Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Sir John Jeremy Moore, (5 July 1928 – 15 September 2007) was a British senior
Royal Marine
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marin ...
officer who served as the commander of the British
land forces during the
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territori ...
in 1982. Moore received the
surrender of the Argentine forces on the islands.
Military career
Moore came from a military family. His father, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Moore, and paternal grandfather, who joined the
York and Lancaster Regiment as a private, were both awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
in 1916 during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
. His maternal grandfather was wounded at
Tel el-Kebir in 1880, and later commanded the
4th Hussars
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to f ...
.
Education
Moore was educated at
Brambletye School
Brambletye School is a coeducational day and boarding preparatory school in East Grinstead, West Sussex. It was founded as a small boys' boarding school in Kent between the world wars. The school moved to West Sussex and has since become coeduc ...
in
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...
in
Sussex and at
Cheltenham College.
[Obituary: Major-General Sir Jeremy Moore]
''The Daily Telegraph'', 18 September 2007 He intended to join the
Fleet Air Arm after leaving school, but was discouraged by relatively poor exam results.
[ He joined the ]Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
in 1947, intending to transfer, and enjoyed Royal Marine service so much that he spent the next 36 years in the Corps. After basic training, and service at sea in the cruiser , he joined X Troop of 40 Commando in Malaya in November 1950, during the Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
.[ He first received a major military accolade in 1952 when he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry after he and his men fought a pitched battle with communist insurgents in the Malayan jungle.][
After attending the ]Australian Army Staff College
The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory:
* the War College,
* the Australian Defence Force Training Cent ...
from 1963 to 1964, Moore served with the 17th Gurkha Division
The 17th Gurkha Division/Overseas Commonwealth Land Forces (Malaya) was a British military formation that saw active service during the Malayan Emergency.
History
The Division was formed on 1 September 1952 at Maxwell Road Camp, Malaya, as part ...
in Borneo in 1965, countering Indonesian insurgents,[ and was Assistant Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee at the ]Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
from 1966 to 1968.[ He served as amphibious operations officer on in 1968 to 1969.
]
Career
Moore served as Housemaster of the Royal Marines School of Music in Deal, Kent in 1954, as an instructor at the NCO's School, as adjutant with 45 Commando from 1957 to 1959, spending much time in operations against EOKA in Cyprus, and then as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst until 1962.[ He was posted to Brunei to join 42 Commando,][ as a company commander and later adjutant. While a company commander, he was awarded a ]Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (un ...
to the Military Cross in December 1962 when he led an attack
Attack may refer to:
Warfare and combat
* Offensive (military)
* Charge (warfare)
* Attack (fencing)
* Strike (attack)
* Attack (computing)
* Attack aircraft
Books and publishing
* ''The Attack'' (novel), a book
* '' Attack No. 1'', comic an ...
against rebels holding the town of Limbang in the Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
area of Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...
, rescuing British and Australian hostages. He and his men were ferried across a river by Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
Lieutenant Jeremy Black, who went on to command in the Falklands War.[
Moore led 42 Commando on a tour of duty in the then ]Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reuni ...
(IRA) stronghold of New Lodge.[ On promotion to lieutenant colonel in 1971, Moore was appointed in command of 42 Commando, completing two tours of duty in ]Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
, including participation in the high-profile '' Operation Motorman'' to eliminate areas proclaimed by the IRA as "no-go" to the Army and police.[ He was appointed an ]Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1973.[
Moore commanded the Royal Marines School of Music from 1973 to 1975, and then studied at the ]Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...
in 1976. He commanded 3 Commando Brigade from 1977 until he was promoted to major general in 1979 and took command of all Royal Marine commando forces. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a care ...
in 1982, and was on the verge of retirement when the Commandant General Royal Marines, Lieutenant General Sir Steuart Pringle, was badly injured by a bomb planted by the IRA.[ Moore remained as Major General Commando Forces to cover for Pringle while he recovered.
Moore was handing over to the recuperated Pringle when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982. He joined the task force planning team at Northwood before flying south to take command of land forces in theatre. His planning post was taken by Lieutenant General Richard Trant. Moore relieved Brigadier Julian Thompson as ground commander when he arrived shortly before the 5th Infantry Brigade, travelling ahead on to reach the islands on 30 May.] Moore implemented the plans proposed by Thompson, with the British soldiers forced to march across the inhospitable islands in the absence of sufficient helicopters and against Argentine resistance. He accepted the surrender of the Argentinian commander, General de Brigada Mario Menéndez, in Port Stanley on 15 June 1982.
Moore was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 11 October 1982 "in recognition of service within the operations in the South Atlantic", and left the Marines in 1983. He became Director General of the Food Manufacturers Federation, but left 18 months later.[ Later in life, he raised money for research into liver diseases after having a liver transplant. He was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines from 1990 to 1993, and joined the parade to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War at ]Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and the Beating Retreat. ...
and the Mall on 17 June 2007.
Family
Moore married his wife, Veryan, in 1966. They had two daughters and a son. In later years, he suffered from arthritis and prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...
.[ Moore died on 15 September 2007, aged 79, and was survived by his wife and three children.
]
References
External links
Biography
Imperial War Museum Interview
Obituary
''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
'', 17 September 2007
Obituary
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'', 18 September 2007
Obituary
''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
'', 26 September 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Jeremy
1928 births
2007 deaths
British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
British military personnel of the Cyprus Emergency
British military personnel of the Malayan Emergency
British military personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Royal Navy personnel of the Falklands War
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
People educated at Cheltenham College
Royal Marines generals
Recipients of the Military Cross
Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
People educated at Brambletye School
Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Liver transplant recipients