​Great Uncle Sid was born in 1897 in the parish of St Olave, Rotherhithe. He was the oldest of four brothers albeit with one older sister. His father, David, was a Customs Officer, something that clearly continued the family association with the river and sea. The Moore Family had been shipwrights on the Thames although so far I have been unable to discover much more than that about them. As with so many families, they had intermarried locally with the Leggetts and Talbots, the Leggetts being Oar, Mast and Sailmakers whilst the Talbots were well-known bargebuilders. Indeed the Talbot family owned significant parts of the riverbank and were substantial landowners in the area.

Sid was not destined for the sea and in fact the family's circumstances had taken a serious turn for the worse in 1909 when his father died just after the birth of his youngest brother William (Bill). As a customs officer, his wife and children were entitled to a pension and education provided she did not remarry. But she did and not well it would seem as she then disappears from the lives of all the children, who were sent to an orphans home. 

It is hard to tell from this distance in time what happened in the next few years but my own father recalls his father talking about Sid as something of a fun-loving scallywag. On the outbreak of war, Sid it seems volunteered along with many others. I suspect the potential for adventure appealed as much as anything although it was also a way out of the orphans home. The obvious destination was the London Regiment, an all territorial unit that was by the end of the war the biggest in the British Army, and he was posted to 2/22nd (County of London) Bn (The Queen's) London Regiment which formed in Bermondsey in August 1914. After several moves around the south of England, the battalion was posted to France landing at Le Havre in June 1916. Sadly, he didn't have long to live. The great Somme offensive began on the 1st July and two weeks later Sid was wounded. He died on the 18th July 1916. His platoon Sergeant, William Dyer, wrote to his sister on the 19th. I still have the original letter as you can see from the photographs to the left. To me, the transcript is very moving.

Paul F Moore

Private S.G.D. Moore

                                          Sgt Wm Dyer,

                                          'A' Company

                                          Headquarters,

​                                          2/22 Batt London Rgt

                                           B. E. F.

                                            France

                                             19/7/16

Dear Miss Moore,

                  It is with the very deepest and most

heartfelt sympathy that I am writing this letter. to you. Letters of this description are very difficult to compose and one cannot express one's feelings as they would like to.

I do not know whether you are acquainted with the facts of the case, but I will let you know them to the best of my ability.

Last Monday,, while I was up in the firing line there was an accident. I had left some of my men working under a corporal cleaning up some hand grenades. All I can gather from the chaps who were present was that the Corporal shouted out "Look-out" and they saw him run up the stairs. Evidently, he had no time to rid himself of the bomb which is timed to explode in 4 1/2 seconds. The Corporal afterwards told me that he wrapped the grenade in a sandbag, but he was so deaf through shock and seemed so completely cut up that I could not get from him how the thing came to be alight. I am very sorry to say that your brother Sid was badly hit. He and the Corporal were the only two of the five who have suffered from the accident. My own opinion is that Sid saved the lives of the others by being hit so badly. I regret to say he died at 2am this (Wednesday) morning in hospital.

He was very brave and plucky whilst being helped. He tried to insist on his helpers seeing if there was anyone else hurt and (indecipherable)

We all feel we have lost a good comrade and chum and the majority of us a very great friend. To myself the loss is very great indeed as I had become very attached to him. He was very willing and a very great help to me. Everyone is sorry and it is at the wish of his chums that I am communicating to you.. It must be a very great grief for you to bear but none of us has a hand in any big events in our lives so we must trust God and believe it is His will and hope to become reconciled in the belief that it is His will. Hoping you will be able to soon get over this time of stress,

I am, 

Yours Sincerely,

​Wm Dyer.