Cpl.

James Arthur "Shoot" Moore

Administrative and Technical Clerk - MOS 501

545th Bomb Squadron

384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Serial Nr 32359853

Killed 18/04/1944 - Ground Accident - aged 22

Resting place - Still Pond Cemetery, Sill Pond, Maryland

James Arthur Moore was born on 28th June 1921, in Betterton, Kent County, Maryland. His father, Carlton Casper Moore, was to die in 1937. His mother, Gertrude Evelyn Emerson, died in September 1944. He had one brother, Herbert Emerson Moore, who was to serve in the U.S. Army. James attended the Chesterton High School in Maryland before being recorded as a store keeper in 1940, and then working for the Dupont Nylon Company in 1941, prior to enlisting.

Assigned to the 545th Bomb Squadron on 15th February 1942, Cpl. Moore was an Administrative & Technical Clerk. The role would involve the preparation of correspondence, records, forms, and reports. As part of the role, Cpl. Moore would have been a qualified typist and would have been involved with preparing payrolls, muster rolls, change sheets, and strength reports. 

On the evening of 18th April, 1944 at around 23.00 Cpl. Moore was returning by bicycle along with S/Sgt. David O. Kent and Cpl. Teddy R. Potocki (both also 545th Bomb Squadron) after an evening at Geddington. Although expressly forbidden, they had proceeded to ride their bicycles down, or across, Runway No.2. Due to day operations by the USAAF, it would be an easy assumption for them to make that the runways were inactive late into the evening. 

Unbeknown to the trio, an RAF Short Stirling of 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), based at RAF Stradishall in Suffolk, was operating on this runway completing a circuit of "touch and goes" as part of crew training. On its fourth such pass, the aircraft was to strike the three men on their bicycles, killing them all outright. The impact damaged the large RAF bomber, resulting in it heading immediately back to their home base. Enroute, a fire broke out in an engine, causing the aircraft to then divert towards the emergency airfield at RAF Woodbridge, in Suffolk. The experienced pilot and co-pilot instructed the crew to bail out whilst they attempted to land the aircraft at the emergency airfield -  however, tragically, the trainee flight engineer was to fall to his death when his parachute failed to open. A few miles short of RAF Woodbridge, the Stirling was to crash near the village of Little Glenham in Suffolk with the loss of life of both pilot and co-pilot.

Cpl. Moore was initially interred at Madingley American Cemetery near Cambridge, England before his body was repatriated, in line with family wishes. His mother Gertrude had wanted James' body returned before her death in September 1944, her wish was fulfilled by James' brother Herbert in July 1948. James was buried alongside his parents. Upon his death, Herbert was also buried next to his parents, and brother.

Research courtesy of Keith Andrews on behalf of 384th Bombardment Group Museum.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website www.384thbombgroup.com for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of their activities during World War 2.

Further information courtesy of www.newspapers.com, www.ancestry.com and www.findagrave.com