Pte
Reginald Frank Moore

Information about birth

Year of birth:
1894
Place of birth:
Newington, London, England, United Kingdom

General information

Last known residence:
Aylesbury Street, Walworth, London,Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Profession:
Messenger - Courier

Army information

Country:
England, United Kingdom
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
760449
Enlistment place:
London, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  London Regiment, 1/28th Bn. (Artists' Rifles)  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
30/10/1917
Place of death:
Source Trench, Passchendaele, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
23

Memorial

Tyne Cot Memorial
Panel: 153 A

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 4

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place
#4 Place of death (approximate)

My story

Reginald Frank Moore was the son of William George and Lilian Elizabeth Moore. He was born around 1894 in Newington, London, Surrey. He grew up with four brothers and three sisters and worked at a young age as a messenger. In his free time he played the tenor tuba (euphonium). Reginald enlisted in the British Army and served in the 1/28th Battalion London Regiment, also known as the Artist’s Rifles (190th Brigade, 63rd Division).

Reginald was killed on 30 October 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele. The starting lines of the 190th Brigade ran from the Lekkerboterbeek, near Tracas Farm, via Bray Farm and Varlet Farm to Wallemolen. The objective was to cross the Paddebeek and thus reach Passchendaele Ridge.

Loaded with double the usual weight of equipment, the attack began at 5:30 a.m. with a creeping barrage. About 20 minutes after the start of the attack, the Artist’s Rifles also went into action. A and B Company were in the first line, supported by C Company, with D Company in reserve. The muddy and swampy ground made the advance extremely difficult. The first wave of troops was wiped out by German artillery fire, and the second wave was also hit by (machine) guns firing from hidden bunkers. The German positions around Source Trench were heavily fortified. A number of men managed to cross the Paddebeek and attack the area around Source Farm, but due to the heavy losses suffered by the battalion they were forced to withdraw and consolidate in front of the stream. The Artist’s Rifles were finally relieved on 31 October. Between 28 and 31 October, the unit counted 76 dead, 134 wounded and 124 missing.

The 23-year-old Reginald Frank Moore was never recovered or identified after the war. His name is commemorated today on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Sources 8

1/28 Battalion London Regiment (Artists Rifles). (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3119/2).
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303
Sources used
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 372).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sources used
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sources used
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sources used
Christien, Paul Raymond. An Artist at War, (British Library, 2013), 74 - 77.
Sources used
May H.A.R. Memories of the Artists Rifles (London, Howlett & Son, 66, Offley Road, S.W.9, 1929), 182-183.
Sources used
McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 154-155.
Sources used
War Office and Air Ministry: Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sources used

More information 4