THE AFGHAN WAR MEDAL 1878-80 TO LANCE CORPORAL (LATER COLOUR SERGEANT) J. MOORE, 81ST (LOYAL LINCOLN VOLUNTEERS) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 2ND BATTALION THE LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT), WHO WAS ALSO ENTITLED TO THE KABUL TO KANDAHAR STAR, MOORE’S

THE AFGHAN WAR MEDAL 1878-80 TO LANCE CORPORAL (LATER COLOUR SERGEANT) J. MOORE, 81ST (LOYAL LINCOLN VOLUNTEERS) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 2ND BATTALION THE LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT), WHO WAS ALSO ENTITLED TO THE KABUL TO KANDAHAR STAR, MOORE’S KABUL AND KANDAHAR CLASPS AND KABUL TO KANDAHAR STAR BEING UNIQUE AWARDS TO THE 81ST REGIMENT.

Afghan War Medal 1878-80, 3 clasps, Ali Musjid, Kabul, Kandahar (renamed, contemporary re-engraved naming, in “Gothic” style serifed block capitals: 12 BDE: 88 LCE:CORPl. J. MOORE 81 REGt.). Contact marked from the Star, and as a result naming naming details weak in places, otherwise Good Fine or perhaps a little better.

There are two entries for Moore on the Afghan War Medal roll for the 81st Regiment, both in an addendum to the main medal roll for the regiment, one for him as 88 Private and the other as 88 Lance-Corporal, which suggests that Moore’s Afghan Medal was probably originally issued named to him as a Private and that Moore had his medal renamed with the rank corrected to Corporal because he had seen service as a Lance-Corporal in Afghanistan.

Medal accompanied by 6 pages copied service papers and copied Afghan War Medal roll extract, confirming medal and clasps.Medal roll confirms that Moore was also awarded the Kabul to Kandahar Star, which was issued to the officer commanding his battalion for presentation to Moore on 30/1/1883. Service papers also confirm Moore was awarded the Kabul to Kandahar Star.

Since Moore was entitled to the Kabul to Kandahar Star he would have been entitled to the Kabul clasp, however only the Ali Musjid and Kandahar clasps are recorded immediately next to his name on the medal roll. Significantly, though, there is an entry for a Private Robert James Bourne directly above John Moore’s second entry on the medal roll regarding the award of a Kabul clasp. This note with regard to a Kabul clasp undoubtedly actually relates to Moore, and was placed alongside Bourne’s name because there was no room to place it next to Moore’s name (and since Moore was the only man from the 81st Foot entitled to the Kabul clasp, Bourne would not have been entitled to this clasp).

John Moore was born in Swansea and enlisted at Preston on 20/9/1873. At the time of enlistment Moore was 18 years old and gave his trade as that of forgeman. Moore was promoted Lance-Corporal, 17/3/1876, demoted to Private, 8/9/1877, promoted Lance-Corporal again on 12/7/1879, Corporal, 4/2/1881, Lance-Sergeant, 12/2/1883, Sergeant, 1/9/1884, Colour Sergeant, 24/8/1885, reverted to Sergeant, 23/10/1888 and was discharged on 17/11/1894 after 21 years and 61 days service with the colours.

Moore was not awarded a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal because he had repeatedly infringed military regulations and been confined on at least 5 occasions: 18/11/1873 (released 20/11/73), 12/3/1874 (released 19/3/1874), 20/6/874 (released 24/6/1874), 29/10/1874 (released 5/11/1874) and 16/10/1888 (released 23/10/1888).

Medal roll also confirms that Moore was awarded the Kabul to Kandahar Star. Moore’s Kabul and Kandahar clasps and Kabul to Kandahar Star were unique awards to the 81st Regiment (British Battles and Medals confirms that Moore’s Kabul to Kandahar Star was a unique award to the 81st, but spells surnamed incorrectly as “Moon”).