Photo: Dorothy Hall
In St.John's Churchyard is a family headstone which reads:
In loving memory of
Robert Moore
who died at Shotley Bridge
December 29th ?1931
in his 73rd year.
And his wife
Annie
who died August 29th 1944
in her 82nd year.
Also John Sydney
aged 25 years.
and Thomas Stephenson
aged 20 years
sons of the above
who were killed
in the Great War 1917.
Paul Heatherington has submitted the following:-
Thomas was born in Shotley Bridge in the spring of 1897. He was one of five brothers. William and John were older than Thomas; Robert and Norman were younger. The family lived at 3 Church Bank. Thomas’ father was Robert Moore, a miner, born in Northumberland. His mother was Annie (nee Stephenson) born in Stocksfield.
Thomas enlisted in Consett on the 9th February 1916. He was aged eighteen years and nine months and was working as a steam lorry driver. His chest measurement was 34 inches. He joined the West Yorkshire Regiment and served in France, dying there of wounds following an accidental explosion on the 15th May 1917, aged just twenty years. He is buried at the Avesnes-le-Comte Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais.
Thomas’ brother John Sydney Moore also died in the war.
The Newcastle Journal 13/08/1917 reports:-
Out of eleven playing members of Shotley Bridge Cricket Club who joined the colours ten have made the supreme sacrifice. The number includes 2nd Lieut. George. Shorter, 2nd Lieut. A. Hickford, Sgt Sydney Moore and his brother (Pte. Tom Moore) L.Cpl L. Tweddell and Pte. Geo Fox.
The brothers are remembered at Shotley Bridge on S27.01 S27.03 and S27.06