William Robert Moore (Service No. 5891734) was killed in action on 14 October 1944 aged just 20. He was a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. He was initially buried at Vogelsangs Farm and subsequently re-interred on 15 July, 1946 in grave I. C. 6 at the Overloon Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Overloon. His inscription reads “He, like a soldier, fell”.
 
No photo of William has yet been found. Should anyone reading this have a photo of him or further information regarding him – or if they are aware of any errors in his biography below can they please contact the Foundation.

Military career

William Robert Moore enlisted at Northampton on 12 January 1942. He stated that he was born in Northampton on 2 January 1924, though he may actually have been born on 17 January so was still only 17 rather than 18. He was living at 31 Ash Street, Northampton and employed as a Tacker in the Boot and Shoe industry. He named his mother, Mrs Mary Alice Moore, of the same address as his next of kin. He was described as 5 ft 5 ¾ in tall, weighted 110 lbs and had a fresh complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He gave his religion as Church of England. He was classified as Educational Grade D.
 
He initially enlisted in the Northamptonshire Regiment as a Private but was assigned to the reserves for a couple of weeks and only fully joined on 29 January. He was posted to the 70th Battalion and sent to No. 2 Infantry Training Centre. The 70th Battalion was a Young Soldiers’ Battalion. These provided training and had a home defence role. Its Infantry Training Centre was at Lincoln. The Battalion started off at Kettering but moved to Truro in July 1941, staying in the south-west thereafter. He ceased to be attached to the Infantry Training Centre on 9 April 1942. On 27 June 1942 he was selected to attend a course of training at the Physical Development Centre at the Occupational Therapy Centre at Taunton. He is thought to have completed this on 4 September 1942. He then went absent without leave from 2359 hrs on 18 December 1942 to 1830 hrs the following day.
 
He was transferred to the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment on 25 February 1943. He passed a trade test as a shoemaker on 30 October 1943. Perhaps his skills would prove to be of use in the Army? On 4 December 1943 he was given 168 hrs detention and forfeited a day’s pay for being absent without leave for 9 hours and 11 minutes from 2359 hrs on 11 November 1943.
 
He embarked for North West Europe on 5 June 1944, so will have landed with his battalion in Normandy on D-Day on 6 June 1944.
 
William was wounded on 8 July 1944 by a bomb blast on his left thigh. This was when the Battalion was involved in Operation Charnwood. This was part of the Battle for Caen which was an important objective for the Allies during the opening stages of Operation Overlord. By evening on 8 July the allies had cleared the villages in their path and reached the outskirts of Caen. However, the operation was costly for both the Allies and the enemy. As a result of his injury, he returned to the UK on 11 July. He was assigned to No. 2 Infantry Division on 28 July then 30 Reinforcement Holding Unit on 14 August 1944, suggesting that he was ready for redeployment to the field.
 
He returned to Europe on 19 August 1944 and rejoined his Battalion on 27 August. At this time they were based five miles south of Flers in Normandy. They remained there until 3 September. They spent time practicing river crossings and exercises in co-operation with Tank Regiments. Reinforcements were received which went some way to bringing the Battalion back up to its full strength. 
 
The Battalion left that location on 3 September and moved 150 miles to north of the River Seine. They remained there again carrying out training and having some relaxation until 16 September when they moved into Belgium and on the next day to the barrier created by the Escaut Canal. They succeeded with other Battalions in crossing this on 19 September reaching Hamont on 21 September. Here, they prepared to take over from the 11 Armoured Division after they captured Deurne. However, this was not captured as planned so the Battalion was still in Hamont on 24 September. William seems to have neglected some sort of duty that day for which he was given 21 days field punishment, though the nature of the offence is not known.
 
The Battalion moved into the Netherlands and reached Deurne on 25 September where they remained until 29 September, moving on to Haps on 1 October which is just south of Nijmegen and North of Overloon.
 
Following the failure to take the bridge at Arnhem in Operation Market Garden in late September, the Allied Forces were left in a very precarious narrow salient through the Netherlands. It was the aim of Operation Aintree to widen this salient by heading south from Nijmegen to take Overloon and then Venray before finally eliminating a German bridgehead on the River Maas near Venlo.
 
