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24643 Company Sergeant Major
FREDERICK JOHN CUMMINGS MOORE
Royal Engineers 

By 

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, MSCE, BSAE P.E., MinstRE
(March 2025) 

Figure 1. Badge of the Royal Engineers (EVIIR).
(Image courtesy of Stuart Gase) 

1. INTRODUCTION

Moore’s Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (EVIIR) is named to him as 24643 Sjt F. Moore. R.E.  His service papers show his name to be Frederick Moore, but his birth certificate indicates that his full name was Frederick John Cumming Moore.  Finally, his death certificate shows his name to be Frederick John Cummings Moore.  Not withstanding these different versions of his name, the author is confident that the details of his life presented below are accurate, in that they do relate to the F. Moore whose medal is in the author’s collection.  For the purposes of this study, he will simply be referred to as Frederick Moore.  Unless otherwise noted, details of is life and military career have been taken from his military service papers. 

2. FAMILY INFORMATION 

            Frederick Moore was born in West Alvington, Devonshire on 3 June 1868.[1]  West Alvington is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Kingsbridge in South Hams, Devon.  Frederick was the son of John Moore (1844-1909) who was a farm labourer at that time of his son’s birth, and Elizabeth Ann Moore, née Cumming (1842-1903).[2]  The Moores had eight  other children; one boy and seven girls:[3] 

·         Emma J. Moore (1866-?), born in West Alvington, Devon.

·         Florence C. Moore (1874-?), born in West Alvington, Devon.

·         Samuel Richard C. Moore (1875-1892), born in Kingsbridge, Devon.

·         Sarah R. Moore (1876-?), born in West Alvington, Devon.

·         Amelia Kate C. Moore (1878-?), born in Charleton, Devon.

·         Lottie Moore (1881-1973), born in Kingsbridge, Devon.

·         Laura Mary Moore (1883-?), born in Dodbrooke, Devon.

·         Bertha Violet Moore (1886-1968), born in Dodbrooke, Devon.

The 1871 Census of England shows the Moore family living in West Alvington, Devon, as indicated in the table below.

1871 Census of England (RG 10/2101)

TABLE NOTES:

(1)   John Moore is shown as a Lodger rather than the Head of the household.  This is probably due to his being a tenant farmer at the time, rather than the owner of the farm.
(2) Emma shows up in the 1871 Census but not in the Moore family tree.  It is possible that she was the step child of John and Elizabeth Moore.

(2)   Frederick’s name was erroneously entered as Edward in the census form.

By 1881 the Moore family had moved to Dodbrooke, a small village also located in the South Hams district of Devon, situated on the outskirts of the market town of Kingsbridge. 

1881 Census of England (RG 11/2183)

TABLE NOTE:

·         Sarah Moore is not shown in the 1881 Census.

In 1883, at the age of 15, Frederick began to work as a Mason’s Apprentice in Kingsbridge.  His Apprenticeship ended in 1889, just prior to his enlistment in the Army. 

3.      PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 

The following is a description of Frederick Moore at the time of his enlistment in the Royal Engineers in 1890. 

             The above description of Moore was made on 13 February at the time of his final medical examination at Exeter that was performed to determine his fitness to serve in the Army.  He was determined to be physically fit.  His height and chest measurement were very close to the minimum required for a Sapper in the Royal Engineers, the minimums being a height of 5 feet 6 inches with a chest measurement of 34 inches.

4.  ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING 

Enlistment

            Frederick Moore enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Dodbrooke, Devonshire on 11 February 1890.  He had been recruited for enlistment by a Sergeant Major in the 5^th Volunteer Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment.  At the time of his enlistment Moore indicated that he was not married and that he had never been sentenced to imprisonment by a civil power.  He also declared that he had no prior military or naval service and he had never been rejected as unfit for such service.  He also indicated that he would be willing to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated against small pox. 

            On 13 February 1890 Moore was certified as fit for service in the Royal Engineers by Captain S. Harries, the Recruiting Officer of the 11^th Regimental District (Devonshire Regiment) and his Attestation was certified by the Colonel Commanding the 11^th Regimental District.  He then became 24643 Sapper F. Moore, Royal Engineers.  

Training 

            Following the administrative actions involved with his enlistment Moore was sent off for his recruit training to the School of Military Engineering (SME) at Brompton Barracks in Chatham, Kent.  With the exception of Drivers, every recruit enlisted for the Royal Engineers had to have a trade.  Pioneers and Sappers were sent to Chatham where they were trained in infantry drill and pioneer duties.  The engineer recruits also received musketry training.  When the course of training was completed the recruits had to pass an examination and were then transferred to engineer formations, where they received higher pay and could earn extra allowances by working at their special trades.  Recruit training at the SME could last for about 24 months.

