By John D Ellis
Walter Albert Moore was born in the Caribbean in January 1888.(1) Prior to the outbreak of World War One he was employed by Smith Bros & Co., Port of Spain, Trinidad (his occupation was given as ‘mechanical engineer’ and ‘clerk’ in different records).
He enlisted in the Royal Navy, (specifically the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) in Blackfriars, London in November 1914 (his number was LZ.990). Walter’s previous military service with The Trinidad Light Infantry Volunteers probably facilitated his enlistment. He may have travelled from the Caribbean to London to enlist when war broke out or have been resident in the city already.(2) He was posted to the Royal Naval Division, a war time unit composed of Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers who were not needed for sea service. Initially ranked as an Ordinary-Seaman, Walter Moore served in the “Drake Battalion” of the Royal Naval Division, named after Sir Francis Drake of “Spanish Armada” fame.
Elements of the division had first seen action at Ostend and the Siege of Antwerp in 1914. By March 1915, shortly after Walter Moore joined the division, they were in Egypt.
The poet Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was serving as a Sub-Lieutenant in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the same time as Walter, but Brooke died from an infected mosquito bite whilst on a ship bound for Gallipolii. In 1915 Brooke famously penned one of his best known poems:
The Soldier If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
Rupert Brooke died serving his country (two of his brothers fell in action) although he did so before experiencing any operational service. Over the next three years, Walter Moore was to see much service and prove himself very much a soldier
Unlike Rupert Brooke, Walter Moore did make it to Gallipoli where he served with the Royal Naval Division between April 1915 and January 1916, being present at the battle of Anzac Cove and Cape Helles. After two months at Gallipoli, Walter Moore was promoted to Able-Seaman, his character was described as “VG” (i.e. Very Good)(6) – proof of his quality as a soldier.
After the withdrawal from Gallipoli in January 1916, the Royal Naval Division was re-organised and transferred to the British Army as the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. It was then sent to France and Flanders, where it served during the latter stages of the Battle of the Somme (July to November 1916). Walter Moore soldiered on and survived the Somme.
In October 1916, whilst on leave in England, he married Winifred Florence Wormald in St Pancras, London.(7) Winifred, who had been born in St Pancras c.1897, was the daughter of a Leeds born publican, Harry Wormald and his wife Ada (they managed a pub in Russell Square – no doubt a popular place for war-weary soldiers on leave).(8) Following the marriage, Walter Moore gave his residential address as 6 Broad Dale, The Lees, Westcliffe-on Sea, Essex.
He briefly returned to France but, in December 1916, he was evacuated to England suffering from shell-shock (his records noted “Obs Mental Disease” – i.e. under observation for a mental illness, the term for shell-shock). After his recovery Walter Moore did not return to service with the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, instead, in February 1917, he transferred to the 4th Battalion of the British West Indies Regiment, in which he became No.4953 Private WA Moore. Whilst waiting for transfer he was stationed at the Citadel, Plymouth. The reason for transfer was not given. The BWIR was manned by enlisted Black soldiers and led by White officers and senior-non-commissioned officers (SNCOs). Black soldiers could also become SNCOs. The transfer might have been at his own request or because his White superiors thought he should serve in a “Black unit”. However, by this stage of the war it was common to disregard regimental affiliations and loyalties and simply send soldiers where they were most needed. Thus, if the BWIR needed soldiers, and Walter Moore was Black, it would have made sense to send him to the unit.
Transferring from the Royal Naval Division provided the only proof in his military records that Walter Moore was Black: He was described as being 5 feet 11 and 1/4 inches tall, with a very dark complexion, black hair and brown eyes. It was also noted that he had a scar on his right ankle and was a “man of colour”.
Walter Moore would have found soldiering in the BWIR very different from that in the Royal Naval Division. The BWIR were employed in a supporting role on the Western Front: Digging trenches, building roads and gun emplacements, acting as stretcher bearers, loading ships and working in ammunition dumps.(9)
Although this work was vital, arduous and dangerous (it was frequently undertaken within range of the German guns), it was also viewed as demeaning by White soldiers and therefore “racially defined”. Additionally, the soldiers of the BWIR did not receive the same pay and conditions as their White peers and frequently suffered from racism. What Walter Moore, who had “stormed ashore” at Gallipoli and gone “over the top” at the Somme, thought of this is not known.
Walter Moore’s experience and attitude to soldiering must have been recognised by the BWIR, because he was rapidly promoted to the rank of sergeant (a platoon sergeant in the infantry is second in command of 20-40 soldiers). He served with the BWIR in France until the armistice of November 1918 and then until March 1919 when he was discharged on a pension due “to synovitis of the knee which had started in December 1916”.
Walter Albert Moore was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1920 and the Victory Medal.
He did not return to the Caribbean, choosing instead to remain in England. Initially, Walter and Winifred lived in Westcliffe-on Sea, later moving to Kilburn in London, where he was employed as a clerk. In 1926, they moved to Port of Spain, Trinidad where they raised their three daughters (Edith, Blanch and Olive). (11) Walter does appear to have returned to England for work, however, in April 1928 he joined his family in Trinidad permanently.(12)
Family Postscript
Since this article was originally published, Michelle Commissiong of New York City, the great-grand-daughter of Walter Moore, has kindly provided additional information:
Harry and Ada Wormald’s public-house was named “The Fishmonger’s Arms”.
Michelle’s paternal grand-mother is referred to as ‘Evelyn’ and ‘Blanche’ but her family know her best as Evelyn Blanche Moore.
We are fortunate to have a photo of Winifred Moore (Walter’s wife, nee’ Wormald) with two of his daughters, Olive (L) and Evelyn (R).
Winifred died of a fever c. 1932, and Walter sent his three daughters to boarding school. As adults, all three sisters moved to New York. Evelyn and Edith both married and had children. Olive never married or had children. Evelyn, Michelle’s grand-mother, died in 2006. Evelyn’s father never met his grand-father Walter Moore. Michelle does not know where or when Walter passed away or what became of his medals.
Sources and References:
For Walter Albert Moore see: TNA ADM 339. TNA WO 364. findmypast.co.uk
1)Two possible places of birth are given in his records: Trinidad and Grenada.
2) His next-of-kin was named as his father: WV. Moore of The Anchorage, Sauteur, St Patricks, Grenada, British West Indies.
3)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/63rd_(Royal_Naval)_Division#/media/File:Royal_Naval_Division_recruiting_poster.jpg
4)www.cultmancollectables.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=9540
6)His religion was noted as Church of England, and he claimed to be able to swim. (Walter Moore was hospitalised twice with jaundice whilst at Gallipoli).
7)England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005. Registration quarter – October to December. St Pancras, Middlesex. GRO Volume: 1b. Page: 190. ancestry.co.uk
8)Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. Russell Square, St Giles in the Field and Bloomsbury St George. TNA RG14. ancestry.co.uk
9)www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-story-of-the-british-west-indies-regiment-in-the-first-world-war
10)awayfromthewesternfront.org/campaigns/broader-themes/west-indies/west-indian-troops-stacking-shells-at-ypres-october-1917-iwm-eaus-2078/
11)Passenger Lists Leaving UK, 1890-1960. TNA BT 27. findmypast.co.uk
12)Ibid.