Edward Maurice Berkeley Ingram (1890–1941)[1] was the son of Edward Richard Berkeley Ingram (1850–95) Major, 2nd battalion, Welsh Regiment (41st Regiment), and Laura Maria Chennell Ingram (1850–1943), daughter of Thomas B Shoobridge and Anna Maria Chennell, of Tenterden, Kent.[2]
Edward was a first cousin, once removed, of the writer Leonard Shoobridge (Edward’s grandfather’s brother was the father of Leonard).
Edward Maurice began his education at St David's School, Reigate, Surrey (a boarding school).[3] He went on to Eton College (1904-7), and Hubert Brinton's House from September 1904 until Easter 1909) [4] and King's College, Cambridge (1909–13).[5]
In 1914-18 he served as Captain on the General Staff at the War Office and obtained an OBE in 1918, after which he entered the Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service in 1919, where he acted as private secretary to Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, 1st Baronet & Sir Hamar Greenwood (when they were additional Parliamentary Under Secretaries for Foreign Affairs).
He served as Assistant Secretary to Lord Milner's mission to Egypt and Lord Milner's private Secretary, was appointed Second Secretary in 1920, First Secretary in 1924 and was posted to Oslo (previously known as Christiania) in 1925. In 1927, he transferred to the Foreign Office as Chief Clerk of the News Department.
Between 1926 and 1934 Edward was chargé d'affaires in Berlin, then chargé d'affaires in the legation in Peking, and was appointed full Counsellor in Peking while resident in Shanghai & Nanjing (the latter place was where the Chinese Govt was resident).
He was appointed CMG CMG in 1934. Between 1935 and 1937 he was chargé d'affaires in Rome, after which he returned to the Foreign Office. In 1939 he joined the Ministry of Economic Warfare as diplomatic adviser, taking charge of the foreign relations side of the policy of blockade against Germany.
Edward was killed in 1941 by enemy action whilst fire watching 1941 at Curzon Street, Westminster during the German Blitz on London.[6] An obituary appeared in The Times of London.[7] His funeral was held at Albury Church, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, and a memorial service was held at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [8][9]
Amongst his circle of friends were: • Edward Joseph Dent (EJ Dent), Professor of Music at Cambridge University. • Glyn Philpot, eminent portrait artist. • Sir Arthur Colefax, patent lawyer and Conservative Party politician, and his wife Lady Sybil Colefax. • Alvary Gascoigne a British diplomat. • Gladwyn Jebb, 1st Baron Gladwyn. • Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood. • Miles Lampson, 1st Baron Killearn, a British diplomat. • Sir Alexander Frederick Whyte, British civil servant, Liberal Party politician, writer, and journalist.
In 1943, monies were invested to establish The Maurice Ingram Trust whose purposes were (1) “a boy or girl from the Albury School to help with books, clothing or fees on going to the secondary school” (2) assist with local Sunday school expenses (3) beautification of local church surrounds.