4.      POSTINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Chatham (1890-1893) 

            Sapper Moore’s Military History Sheet indicates that he spent from 11 February 180 to 29 March 1893 at Home Service (3 years and 114 days).  For about two of these he was in recruit training at Chatham.  His record does not indicate where he might have spent the remaining year to three months, but conceivably it could have been at Chatham as well.  On 11 February 1892 he was awarded Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 1.d per day.[6]  Sadly, Frederick Moore’s 17-year old brother, Samuel, died in December of 1892.[7] 

Bermuda (1893-1901) 

            On 30 March 1893 Sapper Moore was posted to the 36^th Fortress Company on the island of Bermuda under the command of Major John Winn.  The role of a fortress company was to assist in the defence of ports and harbours that had significant military importance.  This was accomplished by the use of mines and searchlights and by supporting the Royal Artillery garrison co-located with the fortress company.  A Royal Engineers fortress company typical would provide the following services in defence of ports and harbours: 

·         Construction and maintenance of fortifications and gun emplacements.

·         Construction of ammunition storage areas and magazines.

·         Construction and maintenance of roadways.

·         Water supply to units manning the fortifications.

·         Supply of electricity to installations within the fortress area.

·         Provide searchlight support to anti-shipping artillery batteries.

·         Provide engineer works in and around the harbour and port areas.

While on Bermuda, Sapper Moore was awarded a Third Class Certificate of Education.  The third-class certificate specified the standard for promotion to the rank of corporal: the candidate was to read aloud and to write from dictation passages from an easy narrative, and to work examples in the four compound rules of arithmetic and the reduction of money.[8]  

On 11 February 1896 Moore was awarded Good Conduct Pay at 2.d and of 5 August he was appointed to the rank of Lance Corporal.  

He received a Second Class Certificate of Education on 6 January 1897.  A second-class certificate was necessary for promotion to sergeant and entailed writing and dictation from a more difficult work, familiarity with all forms of regimental accounting, and facility with proportions and interest, fractions and averages.[9]  It was clear at this point that Moore was planning to make the Army his career.  This was made even more evident when on 17 September 1897 he extended to complete 12 years with the Colours.  

On 15 March 1898 Lance Corporal Moore completed the Ambulance Course.  No details could be found concerning what this course entailed, but it may be assumed that it was a first aid course for soldiers to treat fellow soldiers in the field and to transport them to aid stations or hospitals.  Moore competed the course with a rating of “Very Good.” 

Moore married his wife Susan[10] at Pembroke, Bermuda on 10 August 1898 without the permission (without leave) of his commanding officer.  A man who married without permission had a hard time indeed, for his wife and children were denied quarters of any sort and were given no extra rations; the wife had to work or starve.  Women on the strength had (to use the official language) ‘the privilege of washing for their respective companies.’  They might thereby earn a halfpenny per day per customer.  Some worked as cooks or did needlework; the more respectable were selected to be maids or nursemaids in officers’ homes.  Until the last half of the Victorian era, they usually lived in the barracks with the men, their home a corner screened off with blankets or canvas sheets.  It was a hard life, and many of the women were rough.  Certainly they needed to be tough.[11]  Since it appears that Susan was already living in Bermuda when they married, it is possible that she had family there, so her situation may not have been as difficult as described here. 

The Moores first child, Eva, was born in Bermuda in 1899.  On 1 August 1899 Moore was promoted to the rank of 2^nd Corporal and exactly a year later he was promoted to Corporal.  During this period, 1899-1900, the war in South Africa against the Boers was raging.  Many units of the Royal Engineers were deployed there to support combat operations.  Moore would not experience any of this. 

Home Service (1901-1903) 

            Corporal Moore and his family returned to England on 21 July 1901.  His service papers do not indicate to which unit he was posted during this period.  His son, Frederick, was born in Churston Ferrers, Devonshire in 1902, so this may indicate where he was serving at that time. 

            On 4 June 1902 Moore re-engaged to complete 21 years with the Colour and on 8 September he complete the Musketry Course at Hythe where the School of Musketry was located.   

Hong Kong (1903-1907) 

            Moore embarked on 4 December 1903 to join the 25^th Fortress Company in Hong Kong.  It is not known whether his family accompanied him.  His duties there would have been much like those when he was on Bermuda, except now he was a junior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), soon to become a senior NCO. 

                On 1 April 1905 Moore was granted Service Pay, Class I, at the rate of 7.d per day.  Service Pay,  in addition to their regular pay, was granted to men in the Royal Engineers who demonstrated proficiency in their military trades.  Service Pay was awarded in seven classes, with Class I being the highest.  Moore received the highest class, due not doubt to his excellent performance.  On 1 October he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. 

Chatham (1907-1911) 

            Sergeant Moore returned home on 30 January 1907 and was posted to “B” Company of the Royal Engineers Depot Battalion (REDB).  Upon completion of 18 years of service on 11 February 1908, he became eligible to receive the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.  

            His third child, Ivy, was born in 1910 in Gillingham, Kent, a town adjacent to the Royal Engineers Headquarters at Chatham.  On 25 January 1911 he was brought on the Married Roll and on the same day was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant Major. 

