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Charlie Moore (Australian rules footballer)
Encyclopedia
Walter Charles "Charlie" Moore (24 September 1875 – 12 May 1901) was an Australian rules football
er who played for Essendon Football Club
in the Victorian Football League
(VFL), and who also served as a trooper
in the Anglo-Boer War
.
He was the first Fijian-born player in the VFL/AFL.
Walter Moore was the first VFL player to die in active service in any war
.
on 24 September 1875.
His mother was the aunt of Roy Cazaly
; making Moore Cazaly's cousin. His eldest sister, Edith (1868–1907), was married to Sir Francis Pratt Winter (1848–1919).
Moore married Rose Alice Walters (1872–1924) on 9 May 1898 at Fitzroy, Victoria
; they had one child, George Clarence Leonard Moore (1898–1967), born in Collingwood on 8 November 1898.
His father the Hon. George Moore, originally a soldier, worked as a government official in Fiji from 1872. In 1876 he was appointed as the first Government Surveyor; in 1880 was promoted to Staff Surveyor; and in 1899 he became the Commissioner of Lands, Works, and Water Supply, and the Crown Surveyor. He was awarded the Imperial Service Order
for his service in 1903.
At the time of Moore's death in South Africa, his father resided in Fiji, and his mother and sister lived at 46 St Vincent Place
, Albert Park
— the street surrounding the park in which a memorial to Charlie Moore would later be erected.
He attended Albert Park State School.
— and possibly the South Melbourne Football Club
— in the Victorian Football Association
before playing in the VFL.
Moore made his debut for Essendon in the first season of the VFL, on 3 July 1897, against Collingwood
at Victoria Park
.
Although short (169 cm/ 5' 6½"), Moore played at full-forward for Essendon. At a time when a team's best goal-kicker usually played at centre-half forward, he was their leading goal-kicker in 1898 (his first full season) with 20 goals. In just 15 games he came fifth in the competition's goal-kicking list.
In three seasons he played a total of 30 senior games for Essendon, kicking 34 goals.
In the 1898 VFL Grand Final
, Moore played against Fitzroy's
Stan Reid
who would also die in the Boer War. Moore kicked one goal in Essendon's loss to Fitzroy
Following the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War
, Moore enlisted in the Imperial Military Forces in the Fourth Victoria (Colonial) Imperial Bushmen's Contingent. The stated requirement for enlistment was that candidates must be capable horsemen, and have a certain amount of bush experience. According to (Main & Allen, (2002), pp. 3,5), The Official Records of the Military Contingents to the War in South Africa noted that:
At the time of his enlistment, Moore listed his occupation as "chainman", which indicated that his work was with surveying teams
in the bush, and, in particular, that he was responsible for the application of the Gunter's chain
. At the time, his height was measured at 5' 6¼" (168.25cm), and his chest at 36in (91.5cm).
Corporal Moore left Australia for South Africa on 1 May 1900, with the Fourth (Imperial) Contingent, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Kelly,
According to a fellow trooper, soon after Moore arrived in South Africa, he was demoted to Private for getting "too big for his boots", and having "looked upon the wine when it was red"
On 12 May 1901, Moore was part of a reconnaissance squad patrolling in the location of the Toorberg Mountain above the Doornbosch Farm when they came across and engaged a group of Boers.
In the ensuing battle, Moore had his horse shot out from underneath him, and he took cover behind the body of the fallen horse. He was then seriously wounded when a Boer bullet hit him in the waist, having passed through the body of the dead horse.
Moore eventually killed his Boer opponent after eight shots, and had struggled back to a ridge and was crawling along it on his hands and knees when his mates found him. They took the gravely wounded Moore to the nearby Kwaggashoek Farmhouse. He died of his wounds that night; a contemporary South Melbourne newspaper claimed that Moore "was the first man of the Imperial Contingent to die of gunshot wounds".
He was originally buried near to where he died; his body was later exhumed and he is now buried in the Dutch Reformed Church cemetery, Somerset East, Eastern Cape
, South Africa
.
