Cecil Montgomery-Moore
Encyclopedia
Major Cecil Montgomery-Moore, DFC
, was a Bermudian
First World War
fighter pilot, and commander of the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers
and the Bermuda Flying School
during the Second World War.
. He was given leave to travel to Canada to join the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC), air wing of the British Army
, one of twenty or so Bermudians who did so during that war. He was one of two Bermudian airmen to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross
during the war (the other being Rowe Spurling
). In September, 1918, Lieutenant Montgomery-Moore, along with the rest of the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service
(RNAS), became part of the new Royal Air Force
.
(BVE) was created as a replacement for the departed regular Royal Engineers
detachment of the Bermuda Garrison
(that guarded the Royal Naval Dockyard
in Bermuda). The original role of the BVE was to operate the search lights at coastal artillery batteries, notably the Examination Battery at St. David's Head, the guns of which were manned by the Bermuda Militia Artillery (BMA). The BVE subsequently also took on responsibility for providing signals crew and equipment to all elements of the garrison
The first commanding officer of the BVE was Captain H.D. (later Sir Harry) Butterfield, and Lieutenant Montgomery-Moore was second-in-command. In 1932, Butterfield retired, and Montgomery-Moore succeeded him. The new 2-i-c was Lieutenant Bayard Dill (later Sir Bayard).
, who he served in Italy, playing the decisive role in the Battle of Monte Cassino
, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for this action.
In Bermuda, Montgomery-Moore was promoted to Major in 1940, and Bayard Dill to Captain. In addition to his role with the BVE, Montgomery-Moore also headed the Bermuda Flying School
, which trained 80 local volunteers as pilots for the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm
. Volunteers were only accepted from those already serving in the local forces, some of whom came from the BVE.
After 1942, with the RAF having a glut of trained pilots, the school converted into the Bermuda Flying Committee, a recruiting arm for the Royal Canadian Air Force
, to which it sent sixty aircrew trainees, as well as twenty-two women to train for ground roles. The BFC was administered to by Major Montgomery-Moore, as well as Bertram Work and others prviously associated with the BFS. Major Montgomery-Moore had been dispatched to Canada to make arrangements for it to send its aircrew candidates, and he was to receive a commendation from the RCAF at the end of the war for his efforts.
. The BVRC and the BMA maintained skeleton command structures 'til they began recruiting again in 1951. The BVE, however, with its two main roles becoming obsolete, was disbanded completely.
Major Montgomery-Moore returned to civilian life, eventually resettling in Connecticut
, where he died. Peter Kilduff posthumously published Montgomery-Moore's memoirs as That's My Bloody Plane.
DFC
DFC may refer to:*Dfc is one of four symbols for the subarctic climate under the Köppen climate classification system*David Fickling Comic *decorrelated fast cipher...
, was a Bermudian
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter pilot, and commander of the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers
Bermuda Volunteer Engineers
The Bermuda Volunteer Engineers was a part-time unit created between the two world wars to replace the Regular Royal Engineers detachment, which was withdrawn from the Bermuda Garrison in 1928.-The Military Garrison in Bermuda:...
and the Bermuda Flying School
Bermuda Flying School
The Bermuda Flying School operated on Darrell's Island from 1940 to 1942. It trained Bermudian volunteers as pilots for the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm....
during the Second World War.
First World War
At the start of the First World War, Cecil Montgomery-Moore was an enlisted man in the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle CorpsBermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps was created in 1894 as an all-white racially segregated reserve for the British Regular Army infantry component of the Bermuda Garrison...
. He was given leave to travel to Canada to join the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC), air wing of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, one of twenty or so Bermudians who did so during that war. He was one of two Bermudian airmen to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
during the war (the other being Rowe Spurling
Arthur Spurling
Squadron Leader Arthur Rowe Spurling was a Bermudian who served during the First World War as an infantryman and an aviator, becoming an ace, credited with six aerial victories, and as a ferry pilot during the Second World War....