            CSM Moore was discharged from the Army on 10 February 1911 on the termination of his 2^nd period of limited engagement.  At the time he was serving as the Company Sergeant Major of “B” Company of the Depot Battalion.  His discharge documents indicate that his character was “Exemplary” and that there were “no instances of drunkenness or other offences during the whole of his service.”  His intended place of residence after leaving the Army was 41 Saxton Street in Gillingham. 

Figure 2.  41 Saxton Street, Gillingham, Kent (c. 2025)
(The Moore residence in 1911)
(Image courtesy of Google Earth) 

            Company Sergeant Major Moore was described on his discharge documents as follows: 

             In his discharge documents his commanding officer stated that Moore had “special qualifications for employment in civil: Stone Mason, very superior.” 

5.      POST SERVICE LIFE

            On 2 April 1911, when the census was taken, the Moore family was residing at in Eastbourne, Sussex.  Moore was employed as a Rifle Range Warden and his postal address was 65 Martello Tower Rifle Range.[13]  At the time the Moore household consist Frederick Moore, aged 40, his wife Susan, aged 31 and his children: Frederick (9), Eva (12) and Ivy (6 months).

Moore’s place of work was located to the east of Eastbourne at a rifle range which had been created during the period of the Crimean War and was used by parties of Guards and Infantry of the Line each summer for many years for rifle practice.

Figure 3.  Martello Tower No. 66, Eastbourne, Sussex

(A Martello Tower close to the Moore residence)

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

By 19 June 1921 Moore was still employed as a Range Warden and his family is shown in the census as residing at 65 Martello Tower, Westham, Sussex.[14]  Only his wife and 10-year old daughter Ivy are shown in the census.  Moore’s place of work is listed as the “Crumbles” Rifle Range and his employer as the Territorial Force Association.

The National Registration Act 1939 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War.  Frederick J.C. Moore, aged 68, and Susan V. Moore, aged 60, appear in the register as living at 2 Wallis Place in Eastbourne.  It is obvious from the image below that the Moore’s standard of living had increased since 1911 when they were living in Gillingham.  In the 1939 Register Moore is shown as “Retired.”

Figure 4.  2 Wallis Place, Eastbourne, Sussex (circa 2025)

(The Moore residence in 1939)

(Image courtesy of Google Earth) 

Frederick J.C. Moore died at 64 Stannington Crescent in Totton, Southampton on 26 September 1950 at the age of 82.  The causes of his death were listed as 1a.) Uremia and 1b.) Chronic Nephritis.  The informant of his death was his son, F.W. Moore, whose residence at the time was 80 Ashford Road in Eastbourne.  Moore may have died without a Will, as no 1950 probate calendar entry for him could be found.

Figure 5.  64 Stannington Court, Totton, Southampton (circa 2025)
(The Moore residence in 1950)
(Image courtesy of Google Earth)

            The following sections are presented in tabular form to summarize Moore’s promotions, military training and qualifications, the medal that he was awarded during his time in the Army and his conduct.  They are provided to give the reader easy access to these aspects of his military career.  The tables are followed by a chronological summary of his service. 

6.  PROMOTIONS

Frederick Moore received the following promotions during his time in service:

7. MILITARY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

a.  Military Training:

 b.      Qualifications:  

 MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Moore had served the majority of his career abroad in Fortress Companies.  He had not taken part in any of the numerous little wars of the Victoria period nor in the South African War of 1899-1902; therefore, the only medal that he received during his 21 years of service was the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (EVIIR).  This medal is named to him in upper case impressed lettering as: 24643 Sjt. F. MOORE. R.E.  He was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant Major after receiving this medal and just prior to his retirement from the Army.

Figure 6.  Moore’s Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (EVIIR)
(Image from the author’s collection)

9.       Conduct

 10.  RELEASE FROM SERVICE

            Company Sergeant Major Moore  was released from service on 10 February 1911.  His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below.

REFERENCES 

Books 

1.      GRIERSON, J.M.  Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War.  Greenhill Books, London, 1988.

2.      SKELLEY, A.R.  The Victorian Army At Home: The Recruitment and Terms and Conditions of the British Regular, 1859-1899.  Mc Gill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1977. 

Census 

1. 1871 Census of England (RG 10/2101).

2. 1881 Census of England (RG 11/2183).

3. 1921 Census of England.

4. 1939 England and Wales Register.  

Civil Documents 

1. Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth, Frederick John Cumming Moore.  Central Registry Office, London, BXA 719417.

2. Certified Copy of an Entry of Death, Frederick John Cumming Moore.  Central Registry Office, London, DX 257944.  

Family Tree 

Ancestry.com: Frederick J. Moore (1868-1950) 

Internet Web Sites 

Eastbourne Memories.
https://www.sussexhistory.co.uk/eastbourne-memories/eastbourne-memories%20-%200174.htm 

Soldier’s Service Papers (WO 97/5532) 

1. Short Service Attestation (Army Form B. 265).

2. Description on Enlistment.

3. Statement of Services.

4. Military History Sheet.

5. Proceedings on Discharge (Army Form B. 268).

ENDNOTES