Charles Moore is commemorated on war memorials at:
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played for Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL), and who also served as a trooper
Trooper (rank)
Trooper from the French "troupier" is the equivalent rank to private in a regiment with a cavalry tradition in the British Army and many other Commonwealth armies, including those of Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Today, most cavalry units operate in the armoured role, equipped...
in the Anglo-Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
He was the first Fijian-born player in the VFL/AFL.
Walter Moore was the first VFL player to die in active service in any war
VFL/AFL players who died in active service
Since the inception of the Victorian Football League in 1897, many of its players have served in the armed services, including the Anglo-Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War , and the Vietnam War .A number of the VFL players who served also lost their lives in active...
.
Private life
The third son (the sixth child of twelve) of George Moore (1843–1925) and Elizabeth Jane née Cazaly (1845–1924), Walter Charles Moore was born in FijiFiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
on 24 September 1875.
His mother was the aunt of Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly was an Australian rules football player famous for his high marks and ruck work, which gave rise to the phrase "Up There Cazaly".-Early life/career:...
; making Moore Cazaly's cousin. His eldest sister, Edith (1868–1907), was married to Sir Francis Pratt Winter (1848–1919).
Moore married Rose Alice Walters (1872–1924) on 9 May 1898 at Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
; they had one child, George Clarence Leonard Moore (1898–1967), born in Collingwood on 8 November 1898.
His father the Hon. George Moore, originally a soldier, worked as a government official in Fiji from 1872. In 1876 he was appointed as the first Government Surveyor; in 1880 was promoted to Staff Surveyor; and in 1899 he became the Commissioner of Lands, Works, and Water Supply, and the Crown Surveyor. He was awarded the Imperial Service Order
Imperial Service Order
The Imperial Service Order was established by King Edward VII in August 1902. It was awarded on retirement to the administration and clerical staff of the Civil Service throughout the British Empire for long and meritorious service. Normally a person must have served for 25 years to become...
for his service in 1903.
At the time of Moore's death in South Africa, his father resided in Fiji, and his mother and sister lived at 46 St Vincent Place
St Vincent Place
St Vincent Place is a heritage precinct in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia.St Vincent Place is bounded by Park Street, Cecil Street, Bridport Street, Cardigan Place and Nelson Road. It is bisected by Montague Street, allowing the passage of trams on route 1...
, Albert Park
Albert Park, Victoria
Albert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
— the street surrounding the park in which a memorial to Charlie Moore would later be erected.
He attended Albert Park State School.
Footballer
Moore played for the Albert Park Football ClubAlbert Park Football Club
Albert Park Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 3 km south of Melbourne in the suburb of Albert Park.Originally affiliated with the VFA during the 19th century.The club colours are red and white....
— and possibly the South Melbourne Football Club
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
— in the Victorian Football Association
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
before playing in the VFL.
Moore made his debut for Essendon in the first season of the VFL, on 3 July 1897, against Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
at Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Melbourne
Victoria Park is a sports venue in Abbotsford a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Built for the purpose of both Australian rules football and cricket, the stadium is oval shaped....
.
Although short (169 cm/ 5' 6½"), Moore played at full-forward for Essendon. At a time when a team's best goal-kicker usually played at centre-half forward, he was their leading goal-kicker in 1898 (his first full season) with 20 goals. In just 15 games he came fifth in the competition's goal-kicking list.
In three seasons he played a total of 30 senior games for Essendon, kicking 34 goals.
In the 1898 VFL Grand Final
1898 VFL Grand Final
The 1898 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club, held in Melbourne on 24 September 1898...
