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2876500
Lance Corporal
Robert Ingram
Known as Robie
1915/02/22 - Born Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire
Son of Alexander and Helen Ingram
Occupation Farm Labourer
1934/11/30 - Enlisted into the Gordon Highlanders
Corps of Military Police
Service
Gordon Highlanders - 2nd Battalion
Robie is middle row 2nd from right
Photo was taken at the Castle Hill Barracks in Aberdeen.
In October 1934 the 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders were posted to Gibraltar, where they were cheered by a large crowd along the route to their quarters. Sir Charles Harrington GCB GBE DSO taking the salute.
In 1937 they arrived in Singapore and were posted to the Selerang Barracks, Changi on the South East side of Singapore.
King’s Birthday Parade at Singapore
Their main duties included reconnaissance, boat training, practising landings and manning of Singapore’s defences. A platoon was engaged in the permanent occupation of Pengerang on South East Johore.
After the Japanese entered the war on the 8th December 1941, the Gordons became part of the Singapore Garrison and were held at Pengerang, to defend the artillery installations, part of the Singapore Fortress, with the large naval base and RAF airfields at Seletar and Tengah.
1942/03/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
1942/03/17 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 773. Lance Corporal. Missing.
Casualty List No. 1148 reported a Japanese Prisoner of War.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
1942/02/17 - Changi
PoW No. I 3692
Commander Colonel E.B. Holmes MC
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
New PoW No. 6083
1945/11/02 - Liberated Changi, Singapore
The liberation date on Singapore Index Cards is not the actual date of liberation as the Japanese commander General Seishiro Itagaki did not want to acknowledge the Japanese surrender having delayed signing the official surrender and handing over the Index Cards. Many of the PoWs were already in the UK by the date on the cards.
Liberation Questionnaire
1945/11/14 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1910. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1148 as reported and Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Post War
Jessie on their wedding day
Robie came home to his wife Jesse and in 1947 they were blessed with daughter Fay.
Grief unfortunately was not far away and Jesse died giving birth to daughter Helen, who also died, due to the syndrome affecting the ‘O‘ rhesus negative blood group.
Working as a miner at the Polkemmet Colliery in Whitburn, Robie was now left a widower with daughter Fay in Fife. Life without Jesse was not as it should have been, she was missed.
Robie made contact with a pre-war work friend of Jessie, Margaret (Peggy) Scott and they married in 1951.
From Peggy’s previous marriage Robie now had added two sons, who he bought up as his own.
Robie and Peggy
They were then blessed with daughter Bobbie in 1954, the family had grown.
Bobbie and Fay
In September 1960 Robie wasn't very well and after tests was diagnosed with carcinoma of the stomach and had an operation to remove part of his stomach, but it didn't help.
Robie died at 9am, at home on 3rd March 1961, just after Bobbie left for school and a month before Bobbie’s 7th and Fay’s 14th birthdays.
The loss of Robie hit the family hard and with the loss of Robie’s love, Fay left home in 1962 and moved in with another family in their village. The gap between the two girls grew over the years.
Later in life, Bobbie having moved to France, in 1991 moved back to Scotland with the intention of finding her sister.
After a search involving an aunt they are now together again, sharing their father’s loving memory.
Died
Age 46
3rd March 1961
Information
Bobbie Jeal - Daughter
Fay T F Ingram - Daughter
2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
Liberation Questionnaire - COFEPOW
Kew Files:- WO 367/2, WO 392/24, WO 345/27, WO 361/1947, WO 361/2060,
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