Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

MOAD FAMILY

Father Arthur MOUAT (MOAD) (d. 20/1/1920, aged 78; buried in Orange Cemetery) and
Mother Mary Ann MOAD (nee Ward - d. 9/5/1935, aged 87; buried in Orange Cemetery)
who farmed Little Springs at Spring Hill, NSW.

Father Arthur was the preacher at the Spring Hill Methodist Church for 45 years; where he
was also the superintendent of the Sunday School.

Siblings:
Arthur MOAD  (b. 1869 - d. 1952)
    m.  Charlotte Jane Arnold (b. 1876 - d. 1948)
William Ward MOAD  (b. 1871 - d. 1945)
    m.  Elizabeth Caroilne Brailey  (b. 1872 - d. 1941)
Sarah MOAD  (b. 1872 - d. 1962)
    m.  William Atkins Parker  (b. 1867 - d. 1957)
James MOAD  (b. 1874 - d. 1943)
    m. nnie Ursula Oates  (b. 1878 - d. 1952)
Martha MOAD  (b. 1876 - d. 1876)
Mary Ann MOAD  (b. 1877 - d. 1963)
    m. Arhtur Downey  (g. 1877 -

Born 12/06/1894, the youngest of 15 children.

Father Arthur MOUAT (MOAD) (d. 20/1/1920, aged 78; buried in Orange Cemetery) and
Mother Mary Ann MOAD (nee Ward - d. 9/5/1935, aged 87; buried in Orange Cemetery)
who farmed Little Springs at Spring Hill, NSW.

Father Arthur was the preacher at the Spring Hill Methodist Church for 45 years; where he
was also the superintendent of the Sunday School.

Francis – also known as Frank – worked on the family farm and was well known in the area as a footballer. He was also a member of the Foresters’ Lodge.

Brother:
Private 16413 Raymond Westley Moad - 4th Field Ambulance
2nd youngest of 15 children born 14/01/1891
Raymond worked on the family farm
29/01/1916  enlisted into WWI  (25 years of age) at Casula
11/02/1916 to 07/03/1916
                   attended camp, B Company Depot
16/03/1916  transferred to Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC), Liverpool
Ray served in the 4th Field Ambulance, and worked as a wardsman at Liverpool
20/05/1916  transferred to 4th Australian General Hospital, Randwick
19/12/1916  embarked Sydney, NSW onboard RMS Orontes
                   as a Private with
17/02/1917  disembarked into Plymouth, England
06/04/1917  proceeded overseas to France
He served for three years in England and France.
He was most fortunate in that he escaped being wounded for the duration
of his service.
10/08/1919  returned to Australia
16/09/1919  discharged from service
On the following Tuesday a public ceremony was held to welcome Raymond
and five other soldiers back to Spring Hill. A “splendid banquet” was served,
speeches delivered and musical items rendered.
Raymond resumed playing cricket, and was a member of the Spring Hill Reserve
Grade Cricket Club during the 1920s.
08/06/1927  he married Eva Russell and settled in Orange
the couple had four children
21/03/1942  enlisted in WWII, aged 51
1976     Raymond died in Orange, aged 85
buried in Orange Cemetery
commemorated on:
- the Spring Hill Church Roll of Honor
- the Spring Hill Public School Honour Roll
- the Spring Hill Temperance Hall Honor Roll.

Francis was described on enlisting as 20 yeras, 7 months of age; single; 154 lbs;
fair complexion; blue eyes; fair hair; Methodist

09/12/1914  Frank enlisted into WWI

20/02/1915  embarked Sydney, NSW onboard HMAT A21 Marere
                   as a Private with 6th Light Horse Regiment

13/07/1915  taken on strength of 6th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC

23/08/1915  transferred to 1st Division Headquarters, ANZAC, Gallipoli

16/09/1915  Allotted new Reg.No. 153

28/10/1915  Private Moad served in Gallipoli and France. Whilst in Gallipoli he was
                   struck with enteric fever

15/12/1915  embarked to England onboatd HS Nevada
                   admitted to Addington Park War Hospital at Croydon in England.

In September 1916 Private Moad proceeded to France to reinforce the 3rd Battalion.

13/10/1916  gun shot wound to left forearm, received in action in Belgium. After
spending two weeks recovering, he rejoined his unit in France on 29 October 1916.

03/11/1916  gun shot wound to chest and forearm - admitted to 15th Field Ambulance
                   transferred to 38th Casualty Clearing Station, France

08/11/1916  he died of his wounds (22 years of age)

Buried in:  Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L'Abbe, France
                Plot V; Row F; Grave 14

In July 1917 Francis’ father received a package containing his son’s personal effects: his disc,
letters, photographs, a pipe, a note book, a religious book, 14 coins, two knives, a purse, two
wallets and a broken fountain pen.

Francis is commemorated on
- Panel 37 at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT.
- his parents’ headstone in Orange Cemetery, Methodist old area
- the Spring Hill Church Roll of Honor
- the Spring Hill Public School Honour Roll
- the Spring Hill Temperance Hall Honor Roll
- the Ancient Order of Foresters Orange Roll of Honor
- the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate
fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte F Moad”; it was donated by the Ancient
Order of Foresters. (Very few of the trees are still standing today.)

