Rev RACD Edgar Noel Moore (MC)

• Age: 29
• From: Hornsey
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 5th January 1918
• Commemorated at: Railway Dugout B.g. Zillebeke
  Panel Ref: VII.V.5

Edgar Noel was born on Christmas Day, 25th December 1888 the son of Arthur Louis Moore and his wife Augusta Cecilia (nee Woods). He was baptised on 16th February 1889 at St. Mary's Church, Hornsey, Middlesex.

The 1891 Census shows the family are living at Crouch Hall Road, Hornsey. Edgar is 2 years of age and is living with his parents and 5 elder siblings. His father is described as an artist in stained glass, born in Brixton in 1850, whilst his mother was born in Tooting in 1853. His siblings, all born in Hornsey, are recorded as; Arthur M. born in 1878, Charles E. 1881, Percival b.1882, Rupert E. b.1885 and Christine M. b.1887. Also recorded as part of the household are a Governess and two servants. 

Bt 1901 the family are residing at Hillsboro, Crescent Road, Hornsey. Edgar is now 12 years of age and at school. Both parents are still in the household as are four of his five siblings. Arthur is no longer resident, both Charles E. and Percival are shown as pupil in stained glass, whilst Rupert is shown as a pupil electrician. His sister ,Christine is still present and there are two servants listed. 

The 1911 Census finds the family living at 15 Crescent Road. Edgar is now 22 and shown as an Oxford undergraduate. Both parents are at home as are two siblings; Charles Eustace an artist in stained glass and Christine Mary. There are two servants listed in the property. 

Edgar obtained a degree from Exeter College, Oxford in 1911 where he obtained a B.A. (2nd Cl Med Hist). He was made a Deacon in 1913 and Ordained Priest by the Lord Bishop of London in 1914. He served his Title as Curate of St Simeon Zelotes, Bethnal Green, in the Diocese of London from 1913 and became a Temporary Chaplain to the Forces in 1916.

Edgar was a Chaplain 4^TH Class in the Army Chaplains Department and joined the 20th Battalion on 22nd May 1917,when it was in billets at Bethonval near Hazebrouck, in northern France, replacing the previous Battalion Chaplain, The Reverend A L Preston, who returned to England on the expiration of his contract.

The Reverend Moore then served the Battalion throughout the remainder of 1917, taking part in the Battle of Passchendaele, and serving with such distinction that he was awarded the Military Cross. On 23rd October 1917,he officiated at the funeral of Major A I Draper of the 17th Battalion, at Kemmel Chateau Cemetery. On one official record of the occasion his initials are erroneously stated as E W. The award of his Military Cross was first announced at Battalion Headquarters on 27th August 1917, and at a Brigade Ceremonial Parade, held at Wytschaete, Belgium, on 29th October 1917,he was formally presented with its ribbon, by the Commander of II Corps. The official publication of the award appeared a supplement to the London Gazette on January 9th 1918.

Rev. Edgar Noel Moore, A. Chaplain. Dept.  

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. While the battalion to which he was attached was forming up in the assembly position, they were heavily shelled, but with splendid disregard of danger he walked along the top tending the wounded and consoling the dying. Throughout four days of heavy fighting, he displayed a magnificent example of courage to all ranks whilst burying the dead and assisting to carry stretchers, under heavy shell fire. 

Edgar was killed on 05th January 1918, when the Battalion was stationed in the Polderhoek Chateau sector of the Ypres Salient in Belgium. It would appear however, that he was not actually carrying out Battalion duties at the time of his death.

Not far out of Ypres through the Lille Gate, near Bedford House, was a extensive system of underground galleries known as Torr Tops. This system was reasonably immune form bombardment and always crowded with troops and stores, because of this very immunity. On 5th January 1918,a massive fire broke out, which rapidly spread through the galleries, burning many men alive. The Reverend Moore was evidently there at the time, and although he could have easily escaped himself, he apparently went back into the inferno to help others and perished in the flames. He was aged twenty nine.

Edgar now rests at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground ( Transport Farm) Zillebeke, not far from where he died, in Plot VII, Row 5, Grave 5. His headstone bears the epitaph:

“HE BEING DEAD, YET SPEAKETH BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD” 

Railway Dugouts Cemetery is 2 Kms west of Zillebeke village, where the railway runs on an embankment overlooking a small farmstead, which was known to the troops as Transport Farm. The site of the cemetery was screened by slightly rising ground to the east, and burials began there in April 1915. They continued until the Armistice, especially in 1916 and 1917, when Advanced Dressing Stations were placed in the dugouts and the farm. They were made in small groups, without any definite arrangement and in the summer of 1917 a considerable number were obliterated by shell fire before they could be marked. The names "Railway Dugouts" and "Transport Farm" were both used for the cemetery.

At the time of the Armistice, more than 1,700 graves in the cemetery were known and marked. Other graves were then brought in from the battlefields and small cemeteries in the vicinity, and a number of the known graves destroyed by artillery fire were specially commemorated. The latter were mainly in the present Plots IV and VII.

The cemetery now contains 2,459 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 430 of the burials are unidentified and 261 casualties are represented by special memorials. Other special memorials record the names of 72 casualties buried in Valley Cottages and Transport Farm Annexe Cemeteries whose graves were destroyed in later fighting.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

The IWGC Headstone 20th Battalion reference remains a mystery as it would appear that Edgar Moore was not serving in 20th Battalion/89th Brigade at the time of his death. Brigadier F.C. Stanley (Commander 89th Brigade) writes (History of the 89th Brigade, Chap XXVII, Page 223-224): 

“The Brigade was holding Torr-Tops, and the right battalion lived in an extensive system of mined galleries, which became inevitably crowded with troops and stores. This place was to be the subject, some months later, of a terrible tragedy. For some unknown reason the whole place caught fire, and in a few minutes was completely burnt out. Several officers of the 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment were burnt to death, and the Rev. C. Moore, C.F., who used to be with the 20th Battalion K.L.R., unfortunately met his death there. Poor fellow! from all accounts he could have got out perfectly well, but he went back to see if he could do anything to help the others, and was heard of no more.” 

Brigadier Stanley is understandably recording events second hand here. He talks of an “unknown reason” for the fire but an electrical fault was reported as most likely in later investigations. He also mentions the death toll included “several officers” - in typically exclusive fashion for the period - but it actually totalled no less than 21 (12 ORs and 9 officers) - all from Bn HQ "2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment" (actually 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment). He also incorrectly uses the initial C. instead of E.N. when referring to Edgar Moore who was simply referred to as “a C of E Brigade Chaplain” in Major Pickard's definitive report on the tragedy.

Probate dated 9th April 1918 for Rev. Edgar Noel of Stokes Croft, Finchley Lane, Hendon to his parents Louis and Augusta Cecilia

Edgar is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

St. George's Chapel, Ypres 

Bethnal Green War Memorial.

CWGC records show his next of kin as: Son of Arthur Louis and Augusta Cecilia Moore, of St. John's Wood, London.

Grateful thanks are extended to TullochArd of the Great War Forum for their assistance in this biography.

We currently have no further information on Edgar Noel Moore, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.