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bootybandy · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:44 pm Post subject: JJ Moore

Just popped onto Once a Marine Always a Marine site and found out that JJ Moore had passed away today. Apart from once being the CO in Deal when I was there, I also believe that our Townsergeant had fond memories of the man. A true gent and a superb Marine. RiP Sir.

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Jimbo · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:46 pm Post subject:

Sad news indeed.

My thoughts to his family and friends.

RIP Sir
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Jim

www.corporatestix.co.uk

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

General Melchett · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:14 pm Post subject:

A legend both within the Corps and outside. RIP
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admin · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:21 pm Post subject:

He was the inspecting officer at my passout... Rest in peace Sir...
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Dan A · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject:

A great Royal Marine and a supporter of the Band Service. I was fortunate enough to receive a distinguished pass on my Drum Course passout from General Moore when he was the Commandant at Deal in 1975.

JJ Moore was much respected by all who met him.
RIP
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townsergeant · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject:

I spoke to him at the Falklands 25 Commemoration in June at Lancaster House. He was somewhat frail, but in good spirits.

(Fond memories of the pub named after him!)

Top man, MC* and all that jazz...RIP
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townsergeant · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:32 am Post subject:

Obituary from the Timesonline:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2469102.ece
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Nill Illigitimi Carborundum

admin · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject:

Source: Times Online (before it dissapears!)
Major-General Sir Jeremy Moore
Commander of Land Forces in the Falklands conflict who led a victorious attack and received the Argentine surrender
Rear-Admiral Sandy Woodward, the Naval Task Force Commander, recounts how he came ashore to Port Stanley directly after the Argentine surrender of the Falklands to confer with Major-General Moore, the Land Force Commander. There were disturbing numbers of not-yet-disarmed Argentine soldiers wandering about, leading Woodward to become concerned about safety. “Christ,” he thought, “what supreme irony to be done to death by this lot.” The general remained unperturbed. “Sandy, old chap”, he said, “don’t even think about it. When an army surrenders, they are completely demoralised, right down to the last man.” “Some don’t look it,” remarked Woodward. “Perhaps not,” replied Moore, “but they always are.”

Woodward recalled how at that moment he realised how much of a thorough going, professional military officer this man was, a man who had led his troops with bravery, care and skill to victory on the ground against all the odds. “He had not asked of anyone more than he was prepared to give himself. I don’t know how much he frightened the Argentinians, but he certainly did a good deal more than just impress me”.

The Falklands was the culminating campaign of a career that had seen a remarkable amount of active service in many parts of the world. Moore had been just about to retire when the Commandant General Royal Marines, Lieutenant-General Sir Steuart Pringle, was badly injured by an IRA bomb. As Major-General Commando Forces he was asked to stay on until Pringle was fit to resume his duties. When the crisis broke in April 1982, Moore moved with his staff to the Northwood headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, where he provided much needed operational advice about amphibious operations to planners confronted with a totally unrehearsed scenario.

The act of recovering the Falkland Islands was an operation well outside the cosy assumptions of successive British defence policy statements, with their fixation on the narrow Central European front. An amphibious landing was to be attempted 8,000 miles from home, without allies, lacking air-borne early warning radars and opposed by a formidable air force. Economies that were at that time being proposed by the Secretary of Defence, John Nott, would have removed much of Britain’s maritime capability outside the Nato area. Success or failure here would determine the future of the Government, of the Royal Navy, of Anglo-US relations, the country’s self-image and, not least, the freedom of the islanders.

In the event, command of the surrounding sea and a tolerable situation in the air was achieved, albeit with substantial naval losses. The first landing by 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines reinforced by two battalions of The Parachute Regiment was made in San Carlos Sound on East Falkland on May 21, led by Brigadier Julian Thompson, Royal Marines. The day before, Moore had flown to Ascension Island to join the liner Queen Elizabeth II and the embarked troops of 5 Infantry Brigade. When these arrived on May 30, Moore assumed command of all the land forces, now close to divisional strength but still outnumbered by the Argentinians. Moore endorsed Thompson’s overall plan – later generously awarding him the title of “Man of the Match” – which was much affected by the sinking of the container ship Atlantic Conveyor by an air-launched Exocet missile and the consequent loss of helicopter heavy lift capacity. Most soldiers and Royal Marines had to yomp the 60 miles to Port Stanley across rough, wet country, storming a series of hilly features with gallant night attacks on the way.

Having seen the pressures under which Admiral Fieldhouse, the Task Force Commander, was placed almost daily by Margaret Thatcher and her War Cabinet, and the impatient directives to Brigadier Thompson, Moore knew that one of his many duties was to be as up-beat as possible within the constraints of veracity, making sure that signals full of optimism were sent to the War Cabinet daily while giving his subordinates their missions and letting them get on with it. He spent most of his time controlling operations from forward in the front line and was eventually rewarded by receiving General Menéndez’s surrender at Port Stanley on June 14.

The third generation of his family to be awarded the MC, Moore originally wanted to join the Fleet Air Arm and saw a route to this by becoming a Royal Marine, as was then possible. However, discovering that the marines were “vastly more exciting and interesting – men rather than machines”, he completed basic training, served at sea in the cruiser Sirius and then joined 40 Commando RM in the Malayan jungle in November 1950.

“I had a tremendous time in Malaya, absolutely smashing. I managed to extend my tour and serve three years with the brigade . . .We were bloody inefficient to start with and didn’t understand the jungle . . .There was more courage than skill in many of the things that went on”. A particularly successful patrol and ambush contributed to the award of his first MC. During their stint in Malaya, 3 Commando Brigade killed or captured 221 Chinese Communist guerrillas at a cost of 30 commandos killed. Lasting from 1948 to 1960, this politico-military campaign in support of Malayan nation-building is often cited as a model of its kind.

Tours at the Royal Marines School of Music and at the NCO’s school were followed in 1957 by two years’ further active service as the adjutant of 45 Commando in the Near East, including operations against Greek-sympathising Eoka guerrillas during the Cyprus emergency. Moore was appointed an instructor at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst for three years, then sent out again to the Far East to 42 Commando as their adjutant.

The creation of an independent Malaysian federation prompted the Kedayan farming community and other secessionists in the former British protectorate of Brunei to stage the first major revolt in December 1962, occupying several towns, including the capital. Across the border in Sarawak, they held hostages, including the British Resident, Mr Morris, and his wife, at the police station in Limbang. Leading a company of commandos embarked on cargo lighters, Moore decided to go straight for the enemy’s headquarters at first light, presumed to be in the police station. The rebels’ firepower was double that expected and two marines were killed before landing. The hostages were found and released unharmed, the British Resident having been told he was to be hanged that day. The town was secured. Five marines were killed and six men wounded, but this determined and bloody action, with other events elsewhere involving companies of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the Queen’s Own Highlanders, broke the rebellion. Moore was awarded a bar to his MC.

Following a posting to the Australian Staff College, he joined the staff of the 17th Gurkha Division, then engaged in countering Indonesian incursions into North Borneo in pursuit of President Sukarno’s continuing confrontation with the Federation of Malaysia. Lasting nearly four years from 1963 and involving some 17,000 troops, this was a strange, undeclared and unknown war, but a most successful one, showing that the British Army could fight as well in the jungle as anyone. During this period, Moore found himself opposing Indonesian officers who had been co-students at the staff college; one whom he had known quite well “conducted his operations entirely predictably”.

A Ministry of Defence tour in the Chiefs of Staff secretariat was followed by sea duty in the commando carrier Bulwark as amphibious operations officer. Subsequently, the third of his training jobs gave him the responsibility for the selection and training of all Royal Marines officers.

On promotion to lieutenant-colonel in 1971, Moore was appointed in command of 42 Commando, completing two tours in Northern Ireland, including participation in the high-profile Operation Motorman to eliminate areas proclaimed by the IRA as “no-go” to the Army and police. He was appointed OBE for his services in 1973.

From 42 Commando he was put in charge of the Royal Marines School of Music in 1973, was a student at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1976 and in command of 3 Commando Brigade from 1977. The contemporary shift in Britain’s defence priorities was illustrated by Moore’s preoccupation with the expansion of the Royal Marines’ commitment to the northern flank of Nato by a brigade-sized force – hot climates had been replaced by cold ones, jungle skills by Arctic survival.

He was promoted to major-general in charge of all commando forces in August 1979 and was appointed CB in 1982 just before his expected retirement date. His appointment to KCB followed from the Falklands campaign and he finally left the service in 1983.

He held the post of director general of the Food and Drink Federation for 18 months but “it was not my scene, I was not enjoying it and, frankly, I was not doing a good job”. However, as well as communal and charitable activities, a number of other opportunities in the industrial training and broadcasting field opened up with consultancies and directorships. He was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines between 1990 and 1993 and an adviser to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence.

He is survived by his wife, Veryan, whom he married in 1966, and their son and two daughters.

Major-General Sir Jeremy Moore KCB, OBE, MC and Bar, Royal Marines, Falklands campaign Land Force Commander 1982, Major-General Commando Forces RM, 1979-82, was born on July 5, 1928. He died on September 15, 2007, aged 79

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Jimbo · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject:

Is the band service going to send a card?
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Cheers

Jim

www.corporatestix.co.uk

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Hornblower · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:31 am Post subject:

RIP

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styx · Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:28 pm Post subject: JJ Moore

I had th privalige of serving with JJ in 42 Cdo and at Deal. where he signed my discharge papers. A true Gent. Will be sadly missed by the Corps Family as well as his own Family.

Stand at Ease, Sir, Duty well done.

R.I.P.

Ian (Sammy) Sandell
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