John Moore was born in Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland on 18th September 1886 to Michael and Susan Moore, and was the fourth of eight children. John's father was an agricultural labourer and originated from County Kerry in Ireland. The family lived in Davis Street, Hurst and John attended Hurst Infants School. At the age of seven he became a pupil in Hurst Boys School and continued his education until the age of thirteen.

His father, Michael Moore (also known as John Moore), was an army pensioner. He had served for nearly 23 years, with long term postings in Malta, Gibraltar and South Africa. He married their mother, Susan Smith of Stratfield Turgis, while serving in the Eastern Cape and was awarded the South Africa medal, with the 77-78-79 clasp for his involvement in campaigns, including the 1879 Zulu War.

Nothing is known of John's life immediately after school until the time when he signed up as a regular soldier along with his younger brother Charles. The brothers were allocated consecutive service numbers, indicating that they enlisted together and probably shared similar experiences of serving in the overseas outposts of the British Empire prior to the First World War.

A soldier normally signed up for twelve years and could then apply to extend that period. He was obliged to complete five or seven years in the colours after which he could choose to join the Reserve. Soldiers in the Reserve returned to civilian life but were paid a retainer and undertook to attend training annually and return to the army in the event of war. With the outbreak of the First World War a general mobilization was signalled and all of the reserves reported back to their units.

It is not known whether John was a regular soldier at this time or in the Reserve, but he was certainly in 1st Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers from the time of mobilization. The Battalion had returned to base at Gosport on 30th July 1914 in anticipation of the mobilization order that was circulated on 4th August. Over the next few days around 750 reservists reported for duty and the Battalion numbers swelled to its full complement of around one thousand soldiers.

On 13th August the Battalion received orders to board trains for Southampton and crossed to Le Havre in the troopships Martaban and Appam to join 9th Brigade, 3rd Division. After two days in rest camp the Battalion took trains eastwards to Landrecies and after a seven mile march they reached 9th Brigade's billets at Noyelles-sur Sambre. John was now part of the original British Expeditionary Force of six divisions that was famously referred to by the Kaiser as 'General French's contemptible little army'. They had been sent to France hurriedly to join up with the French 5th Army and block the German advance through Belgium that threatened Paris.

The Brigade pushed forward over the next three days and the continuous marching in very hot dry weather took its toll on the men, particularly the reservists who were unaccustomed to such vigorous exercise. By the time they crossed the Belgian border, the Medical Officer had already sent back twenty-three men. 1st Battalion reached Ghlin at 1.00 p.m. on 22nd August and at this point the British outriders encountered the German cavalry. The Battalion was ordered to withdraw and dig in to create a defensive line along the canal bank from Jemappes to Mons. The action that followed became known as the Battle of Mons; the first British engagement of the war.

Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the German army, the British Expeditionary Force fell back in a controlled retreat in which 1st Battalion covered 175 miles in 13 days, fighting in various rearguard actions along the way, including the Battle of Le Cateau on 26th August. When the German advance was halted at the Marne, 1st Battalion advanced and took part in the Battle of the Aisne before being sent north to fight at the Battle of La Bassee. John's brother Charles was killed on 24th October 1914, by which time the Battalion had been reduced to seventy men from the original 1000 who had sailed to France.

In November 1914 the Battalion took part in the First Battle of Ypres, participating in the counter-attack at Herenthage castle which stopped the Germans in front Ypres.

In 1915 the Battalion was deployed on the Ypres salient and in early May they were in the trenches near Hill 60 to the south-west of Ypres. The Battalion War Diary describes the events:

John Moore was one of the men wounded during this period, probably during the relief at St.Eloi, and he died of his wounds on 8th May 1915. He now rests nearby in a Commonwealth war grave in Voormezeele Enclosures cemetery with two comrades from his Battalion who died on the same day. John was twenty-nine years of age and had served on the Western Front for less than nine months. His younger brother Alfred Charles Moore also died in the First World War.

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