Medals:
1914/15 Star (15278); British War medal (9886); Victory medal (9843)
Memorial Plaque and Scroll (301483)

Submitted by Julianne T Ryan.  02/04/2017.  Lest we forget.
(Thank you to Orange City Council for their information)

From François Berthout

 
Today, under the peaceful sun of the Somme which, with its light illuminates the graves of thousands of young men who, in peace, sleep for eternity on the soils of a friendly country which bloom with thousands of poppies on the old battlefields that keep the traces and bravery of a generation of men who bravely, proudly, served their countries and paid the greatest sacrifice to offer us the chance to live today in a peaceful world, they fought with dedication, with determination until their last breath, gone but not and never forgotten, we will always watch over them so that their memory and their sacrifices are never forgotten and today, it is with a very deep gratitude and with my heart that I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to one of my boys of the Somme, Private number 153 Francis Cornwall Moad who fought in the 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of his wounds 104 years ago,on November 8, 1916 at the age of 22 on the Somme front.

Francis Cornwall Moad was born on June 12, 1894 in Spring Hill, New South Wales, and was the youngest of Arthur Moad's 15 children who were the preacher at the Spring Hill Methodist Church for 45 years; where he was also the superintendent of the Sunday School, and of Mary Ann Moad (née Ward). Before the outbreak of the war, Francis lived with his parents in Spring Hill, Orange Municipality,New South Wales, and worked on the family farm and was well known in the area as a footballer. He was also a member of the Foresters Lodge.

Enlisted on December 9, 1914 at Holsworthy, New South Wales, in the 6th Light Horse Regiment, 2nd Reinforcement, he embarked with his unit from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A21 Marere on February 20, 1915 and sailed for the Gallipoli peninsula where he arrived on July 17, 1915 and was transferred from the 6th Ligh Horse Regiment to Divisional Staff then transferred to the 1st Division Headquarter on August 23, 1915.Two months later, on October 30, 1915, he was hospitalized with enteric fever and was transferred to the Gibraltar General Hospital on November 7, 1915. One month later, on December 15, 1915, Francis was evacuated to England for hospitalization at Addington Park War Hospital at Croydon. Nine months later, on September 16, 1916, he proceeded to France to reinforce the 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion in which he was transferred and was disembarked the next day, September 17 at Etaples and was sent to Belgium on September 29 where he was wounded a month later, on October 13, and was admitted to the 12th Casualty Clearing Station with a gunshot wound to the left forearm.After recovering from his injuries, Francis joined his battalion in the Somme, in the Mericourt-l'Abbe sector on October 29, 1916.

Unfortunately, five days later, on November 3, 1916, Francis met his fate and was again wounded by a machine gun bullet in the chest and was admitted to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station at Heilly, Somme, where he died four days later. he was 22 years old.
Today, Francis Cornwall Moad rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-l'Abbe, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "Thy will be done, in memory of a fond and loving son".

Francis Cornwall Moad shares his grave with Private number 4399 Charles Dawes who fought in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of his wounds a day before Francis, on November 7, 1916 at the age of 30 and his grave bears the following inscription "His loved ones in Australia mourn the loss of a good son".

Francis, you who were young but already, in your heart and in your actions, so brave, loved by all, you did not hesitate to answer the call to duty and to join the ranks of your comrades, who, united in an admirable bond of brotherhood, walked together on the paths and the oceans which led them in a war which was raging but which, in the face of the dangers and the horrors which they crossed, never backed down and held on, meter after meter, despite terrible losses, they saw their friends, their brothers, their fathers who fell in the mud of the battlefields of the Somme, under the fire of the cannons and the machine guns, they moved forward with the love of their loved ones in their hearts and with the determination of a whole country, they gave all they had, sacrificing their youth and their future, they fought for their convictions and with faith,they overcame the horrors and fury of the war that claimed so many lives and shattered so many families all over the world in a world war that was to end all wars. Under their steel helmets they faced the dismal roars cannons which rained down death by raising sprays of earth and blood which buried so many young heroes who were ready to come out of their trenches and who, bayonets in front, rifles and pistols in hand, running courageously through the no man's land under the murderous fire of a shower of bullets that spit on them machine guns, showed acts of bravery that we will never forget, in a last momentum, stopped in the middle of this hell, many men, in a last breath of life, fell knowing that they fought and gave their lives for just causes, for freedom, for peace, for humanity, they gave their today for our tomorrow and rest today in peace, in the peaceful and solemn silence of the cemeteries of the Somme, in this silence, poppies and roses grow between the rows of their graves on which, for eternity, are engraved the names of millions of heroes over whom we will watch forever with great respect, united around them, hand in hand, we will always protect their memory so that it remains alive and intact so that each of these men can live with us forever , near us, in our hearts and in our thoughts, we will always carry with honor and pride, with gratitude, the flame of remembrance that we will shine for them and for their families, their names will live on forever, we will never forget them.Thank you so much Francis,with all my heart, for all that you have done, and I am sure that today, you would be happy and proud to see the friendship that unites Australia and France, to see that thanks to you, we have the honor and the privilege of knowing your s families and welcome them, share with them and learn from you thanks to them and come to your graves with respect, hand in hand, these lands of the Somme will always be yours. We will never forget you.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.