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Remembered Today:

R.C. Chaplain in Mesopotamia?


curranl

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Hello All,

I am trying to get some information on a Father Phillip Moore who served in Mesopotamia. In The Cross on the Sword it says he "was buried in the vestments he wore in Mesopotamia". This man was a parish priest in my home place in County Kilkenny and my father remembers his father telling him how this priest would suddenly fall silent while celebrating Mass. The congregation, knowing he suffered from shell shock, would simply wait for him to restart.

I'm afraid that's all I have to go on. I don't know if he was involved in the early sucesses, the siege at Kut or the later campaign. The 1st Connaught Rangers were involved in the force under General Maude and they would seem like a good bet for an R.C. Chaplain. I have searched the Natonal Archives online system, but can't find an obvious Phillip Moore.

I've just read Ron Wilcox's Battles on the Tigris, but no mention of my man. He does quote a passage from E. O. Mousley (Secrets of a Kuttite) in which Mousley describes a padre trying to help the men on the death march from Kut. Unfortunately, Mousley doesn't identify the padre by name in the passage.

Does anyone have any other material on the campaign that might give me some more information on Phillip Moore?

Regards,

Liam.

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  • 4 months later...
Hello All,

I am trying to get some information on a Father Phillip Moore who served in Mesopotamia. In The Cross on the Sword it says he "was buried in the vestments he wore in Mesopotamia". This man was a parish priest in my home place in County Kilkenny and my father remembers his father telling him how this priest would suddenly fall silent while celebrating Mass. The congregation, knowing he suffered from shell shock, would simply wait for him to restart.

I'm afraid that's all I have to go on. I don't know if he was involved in the early sucesses, the siege at Kut or the later campaign. The 1st Connaught Rangers were involved in the force under General Maude and they would seem like a good bet for an R.C. Chaplain. I have searched the Natonal Archives online system, but can't find an obvious Phillip Moore.

I've just read Ron Wilcox's Battles on the Tigris, but no mention of my man. He does quote a passage from E. O. Mousley (Secrets of a Kuttite) in which Mousley describes a padre trying to help the men on the death march from Kut. Unfortunately, Mousley doesn't identify the padre by name in the passage.

Does anyone have any other material on the campaign that might give me some more information on Phillip Moore?

Regards,

Have you tried local museums in Kilkenny, parochial obituaries, the Gazette, Moore family members (now)

newspapers. Unlikely to give tracking information of associated regiments though!

Liam.

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Hello All,

I am trying to get some information on a Father Phillip Moore who served in Mesopotamia. In The Cross on the Sword it says he "was buried in the vestments he wore in Mesopotamia". This man was a parish priest in my home place in County Kilkenny and my father remembers his father telling him how this priest would suddenly fall silent while celebrating Mass. The congregation, knowing he suffered from shell shock, would simply wait for him to restart.

I'm afraid that's all I have to go on. I don't know if he was involved in the early sucesses, the siege at Kut or the later campaign. The 1st Connaught Rangers were involved in the force under General Maude and they would seem like a good bet for an R.C. Chaplain. I have searched the Natonal Archives online system, but can't find an obvious Phillip Moore.

I've just read Ron Wilcox's Battles on the Tigris, but no mention of my man. He does quote a passage from E. O. Mousley (Secrets of a Kuttite) in which Mousley describes a padre trying to help the men on the death march from Kut. Unfortunately, Mousley doesn't identify the padre by name in the passage.

Does anyone have any other material on the campaign that might give me some more information on Phillip Moore?

Regards,

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have you tried local museums in Kilkenny, parochial obituaries, the Gazette, Moore family members (now)

newspapers. Unlikely to give tracking information of associated regiments though!

JPL

Liam.

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Liam I have just finished going through the Meath Chronicle Newspaper 1914 - 1919 on microfilm

While the newspaper was Nationalist and there is not much mention of war related items there was much coverage of any RC Priests who went to serve during the war years.

Perhaps the local newspapers in Kilkenny would have some mention of him.

We had a Parish priest here who served in the war - much the same as your story all the parishoners knew and accepted that he suffered from shellshock.

Most of the information I could get about him was from the familys of his housekeepers or any other people who worked in the parochial house while he was there. Could you get in contact with any of these?

Isadore

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Liam,

I too have searched the TNA on-line with no result. However I have found a Reverend Philip Moore commissioned as an Army Chaplain in 1915.

Note that the Gazette has one 'L' in Philip.

You could now check through the Army List to see if he is listed as a R.C. Chaplain.

A B)archiveDownload.pdf

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Have you tried the local diocese - in my experience the church keeps excellent records

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Hello All,

Many thanks for all your contributions. I had been trying to research him via the NA online system and it looks like I should have been looking closer to home. I'll try the various suggestions.

Audax, particular thanks to you for turning up that. How do I access the Army List? Is it something I can check online?

Regards,

Liam.

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Liam, also if Kilkenny County Library has a local history section it might be worth your while seeing if they have any parish or diocesan histories that may have been compiled over the years.

There may be more information in the parish Fr. Moore served in immediatly after the war if this wasnt your parish.

Keep us posted

Isadore

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As far as I know the RC chaplain to the Connaught Rangers out there was a Down and Connor priest. I don't have my notes here, but I'll check when I get to school.

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