John Francis Moore – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Sarah Alice

Engineman John Francis Moore – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Sarah Alice

Early Life and Family

John Francis Moore was born in 1891 in Swansea, the son of Philip and Catherine Moore. He grew up in a town with strong maritime traditions, where many men found work in the docks, shipyards, and the Royal Naval Reserve. John later followed this path into naval service.

Service with the Royal Naval Reserve

John served as an Engineman in the Royal Naval Reserve, a skilled engineering rating responsible for the running, maintenance, and repair of a ship’s machinery. On smaller vessels such as naval trawlers, enginemen were vital members of the crew, ensuring that engines, boilers, pumps, and auxiliary systems operated safely and reliably, often under dangerous wartime conditions.

Loss of H.M. Trawler Sarah Alice

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Engineman John Francis Moore lost his life on 26^th September 1916 following the sinking of H.M. Trawler Sarah Alice.

H.M. Trawler Sarah Alice

On that day, the British naval yacht HMY Conqueror II was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U‑52, northwest of Fair Isle. Seventeen men were killed in the attack. Conqueror II had been assisting H.M. Trawler Sarah Alice at the time. Although the torpedo was aimed at Conqueror II, Sarah Alice was also struck and sunk during the same action. These small auxiliary vessels, often converted fishing trawlers and yachts, were heavily exposed to submarine attack while carrying out patrol and minesweeping duties around the British coast.

John Moore was among those who perished in this tragic incident, one of many Royal Naval Reserve men who served—and died—aboard the modest but essential vessels that kept Britain’s coastal waters defended during the First World War.

Commemoration

John Francis Moore
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

John Francis Moore
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

As he has no known grave, Engineman John Francis Moore is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve personnel lost at sea during the First World War. His name stands among those who served with courage aboard the small, vulnerable ships that played a crucial role in Britain’s maritime war effort