Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Gallipoli Campaign was fought on the Gallipoli peninsula 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. in a failed attempt to defeat Turkey by seizing the Dardanelles and capturing Istanbul. Ill-conceived and planned, the initial effort by the Royal Navy failed to force passage through the Dardanelles by sea power alone. It was then realised that a land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.

Despite Gallipoli rightly becoming a national source of pride to Australians and New Zealanders, far more British casualties were sustained, and these days the substantial French contribution is almost forgotten.

Detail :

ex-CH/8074 RMLI, enlisted 5/9/1894, re-engaged 25/6/1906, transferred to Depot Establishment as Depot/281 19/6/1911 ; Commissioned Lieutenant RM 20/9/14 ; Deal Bn. Mediterranean Expeditionary Force 28/2/15-1/5/15 DD.

Platoon Commander 'C' Company ; Recorded in CH/2628 Sergeant W.J. Shaw's Diary, that Colour Sergeant Clark was shot through the head & killed in the same place in the trenches as Lieutenant Moxham was earlier that day. ; East & West Africa Medal with clasp "Benin 1897" (HMS "Theseus") ; RN Long Service & Good Conduct Medal 1/10/1909 ; May 1911 Medallion Instructors & Proficiency Cert. Royal Life Saving Society ; b.Clifton, Bristol 15/12/1875 ; Married Maria Shelly Jordan 16/4/1900 ; Wife, Maria, 12 Grove Terrace, Blenheim Rd., Deal. ; The Deal Civic War Memorial book (with photo) records:- "Lieut. James Frederick Moxham, who was promoted to a Lieutenancy from Q.M.S.I. while at the Depot, had intimate associations with Deal, having married a daughter of Mr. E.W. Smith, of 67a High Street, & having been stationed at the Depot for several years. Prior to the present war he saw service with the Benin expedition, his next experience of actual warfare being at Antwerp, losing his kit in the retirement. On his return he remained at the Depot till the Deal Battalion R.M.L.I. left for Blandford at the end of January 1915. He was reported killed in the Dardanelles on the 7th May. Particulars since received show that he died the death of a brave & devoted soldier. In the urgent need for cover, he took a hand with the entrenching tools himself, encouraging his men by his example, & refusing to give up the work to have an injured hand attended to. Struck in the neck by a piece of shell, he still kept on, till a sniper's bullet entered his forehead & terminated the career of a valuable officer who was in every way worthy of the best traditions of his splendid corps. The late Lieut. Moxham was a keen soldier, devoted to duty, & he was greatly esteemed in his corps, Mrs. Moxham receiving from Brigadier-General Neville White, M.V.O., commanding the Depot, & other officers, & from a number of former comrades, letters expressive of regret at his loss & appreciation of his soldierly qualities. Deceased, who was a member of the Lord Warden Lodge of Freemasons, left a widow & two sons. He was 39 years of age & had been upwards of 20 years in the Service."

Masonic :

He was initiated into Lord Beresford Lodge No. 2404 when he was at Chatham and employed as a 24 year old Sergeant. He resigned the lodge 30th June, 1908, but a note exists showing he had become a joining member of Lord Warden Lodge No. 1096.

He joined Lord Warden on the 16th April, 1912, now based in Deal, Kent and still a Sergeant of the Royal Marines Light Infantry. He is shown to have overpaid 6d in 1915 and that he was "Killed in Dardenelles 7th May/15."

It is cited that James Moxham is included as one of 8 men on the Roll of Honour for Wellington Lodge No. 784. That being the case, his name is linked to that lodge through this page, but on inspection of the Wellington Lodge No. 784 entries in the ledgers of the United Grand Lodge of England he cannot yet be found as a member. Perhaps "Wellington" were endeared to this man so much that they felt it appropriate to include him on their Roll.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley