Dunmurry soldiers honoured by family

William, Thomas and Joseph were all born in Killeaton, Derriaghy to Robert and Mary Moulds, were a total of twelve children were born with two dying in infancy.

William was born on 1st July 1891 and according to the 1911 census he was twenty years of age and unemployed, which was probably why he emigrated to Canada.

There is not too much information on William but he enlisted on 22nd September 1914 at Valcartier and joined the Canadian Cycle Corp.

After the war he returned to Ireland, as it was then, and married a girl, Sarah Jane. In 1940 he joined the Home Guard and was killed in a traffic accident while on duty on 8th September 1941 by a lieutenant who had no lights on due to the black out.

William lived at 2 Laburnum cottage, Millfort, Dunmurry and was killed in the Strathearn area of Finaghy.

Thomas was born on 25th August 1892 and according to the 1911 census was apprentice hardware business. He emigrated to Canada in 1913 and was employed by H.S. Howland and Sons, Hardware Store, on Front Street in Toronto. He also enlisted on 22nd August 1914 at Valcartier but joined the 3rd Battalion 1st Brigade.

The following was printed in the Lisburn Standard on Friday 21st November 1919.

The late Lieutenant Moulds was in Canada when the war was declared, but along with other brothers, he answered his country’s call, joining up on the formation of the first Canadian Division in August 1914. He served with distinction at the second battle of Ypres, Festubert (wounded) Mount Sorrel, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Fresnoy and Hill 60. He rose rapidly from the rank of private to Company Sergeant Major. He took part in the capture of Sorral (in June 1916) where his platoon commander having become a casualty, he took command and led his platoon into the German trenches and superintended the consolidation of his position under heavy shell fire.

He won the Military Cross at Courellette in September 1918. Here he commanded a platoon holding an advanced sap which was subject to heavy artillery fire. Although two-thirds of his men became casualties, he held the position until relieved – a period of seventy two hours. This sap “the official record states” was of extreme importance, and if evacuated it would have placed our troops in a very perilous position.

Lieutenant Moulds was promoted in the field of Company Sergeant Major to that of First Lieutenant for bravery. On 27th September, 1918 at Bourlon Wood he was mortally wounded.

It was for his gallant conduct in these operations that the posthumous award of a bar to his Military Cross was made. His work and bravery has been officially gazetted as follows:-

London Gazette 4th October 1919.

For most conspicuous gallantry during the Bourlon wood operation on 27th September 1918.

When his company was held up by heavy enemy machine-gun and artillery fire, he pushed his platoon forward, by sections, outflanking a battery of 77mm field guns, capturing it, and taking prisoners what was left of the crew.

He rushed the nest in the same manner, killing the crew and capturing two guns.

He took his objective, and though wounded supervised consolidation. He did splendid work.

The third brother, but not the least, Joseph Moulds. He was born in 1894 and was nineteen years and nine months old when he enlisted in Lisburn on 12th September 1914. He joined the 11th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (South Antrim Volunteers) and started his training at Clandyboye near Bangor.

He transferred as a pioneer to the Royal Engineers 36th Signal Company on 30th January 1915 and was moved to Downpatrick.

He then transferred as a sapper to the Royal Engineers 36th (Div) Signal Company on 11th February 1917; he would have been in France at this time. Joseph was admitted to a field hospital on 4th June 1916 but his records do not state why, he may have still been in hospital on 1st July 1916 and missed the slaughter of the Somme. Joseph was again admitted to 109 field ambulance on 4th August 1916, again the records do not state why.

The third time Joseph is admitted to 109 field ambulance was on the 1st March 1917, this was shortly after transferring as a sapper to the Royal Engineers 36th (Div) Signal Company, this time the records state that he has gunshot wounds to the left knee and left leg.

The records on 3rd March 1917 state that he has a gunshot wound to the right arm, this arm was amputated and he was discharged as he was no longer fit for active service.

Joseph’s grandson, Ken Moulds has been researching his family history.

“It has only been lately that I have taken a great interest in the history of my Grandfather and two great uncles exploits in the Great War and uncovered all this history,” he explained.

“I have seen their names on the role of honour in St Patricks Parish Church Derriaghy but didn’t realise what part they took in the war.

“It is also with great thanks to Brian Moulds that Thomas Moulds’s name has lately been placed on the war memorial in Lisburn.

“After a lot of talk for years about visiting the battle fields, I along with two of my older brothers and daughter decided to go this year and thought it only fitting that we should visit Thomas’s burial place at Queant Communal Cemetery British Extension in France.

“As far as I know we are the first family members ever to visit his grave.

“It was not until I was standing at his grave side in July 2014 that I began to wonder what this young man, of twenty six when he died, must have went through, after all he was the same age as my son is now when he died.

“I know, from what I have been told that he was badly wounded at Bourlon Wood during an attack on 27th September 1918 and was taken to a hospital near the spot where he was buried and died later that night.

“As I stood there, at his grave, I wondered did he know how badly wounded he was, after all he had been shot twice before, did he suffer? or was it a quick death?

“The area where he is buried now is a lot different to that of ninety odd years ago as there is not a trace of the battles that took part there anymore.

“Whilst driving along the lanes with your mind somewhere else you suddenly, in the blink of an eye, come across a cemetery from the first war and you feel you must pull in and have a look around. Every cemetery is immaculately kept, and rightly so, and the first thing I usually look for is a soldier from Ireland and particular from our province.

“It was while I was strolling around one of the cemeteries I noticed in the distance a small tri-colour, along with a poppy, stuck to one of the names of a missing Irish soldier, and I thought that it was wonderful that the relatives of that soldier felt that they could honour this man in their own way.

“Every year I buy a poppy and wear it with pride as I remember what my Grandfather and his two brothers went through so that we can have our freedom and it saddens me when you hear the bickering that goes on about what the poppy stands for.

“When I stood in front of the trenches at Thiepval Wood on the 1st July 2014, were the 36th Ulster Division went over the top exactly 98 years earlier, I was amazed at the amount of poppies that had popped up all around the place, looking as if drops of blood had been spilled on the road side and fields, and it was then I understood why the poppy was picked to remember all the fallen soldiers.

“It was only when I was at a family funeral, after our trip to France, that a few photos turned up of the Moulds Boys and now I can put a faces to names.

“I intend to return to Thomas’s grave again, in the near future, were I will bring a copy of the photo of the three brothers, probably the last time they were together, and place it at his graveside.”