In memoriam
Private William Moore
William Moore was born on 22 May 1892 at Drumgavenny, Balteagh, near Limavady, County Londonderry, the third of fourteen children of bootmaker (later poultry dealer) Thomas Moore and his wife Rebecca (née Mackey). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Coolessan, Limavady, with his parents and seven of his siblings and working as a domestic labourer. Soon after, he moved to Scotland, where he worked as a miner. On 27 December 1912 he married Elizabeth McGuire in the United Free Church Manse in Burnbank, Hamilton.
Moore had enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Limavady between 8 April and 11 May 1910 (No.511 – later Corps of Hussars No.71030). Mobilised on the outbreak of war, on 20 August 1914 he embarked for France with C Squadron, seeing action in the retreat from Mons and the Advance to the Aisne.
On or soon after 15 September, Moore and two other men of C Squadron, Sergeant George Hicks and Private Harry Scott, were on patrol near Conde Bridge on the Aisne River, the far side of which was held by the Germans. According to fellow Horseman Corporal Fred Lindsay:
When the three reached the ford they found a British officer dead across his motor-car and some of his men dead around the car. They were about to dismount to investigate when the machine-gun fired upon them, instantly killing the two troopers. Sergeant Hicks escaped on Moore's horse, his own being shot under him. (Northern Whig, 13 February 1915)
Moore and Scott were listed as missing, presumed dead. They were the regiment’s second and third fatalities of the war.
Less than a month later Moore's wife gave birth to their first child, Jane.
Moore's body was never recovered and there was some confusion as to whether he was dead or had been captured. As late as 1917 his wife Elizabeth was refused a widow's pension until after the war "in view of the circumstances in which he became missing". (She re-married, however, on 13 April that year.)
Records now show his death as presumed "on or since" 15 September 1914. Along with Private Scott, he is commemorated on La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France.
Irish Times, 8 November 1914
Images kindly provided by Steve Rogers, Project Co-ordinator of the The War Graves Photographic Project, www.twgpp.org.