George Harold Abseil Ing CMG DSO

The photo is a detail from a shooting team group taken in 1911 when George Ing was a major. He wears the old style frock coat that was replaced by a double-breasted type some years earlier.
He was born on 24 Mar 1880 and gazetted to the 2nd Dragoon Guards on 3 Sep 1900. As a lieutenant he served in the Boer War where he was wounded and thrown from his horse in an incident on 28 Feb 1902. He was in danger of being killed or captured but Trooper Roberts galloped up, dismounted and placed him on his horse, bringing him to safety in spite of being pursued by the Boers.
He was a major when the Bays were sent to France with the BEF in 1914. At the battle of Le Cateau they were nearby at Escaufort, but on 26 Aug they were ordered to pull back during a dark, wet night. The squadrons became separated and one detachment under Major Ing fell back through Ham, collecting stragglers from other cavalry regiments as it went. They were not able to rejoin the main part of the regiment until the 28th, after crossing the Oise and reaching Bailly.
At Nery on 1 Sep, with the help of covering fire from Lieut Lamb's machine-guns and 'I' Battery, he and other men of the Bays captured eight enemy guns which had been abandoned. These were the first to be taken by the BEF. In this action there were many casualties in the regiment and Major Ing was one of them.
He was wounded again in Feb 1915 when the Bays relieved the 16th Lancers at Zillebeke. But in May, at the second battle of Ypres, he was a warded the DSO for dashing out of the trench to rally retreating men, and bring them in to to reinforce the Bays line of defence.
He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and appointed to command the Queen's Bays on 17 April 1918, taking over from Colonel Lawson who had commanded the Bays in the field since 1 April 1915. He brought home a regiment of just 60 men in March 1919 but they recruited from their base in York and were sent off to Palestine and Egypt a few months later. However, later that year, in November, they sailed to India. In 1920 Lt-Col Ing handed over command to C S Rome.
In 1948 he was appointed Sheriff of Dorset. He held the rank of Colonel at that time, also commanding the North Somerset Yeomanry. His address was given as Jerards, Sandford Orcas, Sherborne.

Regimental details | Commanding Officers