From Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
Company Serjeant Major Frederick Moore MM* { 12679 } 9th Battalion, Essex Regiment who died on 6 September 1918 Age 26.
Son of Mary Ann and the late James Moore; stepson of James Chapman, of Tilty, Dunmow, Essex.
Remembered in Varennes Military Cemetery.
*Military Medal. This medal was warded for bravery in battle on land; it is the ‘other ranks’ equivalent to the Military Cross (MC) awarded to commissioned officers.
From 1911 Census:
Aged 19 in 1911, and a farm labourer. The head of the household is Frederick’s step-father, James Chapman; this is Mary Ann’s second marriage – there are two sons (including Frederick) listed with the surname ‘Moore’, and the other children are ‘Chapman’. The family’s address is Goodfellows, Tilty.
Other:
CSM F Moore was awarded the Military Medal. From information on the Medal Index Card it can be seen that he went to serve in France on 30th May 1915 (aged 22); he was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, as well as the Military Medal. He was originally a private, but was promoted to Acting Warrant Officer, 2nd Class (equivalent to Company Sergeant Major).
He died of wounds on 6th September 1918, engaged in an attempt to capture the village of Nurlu (the Somme).
The following information is from the Essex Regiment History (courtesy of the Western Front Association):
On 6th September 35th Brigade went forward against the high ground north of Nurlu, and at 8 a.m. A, C and D Companies of 9/Essex were able to advance after negotiating two belts of wire, each thirty yards deep, while sustaining heavy casualties. The swiftness of the frontal attack caught the defenders by surprise which, in turn, enabled the Cambridgeshires to capture their objective of Nurlu.
‘C’ Company Commander, Captain Barltrop wrote:
After the second attack on the trench system we pushed out patrols to the top of the ridge and captured a number of prisoners from machine gun pits. We had no trouble from the left flank as it was obvious that the enemy had retired therefrom. In fact, looking back, I suppose the action was nothing more than that of a strong rearguard, but the position was strongly contested, for Nurlu stood on a commanding height. I should add that the actual taking of the village was the job of the Cambridgeshires and they were completely successful. I lost the excellent CSM Moore of ‘C’ Company during the original advance.
Click here for the CWG Certificate for Frederick Moore
 1914-15 Star |  British War Medal (BWM) 1914-20 |  Victory Medal (VM) |
