Lt
William Ambrose Moore

Information about birth

Date of birth:
29/04/1879
Place of birth:
Atwood, Perth County, Ontario, Canada

General information

Last known residence:
Listowel, Ontario, Canada
Profession:
Farmer

Army information

Country:
Canada
Force:
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Lieutenant
Service number:
/
Enlistment date:
5/05/1916
Enlistment place:
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Units:
 —  Canadian Infantry, 58th Bn. (Central Ontario)  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
26/10/1917
Place of death:
Laamkeek, Zonnebeke, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
38

Memorial

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 3

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place

My story

Lieutenant William Ambrose Moore served in the 58th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry (Canadian Expeditionary Force), part of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division. On the 26th of October, this battalion participated in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 24th of October, the battalion moved into the frontline, headquarters were located at Waterloo Farm. The battalion would go forward on the morning of the 26th with part of the Bellevue Spur, about eleven hundred metres in front of it, as its final objective. The men would start in the flooded valley of the Ravebeek and move parallel to the Gravenstafel-Mosselmarkt Road up the Bellevue Spur, which ran out of the Passchendaele Ridge and past the hamlet of Bellevue itself. On the 26th of October at 5.40 a.m. the attack began. The barrage was very unevenly distributed which caused a number of casualties in the first assaulting waves. However the advance continued and three concrete pill boxes at Laamkeek, together with Dad Trench, were captured. Here they suffered considerable German machine gun fire. Also Contour Trench was taken. Several Germans (4 officers and 60 men) surrendered, others (1 officer and 11 wounded soldiers) were taken prisoner and five machine guns were captured.
In a report on the circumstances of death of Lieutenant Moore, it is mentioned that he was killed in action whilst leading his platoon against an enemy pill box during the attack West of Passchendaele. He was hit on the head and instantly killed by a riffle bullet. He was originally buried near Bellevue-Laamkeek (Sheet 28.D.10.b.8.8.). His body was never recovered and he is now remembered at the Menin Gate in Ypres. A letter of Lieutenant Don Cameron confirms this report. He wrote: “We left our ‘jumping off’ trench in front of Bellevue Spur, Passchendaele, on the morning of the 26th, October at 5:40 a.m. I had the Platoon immediately on “Pat’s” right and Mr. [William Ambrose] Moore had the Platoon on his left. We got well away but almost immediately encountered heavy machine gun fire from both our flanks and our men began to drop quite fast. I then noticed that our left flank was being held up by the excessive machine gun fire, and as Mr. Moore was killed, I knew that both Pat and I would have to go for that “Pill-box” ourselves.”

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