Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has had his latest “hero of the month” article published in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The November issue of the magazine has a two-page write-up on the life and bravery of Captain Montagu Shadworth Moore, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for outstanding bravery during the Great War.
Moore was born in Worthing, Sussex, but his family later moved to Bournemouth, Hampshire. In August 1916, aged 19, “Monty” Moore was commissioned as a second lieutenant into The Hampshire Regiment. Within a month, he has been dispatched to France with the regiment’s 15th Battalion.
He was awarded his VC for quite exceptional bravery in September 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres. Moore dashed forward at the head of his 70 men to target an “objective” but, after being met with heavy enemy fire, he arrived there with just a sergeant and four men. Nevertheless, he bombed a large dug-out and captured 28 prisoners, two machine guns and a light field gun.
Later, he and a small party of men became entirely cut off from support but they eventually, after more than 36 hours under shell fire, fought their way back to the British line having been “given up as dead long ago”.
Moore’s VC was announced on November 8 1917 when his citation concluded: “As an example of dashing gallantry and cool determination, this young officer’s exploit would be difficult to surpass.” Moore survived the war and died in Kenya in September 1966, a month short of his 70th birthday.
Lord Ashcroft’s articles for Britain at War over the past five years have been largely based on excerpts from his six books on gallantry: Victoria Cross Heroes, Special Forces Heroes, George Cross Heroes, Heroes of the Skies, Special Ops Heroes and Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II.
For the foreseeable future, Lord Ashcroft’s “hero of the month” articles will concentrate on men who were awarded the VC during the First World War. Lord Ashcroft is a military historian who has lectured extensively on courage and his various medal collections.
- Lord Ashcroft’s latest article appears in the November issue of Britain at War which is on sale now.