A town north of London has been caring for the neglected grave of a WWI soldier from New Zealand.
Sergeant George Vivian Thomas Moore was one of many Kiwis based in Stevenage before heading to the Western Front and was buried there after he died from the flu in the pandemic.
He joined 16,000 Kiwi troops in the attack on Gallipoli before receiving the Military Medal for bravery during the Battle of the Somme and was promoted to sergeant.
Sue Milliken, formerly from Christchurch, came across Moore’s grave in 2018 after reading an article in the local newspaper.
“Sergeant Moore is the only Kiwi in this graveyard, I decided I’d like to look after him and his grave and that then started me on the course to find his family,” Milliken said.
Local War Historian Martin Mawhinney says Moore had a varied military life, starting off in the Boer War.
“He volunteered for that campaign volunteered for the GPO in the signal service and became a postmaster,” Mawhinney said.
In 1917, he suffered gunshot wounds to the face and a year later, he died.
“It was a very bitter pill because the war had ended, everyone was looking forward to going home, and then suddenly this brave soldier who'd been through a lot died tragically before going home. The whole town turned out to his funeral,” Mawhinney said.
Moore is known to his great nieces in Auckland and Taihape as great uncle Viv, in a statement the trio said knowing that Milliken is taking care of his grave has been an enormous comfort to them.
“Connecting with his family I realised this soldier has not been forgotten, he’s very well remembered and loved by his family in New Zealand and I think that’s really important for everyone, that our fallen service men and women we mustn't ever forget,” Milliken said.
SHARE ME