristling with machine guns and the barbed-fire entanglements in front still intact, so that the regiment lost very heavily, in fact it as well as several other regiments, was almost annihilated.
In the assault of Sunday, the 9th May, the 1st Seaforths were on the left, the 4th Seaforths in the centre, and the 2nd Gurkhas on the right. The attack had been postponed twenty-four hours, and as our men were advancing the Germans were shouting ‘Come on, come on! You are twenty-four hours late!’ showing that spies had been at work with the information. The Prussian Guards were supposed to be occupying the trench in front of the 1st Seaforths. The bombardment of the German trenches was to commence at 5 am. Our Artillery was to spend fifteen minutes wire cutting, then lift to the first-line enemy trench throwing shrapnel for ten minutes. Then at about 5.30 the bombardment was to be lifted from the German fist-line to their second line trench, when our first charge was to be made by ‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies, ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies being in support. Lieutenant Inglis was in command of one of our platoons of ‘D’ Company. While waiting in the support trench before the bombardment had commenced, Lieutenant Inglis was very cheery, joking and laughing with his men in order to keep up their spirits. At 4.30 he gave his final instructions to his Sergeant-Major telling him to bring up the rear of the platoon, as he himself would be in front, and he asked his Lance-Corporal if his men had their bombs quite ready. At about 5.20, after the bombardment had started, one of the officers of ‘B’ Company came down the trench wounded, and Lieutenant Inglis bandaged him up. The fire trench to which the company had now moved up, was crowded with men.
Some were carrying boxes of bombs and some shovels and flags; others were setting ladders in position against the parapet. Mixed with some of the noise of our artillery could be heard the firing of the German Maxims and rifles repelling the attack of our leading companies, who were being mowed down. Then word as given to fix bayonets, and at 5.30 came the order ‘Company D, over the parapet!’ Many of the men fell while lining up at the edge of the parapet. The platoon commanded by Lieutenant Inglis advanced about eighty yards across ground that looked as if a giant plough had been over it, and where lay the dead and wounded of our leading companies. They charged the barbed wire twice, but our artillery had failed to destroy it, and the men could not get through. All this time they were subjected to a terrific fire from the enemy, shells of all sorts, and machine-gun and rifle fire. Some of our wounded who fell near the German trenches had petrol bombs thrown at them as they lay on the ground, which set their clothes on fire and exploded the ammunition in their belts. While lying down after the second charge, Lieutenant Inglis bound up the wounds of a man next to him who was hit by a piece of shell. Almost immediately afterwards he himself was shot through the head, death being instantaneous.’
Lieutenant Inglis had a great admiration for his men and was beloved by them. The Sergeant of his platoon wrote ‘he had only been with us a short time, but we had learnt to love him’ and his men ‘He was one of the best officers we ever had. We all respected and thought very highly of him and feel his loss keenly. We would have followed him anywhere’ His Colonel and brother Officers ‘deeply regretted the loss of a good comrade and capable soldier.’
Inglis marred Ida Evelyn Kerr in 1908 and had two children, Shelia born in Cornwall in 1911 and Lorraine born in Tahiti in 1914. He is now remembered on the Le Touret Memorial.
