Echoes from a Cumbrian Village: Honoring the Fallen of Moor Row

In the heart of West Cumbria, nestled between the industrial heritage of Cleator Moor and the coastal reach of Whitehaven, lies the village of Moor Row. To a passing traveler today, it is a quiet, scenic community.

But look closer at the names etched into its war memorial, and you will find a generation of courage that reached from the quiet lanes of Cumberland to the furthest corners of the globe.

From the muddy trenches of the Somme to the silent depths of the Mediterranean, the men of Moor Row answered the call in both the First and Second World Wars. Today, we look back at their stories - not just as names on a list, but as sons, husbands, and neighbors who never came home.

The Great War: A Generation Lost (1914–1918)

For a small village, the toll of the First World War was staggering. The names on the memorial reveal the sheer geographical span of the conflict. Take, for instance, Private Leonard Chapple of the Seaforth Highlanders. Born in Moor Row and enlisted in Whitehaven, Leonard was just 22 when he was killed in action in March 1918. He has no known grave; his name is instead etched on the Pozieres Memorial in France, a testament to the chaotic intensity of the Spring Offensive.

Then there is the story of Lance Corporal Walter Cresswell. His journey was truly global - born in Moor Row, he moved to Canada and worked as a telegraph operator before enlisting in Toronto with the Canadian Infantry. After surviving the rigors of service, he tragically succumbed to a prolonged illness in 1920. His burial in Toronto reminds us that the "Moor Row boys" are resting in soil far beyond the Cumbrian fells.

The village also felt the sting of the naval and mountain campaigns. Private William Southward was lost at Gallipoli, while Corporal Thomas Glover died of wounds in Italy. 

Whether in the heat of Egypt or the mud of Flanders, the men of Moor Row were there. 

The Second World War: Sacrifice on Every Front (1939–1945)

When war returned in 1939, a new generation from Moor Row stepped forward. The records from this era highlight the technological and perilous nature of modern warfare, particularly at sea and in the air.

  • At Sea: The village lost several young men to the waves. Boy 1st Class John Smith, just 17 years old, was lost when HMS Prince of Wales was sunk in December 1941. Able Seaman Kenneth Rae died when HMS Itchen was torpedoed by a U-boat in 1943.
  • In the Air: Sergeant Eric Bone, an air gunner with the RAF, was only 22 when his Lancaster bomber was shot down over Germany on Christmas Eve, 1944.
  • On Land: Second Lieutenant Thomas Leonard Williams, an Oxford University student before the war, gave his life while serving with the Royal Engineers in the Middle East. 

More Than Just Names

Behind the cold military data - Private, Gunner, Service Number - lay deeply personal local connections. Many of these men lived on John Street, Penzance Street, and Scalegill Road. They were apprentice plumbers, butchers’ salesmen, and railway workers.

They left behind widowed mothers and young wives who continued to live in the village long after the guns fell silent. Some names on the memorial, like Bowness, Bryant, and Goad, carry the notation "No further information available."

While their specific military records may be hard to trace today, their inclusion on the stone ensures they are never truly forgotten by the community they called home.

Keeping the Memory Alive

As the years pass, the duty falls to us to remember these men from West Cumbria. They were ordinary individuals from a small village who found themselves in extraordinary - and often terrifying - circumstances.

The next time you walk through Moor Row, take a moment to think of the telegraph operator or the young sailor. They were the pride of the village then, and they remain our heroes now.

Lest We Forget.

