Charles Frederick Moore, born on 5th April 1896, was admitted to King Edward’s School in January 1907 and was awarded a Foundation Scholarship three years later. He lived with his parents, Catherine and Edward, a bank manager, and his two brothers at Midland Bank House, Edgbaston (and previously at 30, Beaufort Road, Edgbaston). Both of Charles’ brothers, Edward and Henry, were Old Edwardians and both served in and survived the war.
At School, Charles captained the 2nd XV, occasionally stepping up to the 1st XV in cases of injury, being described as: “a good scrum half and a vigorous tackle.” He was also a Sergeant in the School Officer Training Corps, leading Richards’ House to victory in the 1914 Drill Competition, in which they “carried all before them.” Academically, Charles was in the Second Class, meaning that he was near the top of the School and was taught personally by the Headmaster.
In May 1914, Charles gained a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd Worcestershire Regiment, and was quickly sent to France, sustaining a serious wound on 3rd November 1914. After a period of convalescence at home, Charles returned to France in early 1915. He was killed in the attack on Spanbroek Mill as part of a wider action to prevent the Germans from reinforcing Neuve Chapelle. This action was unsuccessful, the General deciding to “accept the failure rather than uselessly sacrifice more lives.” The losses in the attack were severe: the two attacking Companies were almost annihilated, and the casualties of the Battalion were nearly 180, including nine officers killed, one of whom was Charles. He is buried in Kemmel Chateau Cemetery, France, and he left his estate of £170 to his mother, who requested that the inscription on her son’s headstone should read: “A Good Soldier Of Jesus Christ.”