I am looking for some help with the circumstances surrounding the death of Captain Robert Frederick Inglis, 1st Royal Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment. He died on 28th July 1941 and was buried at Abbottabad, Bengal, India. I am compiling a book on the men who fell in the Second World War from my village - Whitchurch - in Cardiff, South Wales and he is named on the local War Memorial. He was born in Willesden, Middlesex in 1916, but the family was living in Cardiff in 1939. I suspect that his death was due to accident or illness, but have not been able to find anything specific through the internet so far. Can anyone help please? Many thanks, Ceri. Casualty Details | CWGC CAPTAIN ROBERT FREDERICK INGLIS Regiment & Unit: 9th Jat Regiment, 1st Royal Bn. Date of Death: Died 28 July 1941 Buried or commemorated at KARACHI WAR CEMETERY Grave Reference: 4. D. 1. Location: Pakistan Country of Service: Indian Additional Info: Son of Maj. R. A. H. Inglis and Mrs. E. G. Inglis, of Whitchurch, Glamorgan.
Hi Ceri, What a fascinating project. I can't give any positive information but I can rule out the war diary for 1941 as a potential source - it does not begin until 18th October. Steve
Ceri, If it is possible, you might want to search through the British India Office Deaths and Burials on Find My Past. I have managed to find causes of death for several soldiers this way, who died in India but not in action: British India Office deaths and burials | findmypast.co.uk
His death is marked on this: Barry at War History Group The site is run by: HOME Perhaps a place to contact, there is an email contact.
Hi, Thanks for this. The Barry at War History Group takes random Welsh Second World War casualties and posts them - there is no particular relevance to the area or individuals as such. Cheers, Ceri.
Died of a fractured skull. First name(s) Robert Frederick Last name Inglis Death date 27 Jul 1941 Death year 1941 Burial date 28 Jul 1941 Place Abbottabad Presidency Bengal Archive The British Library Archive Reference N-1-615 Folio - Page 242 Catalogue Description Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, : 1713-1948 Record set British India Office Deaths & Burials
From their history: June-July 1941, 1/9 Jat were digging a defence line at Manduri Camp, 14 miles NW of Thal before returning to Wah in August. There's no mention of Inglis by name. Of course, it's possible that he may have been serving away from the battalion at the time of his death.
Tony56, Surely this entry has a glaring mistake: Abbottabad is a very long way from the Bengal Presidency. It is in what was the North West Frontier Province? See map etc: Abbottabad - Wikipedia Abbottabad had been a military town for sometime and is briefly given as: Link: Pakistan Military Academy - Wikipedia After 1947 there was consolidation of British war graves, hence the move from Abbottabad to Karachi. CWGC states: From: Cemetery Details | CWGC If Captain Inglis had been injured near Thal (a frontier garrison for a brigade pre-1939) I would expect him to be treated there or at Peshawar, a bigger garrison. So was he based at Abbottabad?
David, Afraid that I am no expert on the political map of India although this does seem indicate that the Bengal Presidency extended to the North West Frontier at that time. Beginners' Guide - FIBIwiki North West Frontier Province - FIBIwiki FullDisplay Whatever its political location, I can confirm that the burial return does show that Inglis was buried at Abbottabad the day after he died of a fractured skull, service by the Chaplain Leonard Frederick Geddes. The short period between death and burial would seem to indicate that he was in, or very nearby, Abbottabad, at the time.
Tony56, Yes at one stage the Bengal Presidency did cover northern India as far west as the Punjab, a Wiki map shows this was the situation in 1858 and by 1931 it had shrunk back to eastern India. See: Bengal Presidency - Wikipedia A curious bureaucratic status.
Ceri, note that the link to the 'indiafamily.bl.uk' site in my post #13 above includes a biography for your man, screen print here:
The 1931 Map in the Wikipedia article is titled Bengal Province, which is a different entity to the Bengal Presidency.