, Moore played against Fitzroy's
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
Stan Reid
Stan Reid
Stanley Spencer Reid was an Australian rules footballer with the Fitzroy Football Club from 1894 to 1898.Soon after his retirement from VFL football, he became an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church....
who would also die in the Boer War. Moore kicked one goal in Essendon's loss to Fitzroy
Sportsman
In addition to his footballing skills, Moore was also an excellent swimmer, and a highly talented boxer. In the early days of his sojourn in South Africa, Moore showed off his sporting prowess by winning the Regiment boxing competition and being runner up in the swimming competition:Soldier
According to a fellow trooper in South Africa, Moore was "university trained, gifted, and well fitted to lead men and gain respect from his comrades".Following the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, Moore enlisted in the Imperial Military Forces in the Fourth Victoria (Colonial) Imperial Bushmen's Contingent. The stated requirement for enlistment was that candidates must be capable horsemen, and have a certain amount of bush experience. According to (Main & Allen, (2002), pp. 3,5), The Official Records of the Military Contingents to the War in South Africa noted that:
At the time of his enlistment, Moore listed his occupation as "chainman", which indicated that his work was with surveying teams
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
in the bush, and, in particular, that he was responsible for the application of the Gunter's chain
Gunter's chain
Gunter's chain is a measuring device used for land survey. It was designed and introduced in 1620 by English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter long before the development of the theodolite and other more sophisticated equipment, enabling plots of land to be accurately surveyed and plotted,...
. At the time, his height was measured at 5' 6¼" (168.25cm), and his chest at 36in (91.5cm).
Corporal Moore left Australia for South Africa on 1 May 1900, with the Fourth (Imperial) Contingent, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Kelly,
According to a fellow trooper, soon after Moore arrived in South Africa, he was demoted to Private for getting "too big for his boots", and having "looked upon the wine when it was red"
On 12 May 1901, Moore was part of a reconnaissance squad patrolling in the location of the Toorberg Mountain above the Doornbosch Farm when they came across and engaged a group of Boers.
In the ensuing battle, Moore had his horse shot out from underneath him, and he took cover behind the body of the fallen horse. He was then seriously wounded when a Boer bullet hit him in the waist, having passed through the body of the dead horse.
Moore eventually killed his Boer opponent after eight shots, and had struggled back to a ridge and was crawling along it on his hands and knees when his mates found him. They took the gravely wounded Moore to the nearby Kwaggashoek Farmhouse. He died of his wounds that night; a contemporary South Melbourne newspaper claimed that Moore "was the first man of the Imperial Contingent to die of gunshot wounds".
He was originally buried near to where he died; his body was later exhumed and he is now buried in the Dutch Reformed Church cemetery, Somerset East, Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Remembered
- Charles Moore Memorial drinking fountain, St Vincent GardensSt Vincent Gardens, MelbourneSt Vincent Gardens in the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park, is an Australian park of national significance.It is an example of nineteenth century residential development around a large landscaped square. Development occurred as a result of a boom following the Victorian gold rush...
, St Vincent PlaceSt Vincent PlaceSt Vincent Place is a heritage precinct in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia.St Vincent Place is bounded by Park Street, Cecil Street, Bridport Street, Cardigan Place and Nelson Road. It is bisected by Montague Street, allowing the passage of trams on route 1...
, Albert Park, VictoriaAlbert Park, VictoriaAlbert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
, erected by public subscription. - Boer War Memorial in Ballarat, VictoriaBallarat, VictoriaBallarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
. - Memorial Shrine with drinking fountain and a lamp, at Bank Street South Melbourne; a memorial to the 140 residents of the City of South MelbourneSouth Melbourne, VictoriaSouth Melbourne is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...
who served in the Boer War in various contingents (includes a separate list of the eight of the 140, including Moore, who had lost their lives in active service). - Australian War Memorial, CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. - Albert Park State School.
External links
- Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Charles Moore (301)
- Australian War Memorial Boer War Nominal Roll: Charles Moore (301)
- The Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra Inc.: Graves and Memorials of Australians in the Boer War 1899-1902: Melbourne, Vic, Albert Park (accessed 26 April 2008).
- AFL Statistics: Charlie Moore
- "Club Honour Board", (Essendon Football Club website). Accessed 26 April 2008.
- AFL Statistics (Round by Round) — Essendon 1897
- AFL Statistics (Round by Round) — Essendon 1898
- AFL Statistics (Round by Round) — Essendon 1899
- Defending Victoria Website: 4th Victorian "Imperial" Contingent
- Australians in the Boer War, Oz-Boer Database Project, Full Record: Charles Moore (301)
- Cazaly Family Tree