The Battalion was ordered to move south to St Anthonis on 11 October, but this was postponed to the following day due to bad weather. The move was completed on 12 October and they then moved slightly further west the next day, though with one man killed and 3 wounded.
 
On the 14 October, the day on which William died, the plan was for B Company to be guided through a wood held by the Royal Ulster Rifles to its front edge from where they would carry out a recce to check if a stream was passable and if the north eastern corner of a wood to the south was held by the enemy. However, the guides were late and the move through the wood was slower than expected, so the recce did not take place. At 7.30am the Company began to advance south out of the wood. However, before the Company had advanced 100 yds the enemy opened fire from a track about another 100 yds ahead. The advance continued but came under such heavy fire with so many casualties that the Company Commander issued an order to retreat back to the Royal Ulster Rifles’ position. By this point one Lieutenant and 34 other ranks had been killed or wounded. Following a recce by the Company Commanders, it was decided to launch an attack at 1530 hours with D and A companies in the lead. The enemy had been seen moving in the area of the stream in front of the wood. It was thought that the enemy holding the Battalion objective were probably a Company strong. Immediately the attacking force came into the open they were subjected to intense artillery and mortar fire but they pressed steadily on to reach their objective. During this action the Battalion suffered very heavy casualties including four officers killed and another four wounded.
 
A total of 27 men of the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment who died that day are buried alongside each other at Overloon, including William Robert Moore.
 
He had served for 2 years and 277 days of which 16 days were in the reserves and 93 days were in North West Europe. He was awarded medals as follows: 1939/45 Star, France & Germany Star and the War Medal 1939/45.

Family background

William was the son of Edwin Charles Moore and Mary Ann Alice Newbold who had married in Northampton in 1918. Edwin was born on 25 March 1898 in Northampton and Mary on 13 March 1896, also in Northampton. They had children as follows: Sarah Elizabeth 21 March 1919, Edwin George 12 April 1922, William Robert 17 January 1924, Emily Irene 25 September 1925, Eric 1926, Gwendoline 1929, Pamela Peggy 29 September 1931 and Charles Raymond 29 October 1933. It may be that two others died in infancy in 1920 and 1921. Edwin and William were born more specifically in the Hardingstone area of Northampton which is to the south east of the town.
 
In 1921, Edwin and Mary Moore were living with their first child, Sarah, at 22, Freeschool Street, Northampton. Edwin was a Trainee Iron Founder. With them were two lodgers: Isaac Newbold aged 61 and Ada Newbold aged 16 who presumably were related in some was to Mary. Both were born in Northampton. Both were working for Hawkins & Co in the shoe industry for which Northampton was famous.
 
Their eldest daughter, Sarah, married Alfred Craddock in Northampton in 1938.
 
By September 1939, Edwin and Mary were living at 31 Ash Street, Northampton. With them were their married daughter, Sarah Craddock and also Edwin, William, Emily, Pamela and three unnamed children who were probably Eric, Gwendoline and Charles. Edwin was now working as an Iron Moulder. However, many other family members were working in shoe manufacturing. Mary and her daughter Sarah were both Shoe Machinists, Edwin was a Leather Dresser and William was working as a “Stiffner’s Boy” in a “Shoe Operator Making Room”.
 
Sadly, William Robert Moore was killed in action on 14 October 1944 in Overloon.
 
His remaining brothers and sisters all seem to have married in Northampton between 1946 and 1955. Several had children. Some went on to marry a second time.
 
William’s father, Edwin Charles Moore, died in Northampton in 1963. His mother. Mary Ann Alice Moore, died in Northampton in 1984.
 
Most of William’s brothers and sisters seemed to remain in Northampton and died between 1989 and 2005.

From FindMyPast website: Civil and Parish Birth, Marriage and Death Records; England Census and 1939 Register Records; Electoral Rolls; Military Records
Lincolnshire Regiment War Diaries via Traces of War Website
Wikipedia – information on the Lincolnshire Regiment, Operation Charnwood
WW2Talk Idler re 70th Bn Northamptonshire Battalion
Service Record for WH Moore from the National Archives reference WO 423/443077

Research Elaine Gathercole