Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Henry Moody was born in Cairns on 11 February 1889, the eldest son of George Edwin and Mary Ann Moignard. George Henry’s father George arrived in Townsville in 1880 from Jersey, Channel Islands and landed in Cairns very shortly after Cairns was opened as a port.

He returned to Jersey in 1885 where he married Mary Ann and returned to Cairns, building his first home “Woodbine” where the Council City Library now stands. Three more children followed George Henry, Herbert Edwin 1890, Mabel Augusta 1892 and Arthur Francis 1895.

George Henry’s father, George Edwin Moody was, for a time, partner with Daniel Quigley in running Livery Stables in Lake Street, Cairns. The stables ran cabs to the wharves daily to collect passengers. Both Quigley and Moody lost a son in the First World War. Moody Street Cairns named after George’s brother Herbert Edwin Moody, early resident and cane farmer.

At the time of George’s enlistment he was living in Cairns, single, 26 years 10 months, occupation Clerk and his next of kin his father, George Edwin Moody, Cairns. His height was 5 feet 11 1/2 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, with a dark complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a Methodist.

He was the second of the 3 Moody brothers to enlist. His younger brother Arthur enlisted on 5 March 1915 and his older brother, Herbert Edwin Moody enlisted on 3 January 1917. Both returned to Australia. George embarked Sydney on the SS Hawkes Bay on 20 April 1916. Occasionally, single voyage charters occurred between the ship companies and the AIF to be employed as troop transports.

On 30 August 1916 George qualified at the First Rifle School held at the School of Musketry, Tidworth, Wiltshire, England. Tidworth became known as “Sniper School”. George Henry Moody was killed in action, Messines Ridge, 9 June 1917 in Belgium and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium.
Courtesy of The Cairns District Family History Society.