Private Joseph Moore
Joseph Moore was born on 29 April 1896 at Loughermore, Ballykelly, County Londonderry, the sixth of ten children of fowl-dealer and farmer William Moore and his wife Sarah Jane (née Mackey). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Ballykelly with his parents and five siblings and working on the family farm.
Moore enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Limavady on 21 April 1913 (No.842). He embarked for France with C Squadron on 21 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne.
Moore suffered from a persistent cough, however, and on 16 September 1914 was evacuated to the UK. On 9 February 1915 he appeared before a medical board at Londonderry, which reported:
States about 3 or 4 yrs ago has inflammation of the lungs. He was at that time 13 mos ill. He was then at his own home, Ballykelly.
States since above attack ... he has been 5 or 6 times laid up with cough & weakness. Before he was called up in June for training he had been ill for three weeks. After declaration of war he went with the Expeditionary Force to France, where he remained 6 wks, being invalided home on account of 'cough.' He was in Portsmouth Hospital 15 days, & then he was sent to his own home Ballykelly, where he was under treatment for about 10 weeks by his own doctor. He was admitted to the L'Derry Military Hospital 29.12.14, where he has been under treatment until the present date.
Tuberculosis was suspected, but no conclusive evidence could be found.
Moore was discharged on 25 February 1915 as being no longer physically fit for further service (paragraph 392 xvi, King's Regulations). His character was recorded as "very good".
Although there were differing opinions as to whether or not his illness was due to his military service, Moore was granted a pension which continued until the end of 1917, when it was found he had fully recovered.
After his discharge Moore returned to Ballykelly, where he worked as a farmer and fowl-dealer. On 25 March 1915 he married dressmaker Bessie McClelland at the Church of Ireland Parish Church, Tamlaght-Finlagan, County Londonderry.