Name Rank & Service No. Unit / Regiment Date of Death Notes / Commemoration
WORLD WAR I (1914-1918)
BOWNESS, JNo further information currently available
BRYANTNo further information currently available
CHAPPLE, Leonard Private S/11595 7th Bn, Seaforth Highlanders 24 March 1918 Aged 22. Pozieres Memorial, Somme.
CRANKE, Harry Gunner 221075 161st Siege Bty, RGA 30 October 1918 Aged 19. St. Souplet British Cemetery.
CRESSWELL, Walter Lance Corporal 138155 75th Bn, Canadian Infantry 28 April 1920 Aged 25. Died of sickness. Toronto Cemetery.
EILBECK, Burnett Private 19277 2nd Bn, Border Regiment 11 October 1917 Godewaersvelde British Cemetery.
ERRINGTON, Joseph Private 19159 1st Bn, Border Regiment 20 October 1916 Thiepval Memorial, Somme.
FARAGHER, Tom Private 36801 8th Bn, Border Regiment 17 April 1918 Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
FARAGHER, William Private 12708 7th Bn, Border Regiment 26 September 1915 Aged 29. Brandhoek Military Cemetery.
FERGUSON, BNo further information currently available
FISHER, HNo further information currently available
FULTON, Samuel Private 19160 1st Bn, Border Regiment 1 July 1916 Thiepval Memorial, Somme.
GLOVER, Alfred Private 14764 7th Bn, Border Regiment 11 October 1918 Rocquigny-Equancourt Road Cemetery.
GLOVER, Thomas Corporal 241213 2nd Bn, Border Regiment 1 September 1918 Aged 23. Died in Italy. Trento Cemetery.
GOAD, RNo further information currently available
HADWIN, Jonah Private 53006 11th Bn, Lancashire Fusiliers 30 April 1918 Aged 30. Dozinghem Military Cemetery.
HANSON, TNo further information currently available
HOLD, Edmund Acting Corporal 19164 8th Bn, Border Regiment 15 July 1916 Pozieres British Cemetery.
HUNTER, ANo further information currently available
IRVING, CNo further information currently available
IRVING, JNo further information currently available
IRVING, WNo further information currently available
JACKSON, Thomas B Private 17822 7th Bn, Border Regiment 25 June 1916 Citadel New Military Cemetery.
JAMES, JNo further information currently available
LANCASTER, Harry Private 16/1628 16th Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers 16 July 1916 Aged 27. Etretat Churchyard.
MITCHELL, CNo further information currently available
MURRAY, WNo further information currently available
NICHOLSON, George Corporal 12827 7th Bn, Border Regiment 3 September 1915 Zantvoorde British Cemetery.
O'NEILL, James Private 19287 6th Bn, Border Regiment 27 September 1916 Aged 20. Thiepval Memorial.
PALMER, Philip Private 12581 6th Bn, Border Regiment 7 September 1915 Aged 23. Cairo War Memorial Cemetery.
PHILLIPS, W T HNo further information currently available
ROBINSON, Robert Private 2021292 72nd Bn, Canadian Infantry 27 September 1918 Aged 30. Quarry Wood Cemetery.
SMITH, JNo further information currently available
SOUTHWARD, William Private 14033 6th Bn, Border Regiment 21 August 1915 Aged 24. Green Hill Cemetery, Gallipoli.
STEADMAN, JNo further information currently available
STEELE, RNo further information currently available
WALKER, HNo further information currently available
WILKINSON, John W Private 14386 14th Bn, Durham Light Infantry 19 December 1915 Potijze Burial Ground Cemetery.
WRIGHT, BNo further information currently available
WRIGHT, INo further information currently available
YOUNG, JNo further information currently available
YOUNG, TNo further information currently available
WORLD WAR II (1939-1945)
BEWLEY, John B Private 1528309 Hallamshire Bn, York & Lancaster 1 March 1945 Aged 29. Brookwood Memorial.
BONE, Eric Sergeant 1541373 103 Squadron, RAFVR 24 December 1944 Aged 22. Venray War Cemetery.
COX, John Fusilier 5961118 8th Bn, Royal Fusiliers 30 September 1943 Aged 20. Bone War Cemetery, Algeria.
HIGGIN, ANo further information currently available
HORNELL, Kenneth V Ordinary Seaman LT/JX 436509 Royal Naval Patrol Service 14 June 1943 Aged 19. Lowestoft Naval Memorial.
JEFFERY, ENo further information currently available
MOYLE, Richard H Sergeant 2219023 12 OTU, RAFVR 16 May 1944 Runnymede Memorial.
RAE, Kenneth Able Seaman D/JX 366006 HMS Itchen, Royal Navy 23 September 1943 Aged 21. Plymouth Naval Memorial.
SMITH, John Boy 1st Class D/JX 166841 HMS Prince of Wales, RN 10 December 1941 Aged 17. Plymouth Naval Memorial.
THOMPSON, HNo further information currently available
THOMPSON, Leonard Leading Telegraphist D/JX 152099 HMS Submarine Trooper, RN 17 October 1943 Aged 22. Plymouth Naval Memorial.
WILLIAMS, Thomas L 2nd Lieutenant 130532 Royal Engineers 13 March 1941 Aged 21. Ismailia War Memorial Cemetery.

Lest We Forget
Lest We Forget
Location: Moor Row CA24, UK

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