Death in the Trenches

Alfreton War Memorial. The names of Pte Horace Moore and his brother Leslie are among those commemorated here

On 27th February 1915, a young miner from Alfreton underwent a medical inspection prior to enlisting in the Armed Forces. He was described as 5ft 6ins tall, with a fair complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. His religion is given as C.of E. He was pronounced fit for the Territorial Force and assigned to 2/5 Sherwood Foresters.Though he gave his age as 19, he was, in fact, little more than 17.

On March 26th 1915, the young man, now Private Horace Moore, was transferred to 3/5th Battalion, Notts & Derbys. His life as a serving soldier had begun. However, he remained on English soil until 15th July 1916, when he was sent to France with the Expeditionary Forces. Once there, he would have endured the full horror of trench warfare.

It was not just the enemy he would have to watch for as in December 1916, he was a victim of 'friendly fire' . With others, Private Moore had been out in a wiring party under the command of Corporal W. Disney. For some reason and without permission, Privates Moore and Pope opted to leave the wiring group and make their way back to their front line trench. At their approach, a Lewis gun was fired, after which the groans of the wounded men were heard. The gunner later stated that he thought it was a German patrol passing nearby which is why he had opened fire. Whatever the case, Private Moore received severe injuries to his left arm, including a fractured humerus.

He was admitted to 1/1st N. Mid. Field Ambulance where his injuries were assessed as sufficient to produce permanent incapacity. He must have made a miraculous recovery as within a couple of months he was pressed back into service, broken arm or not. There is no way of knowing whether his injuries led indirectly to his death but on March 8th 1917, Private Horace Moore was again injured, this time in action. He died of his wounds later the same day but it is possible that he was blown to smithereens as there is no known grave. He was 19 years old. Later in the year a memo was sent stating that any personal effects, or medals, belonging to Private Moore should be returned to his widowed mother, Mrs Ellen Moore of 13 Hall Street, Alfreton.

Ellen Moore was to receive similar tragic news almost a year later when Horace's older brother, Leslie, also perished on the battlefield in August 1918, aged 23. It is possible that the death of two of her sons hastened Ellen's own end. She died 26th November 1918, having seen peace declared, and was survived by her eldest son, Charles, and daughter, Gladys.

The names of Horace and Leslie Moore can be seen on the War Memorial in Alfreton, among the names of other Alfreton men who made the supreme sacrifice. As the grave of Horace Moore was never traced, after the war his name was also inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial in France, with others of the Sherwood Foresters who fell on the field of battle. The memorial to his brother, Leslie G. Moore, 37014, 1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, can be seen in the Bagneux British cemetery, Gezaincourt, France. R.I.P.

Horace and Leslie Moore from a Book of Remembrance in Alfreton library

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