). In September, 1918, Lieutenant Montgomery-Moore, along with the rest of the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS), became part of the new Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
Between the Wars
Folling the First World War, Montgomery-Moore returned to Bermuda. In 1930, the Bermuda Volunteer EngineersBermuda Volunteer Engineers
The Bermuda Volunteer Engineers was a part-time unit created between the two world wars to replace the Regular Royal Engineers detachment, which was withdrawn from the Bermuda Garrison in 1928.-The Military Garrison in Bermuda:...
(BVE) was created as a replacement for the departed regular Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
detachment of the Bermuda Garrison
Bermuda Garrison
The Bermuda Garrison was the military establishment maintained on the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda by the regular British Army, and its local militia and voluntary reserves from 1701 to 1957. The Garrison existed primarily to defend the Royal Naval Dockyard and other facilities in Bermuda...
(that guarded the Royal Naval Dockyard
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
HMD Bermuda was the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic between American independence and the Cold War. Bermuda had occupied a useful position astride the homeward leg taken by many European vessels from the New World since before its settlement by England in 1609...
in Bermuda). The original role of the BVE was to operate the search lights at coastal artillery batteries, notably the Examination Battery at St. David's Head, the guns of which were manned by the Bermuda Militia Artillery (BMA). The BVE subsequently also took on responsibility for providing signals crew and equipment to all elements of the garrison
The first commanding officer of the BVE was Captain H.D. (later Sir Harry) Butterfield, and Lieutenant Montgomery-Moore was second-in-command. In 1932, Butterfield retired, and Montgomery-Moore succeeded him. The new 2-i-c was Lieutenant Bayard Dill (later Sir Bayard).
Second World War
The BVE, like the other part-time units, was mobilised at the start of the Second World War, fulfilling its role to the Garrison throughout the war. Some members also were detached for service overseas with other units. These included four Sappers who were attached to a larger BVRC contingent despatched to the Lincolnshire Regiment in June, 1940, and Captain Richard GorhamRichard Gorham
Sir Richard Matthew Gorham CBE, DFC, JP was a prominent Bermudian parliamentarian, businessman and philanthropist, who served as a pilot during the Second World War when he played a decisive role in the Battle of Monte Cassino, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.-Bermuda Volunteer...
, who he served in Italy, playing the decisive role in the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for this action.
In Bermuda, Montgomery-Moore was promoted to Major in 1940, and Bayard Dill to Captain. In addition to his role with the BVE, Montgomery-Moore also headed the Bermuda Flying School
Bermuda Flying School
The Bermuda Flying School operated on Darrell's Island from 1940 to 1942. It trained Bermudian volunteers as pilots for the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm....
, which trained 80 local volunteers as pilots for the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
. Volunteers were only accepted from those already serving in the local forces, some of whom came from the BVE.
After 1942, with the RAF having a glut of trained pilots, the school converted into the Bermuda Flying Committee, a recruiting arm for the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
, to which it sent sixty aircrew trainees, as well as twenty-two women to train for ground roles. The BFC was administered to by Major Montgomery-Moore, as well as Bertram Work and others prviously associated with the BFS. Major Montgomery-Moore had been dispatched to Canada to make arrangements for it to send its aircrew candidates, and he was to receive a commendation from the RCAF at the end of the war for his efforts.
Post-War
Following the end of the war, the BVE was demobilised in 1946, as were the other three territorials and the Home GuardHome Guard
-Military:*British Home Guard*Combat Groups of the Working Class *Confederate Home Guard, during the American Civil War*Croatian Home Guard and Imperial Croatian Home Guard*Danish Home Guard...
. The BVRC and the BMA maintained skeleton command structures 'til they began recruiting again in 1951. The BVE, however, with its two main roles becoming obsolete, was disbanded completely.
Major Montgomery-Moore returned to civilian life, eventually resettling in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, where he died. Peter Kilduff posthumously published Montgomery-Moore's memoirs as That's My Bloody Plane.