Lachlan’s words were written on the death of a mate in Vietnam but I’m sure these young men of the 2nd Royal Australian Regiment had similar thoughts running through their heads as they gathered in the Malayan jungle to lie to rest three of their own - one of them Cedric Charles Ingra.
Towards the end of the Malayan Emergency, the 2RAR was involved in “clean up” operations in Perak, Malaysia and seldom saw the enemy but on the 22nd June 1956 the enemy found them. Five members of the 1st platoon were returning to camp when what came to be known as the Sungel Siput pipeline Ambush took place. As a consequence of the ensuing battle three of 1st Platoon, A company, 2 RAR were killed and three wounded. Two of the five were killed in the initial attack. Cedric who was among one of the groups that came to help was scouting around the back of the enemy group when he was shot and killed.
He began his life in Gayndah, a member of the Wakka Wakka aboriginal language group and spent his teenage years around Ubobo. I find it hard to understand what drove this young aboriginal man to choose to fight for a country which did not even recognise him as a citizen and continued to deny his people the right to vote for a further six years after his death.
I do not remember him but I do remember the tears I saw on his mother’s cheek.
Hi Margaret - I am a history teacher in WA and we are studying Australian soldiers who died in the Malayan Emergency for an ANZAC essay competition. I was wondering if you had any more information or knew anything more about the story of Cedric Ingra?
Cheers - Garry.dagg@education.wa.edu.au
I knew Charlie Ingra very well, having gone through military training with him, he was a good mate, we were in different positions in 3RAR in Korea, he was in a Rifle Company [ B if memory serves] while I was in HQ Company.
He had a great sense of humour and was very well liked, when asked what his name was he said “ Charlie but call me Boong, every body else does “
This soon got changed by his mates to “Boongra”, and if it grates on today’s sensibilities, tough, that was his nick name and he approved.
His death was a shock and the account given to me by a couple of blokes that were in the same patrol is substantially different to the official account; and far more heroic.
February 8th, 2024
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Cheers - Garry.dagg@education.wa.edu.au
He had a great sense of humour and was very well liked, when asked what his name was he said “ Charlie but call me Boong, every body else does “
This soon got changed by his mates to “Boongra”, and if it grates on today’s sensibilities, tough, that was his nick name and he approved.
His death was a shock and the account given to me by a couple of blokes that were in the same patrol is substantially different to the official account; and far more heroic.