The graves of three soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Great War and were buried as unknown soldiers, have now been identified in Belgium.
Rededication services took place today (12 November 25) for Lieutenant (Lt) Norman Frederick Hunter and Serjeant (Sjt) George Goodson Moore DCM at CWGC Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres and for Private (Pte) George Hall at CWGC Vichte Military Cemetery near Kortrijk.
The services were organised by the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), known as the ‘War Detectives’, and were conducted by the Rev David Jeal CF, Chaplain to The Royal Dragoon Guards and attended by serving soldiers of 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and 5th Battalion The Rifles.
Rosie Barron, JCCC Caseworker, said
As the nation stops this week to remember service personnel who paid the ultimate sacrifice in war, this has been a poignant time to rededicate the graves of these three brave men. All died at different stages of a long war as the frontline ebbed and flowed through Flanders. All of these men left behind families who would have mourned their loss and who were left with unanswered questions as to their exact fate. It has been a privilege to have played a part in bringing these men’s stories to a conclusion.
Rev David Jeal CF said
In rededicating the graves of Lt Hunter, Sjt Moore and Pte Hall, we honour not only their service but their enduring place in our shared history. These soldiers’ courage and commitment reminds us of the cost of peace and the duty we all share to remember. It is a privilege to speak Their names once more, with gratitude and respect.
Lt Norman Frederick Hunter
Lt Hunter, aged 36, was a married man from Edinburgh and a keen golfer. On 8 October 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the World War 1, he was commissioned into 4th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He arrived on the Western Front in March 1915 and was attached to 4th Battalion The Royal Fusiliers. Lt Hunter died on 16 June 1915, taking part in an attack on Bellewaerde Lake near Hooge. Having been wounded in the leg and foot, he was carried to safety in a dugout where one of his men stayed with him for some time before being forced to leave him. It appears that Lt Hunter must have subsequently succumbed to his wounds.
The Reverend David Jeal CF conducts the service for Lt Hunter (Crown Copyright)
Sjt George Goodson Moore DCM
Sjt Moore, aged 21, from Southwark, London, was a brass musical instrument maker. He initially saw service with 2/7th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment in Egypt before moving to the Western Front. He was transferred to 1/5th Battalion The London Regiment (London Rifle Britgade) and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions on 11 April 1917 during the Battle of Arras leading a bombing attack near Heninel. On 16 August 1917, 1/5th Battalion The London Regiment took part in the Battle of Langemarck. Part of the battalion was successful in reaching their final objective which was the racecourse on the edge of Polygon Wood. It was close to this location that the remains of Sjt Moore were recovered after the war.
The family of Sjt Moore stand at his graveside with members of the military party (Crown Copyright)
Sjt Moore’s great niece, Sue Hinton-Lever was present at his rededication service.
Sue Hinton-Lever said
Our family are so grateful to the JCCC for finding the grave of our relative who we always thought was missing in action. The MOD War Detectives work tirelessly for this express purpose and do a wonderful job. The rededication service has given us an opportunity to show our respect for our Great Uncle of whom we are so proud.
Pte George Hall
The military party and others at the graveside of Pte Hall (Crown Copyright)
Pte Hall, aged 31, was born in Stratford, Essex. He was initially posted to 1st Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers and appears to have been sent to Gallipoli where the battalion was engaged until January 1916 before it was evacuated to Egypt. The battalion was transferred to the Western Front in March 1916 and heavily enaged in the Battle of the Somme that summer. At some stage Pte Hall was transferred to 17th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers. By late October 1918 the static warfare which had kept British forces in Belgium around the Ypres Salient since 1914 was over and they were rapidly heading eastwards through Belgium towards the German border. On 27 October 1918 the battalion was in action around Avelgem, east of Kortrijk. Their positions were heavily shelled all day and Pte Hall was killed just 2 weeks before the cessation of hostilities.
All three men had previously been commemorated on either the Menin Gate or Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing. The CWGC has now replaced their headstones with named markers and will care for them in perpetuity.
Polly Brewster, Case Officer for the Commemorations team at the CWGC, said
More than a century after their deaths, we are honoured to have played a part in identifying the resting places of these three men and installing headstones that now bear their names. George Hall, Norman Frederick Hunter and George Goodson Moore were husbands, brothers and sons. They came from different backgrounds and lived different lives, yet they were united by their common sacrifice. Today’s rededication services are a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and offer a moving moment of reflection during this national period of remembrance.
