George was born in Stepney on 5th November 1893. His father, William, a brewery storekeeper died when George was a teenager. As a result, he moved with his mother and older brother to South Park Drive, Ilford. After attending Cleveland Road School and Goodmayes School, he joined Ilford County High School in September 1906 and stayed until 1910. Whilst at the school he passed his Oxford Junior examination and achieved certificates in Mathematics and drawing. In 1909, as a student in Form IIa, he won a school prize at the annual prize-giving ceremony. Upon leaving the school, he took up a job as an Insurance Clerk
George Diprose Moore’s diary is kept at the Imperial War Museum. In the diary, he records events from his conscription into the army in 1916 and the day he left for training and service with the 2nd Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment). Unlike many of his peers, George was not enthusiastic about joining up and his deep religious belief, good career prospects in a bank and a long-term relationship with a girl called Gladys meant that he was reluctant to fight. However, when he received his call up papers in October 1916, he had two weeks to prepare before boarding a train from Ilford to Warley Barracks. He described the crowds that saw the train off, how he packed items like writing paper, shaving things and chocolate, and how Gladys had cried.
One of his final entries was the following;
“On the train I felt lonely. I prayed for companionship and that we might all come home.”
The first wish came true, he met another old boy of Ilford County High School, Hobdell, and they remained together for the next year. However, George was never to return home- to rejoin the bank or marry his sweetheart Gladys. He was killed on 26th October 1917 (the first day of the second battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) and is commemorated on the Tyne Cott Memorial near the town of Ypres.
Research by Andrew Emeny, History Teacher at ICHS
Sources:
Ancestry.com
ICHS school records and magazines
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
George’s diary which is kept in the Imperial War Museum Archive
Note
Ilford County High School started life as the Park Higher Grade School in 1901 in Balfour Road, Ilford. It was renamed Ilford County High School (or initially County High School, Ilford) in the years after the school’s management was transferred from Ilford School Board to Essex Education Committee in 1904.