Gordon Rankin Inglis

Private Gordon Rankin Inglis – Australian Imperial Force, 5^th Battalion

Early Life

Gordon Rankin Inglis was born in 1891 at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, the only son of David Gordon Inglis and Lydahlia McLean. His father David was born in Scotland in 1862, and his mother, Lydahlia in Australia in 1870; the couple married in 1887.

Australian Electoral Rolls
1914

Before the outbreak of war, Gordon worked as an accountant. His name appears in the Australian Electoral Rolls of 1914, placing him in Williamstown during the final months of peace.

Military Service

Gordon Rankin Inglis
Attestation Papers

In August 1914, at the beginning of the First World War, Gordon enlisted in Melbourne, Victoria, joining the 5^th Battalion, Australian Infantry, A.I.F., with the rank of Lance Corporal.

He later fought in the Gallipoli campaign, where he suffered a serious wound after being shot through the lung. He was first sent to a base hospital in Malta, where he remained for five months, before being transferred to Britain for further treatment.

By November 1915, he was among several Canadian and Australian wounded soldiers who arrived at the YMCA in Swansea. Here, he and his comrades were given rest and support, and during Christmas 1915, it was reported that they “had a happy time.”

Illness and Death

Following Christmas, Gordon was transferred to Swansea Hospital, where he was due to undergo X-ray treatment for his wounds. However, before this could be carried out, his health deteriorated, and he died on 23^rd January 1916, aged 24.

Burial

Gordon Rankin Inglis
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Private Gordon Rankin Inglis’s dying wish was that pipes should be played over his grave. A champion piper in his hometown of Williamstown, this request was faithfully carried out.

On 5^th February 1916, he was buried with full military honours at Danygraig Cemetery, Swansea. 

South Wales Daily Post

Herald of Wales

The South Wales Daily Post and the Herald of Wales both reported on the solemn funeral. A firing party from the Shropshire Regiment was present, along with a detachment of the King’s Royal Rifles. Members of the 78^th Glamorgan V.A.D. and several wounded soldiers, conveyed by motor car from local hospitals, also attended. The service was conducted by Canon J. H. Watkins-Jones, while Piper Donald Frazer fulfilled Inglis’s wish by playing the pipes over his grave.

The large, ceremonial nature of the funeral reflected the respect Swansea showed to a young man who had died far from home. Inglis’s grave remains unique as the only Australian burial at Danygraig Cemetery.

Legacy

South Wales Daily Post

Private Inglis’s story did not end with his burial. In June 1916, the South Wales Daily Post published a follow-up article after an earlier edition had printed a photograph of his grave. The image caught the attention of Mrs. Hill of 4 Glanbrydan Avenue, Swansea, whose son had emigrated to Australia and once worked for Messrs Ben Evans & Co. Mr. Hill showed the photograph to a colleague who knew Mrs. Inglis, Gordon’s mother. A letter from her in Australia was forwarded to Mrs. Hill, creating a poignant link between Swansea and Williamstown across half the world.

As the only Australian soldier buried at Danygraig, Gordon Rankin Inglis symbolises both the global reach of the war and the compassion shown by local communities in caring for those who fought and died far from home. His grave in Swansea connects the Welsh city to the sacrifices of Australia, and his story — from Gallipoli to Danygraig — remains a lasting testament to the bonds of service, memory, and honour across the Commonwealth.