Civilian Frank Moore was born in 1896 at Bramshott in Hampshire, the son of Percy Moore and Caroline Elizabeth Mayes.

The 1901 census records him living with his family in Bramshott Village. His father Percy, aged 30, was a coach builder and employer born at Yapton, Sussex. His mother Caroline, aged 28, was born at Bayswater. Children recorded are Alfred, aged 8, Frank, aged 5, Wilfred, aged 3 and Redvers, aged 1, all born in the village.

By 1911, the family were at number 114, Gladstone Road, Wimbledon. Percy was still a coach builder but was a worker rather than an employer. Caroline, was aged 39; the couple had been married for twenty years and had produced six children, all of which survived childhood. Children recorded are Alfred, now working as a chauffeur, Frank who was a “motor works boy”, Wilfred, aged 13, Redvers, aged 11, Dorothy aged 8, and Percy, aged 4.

Frank married Annie Ellen Moore Hanson at Eastbourne in December 1921. The 1939 register records him living at number 12, Tideswell Road and employed as a gas fitter.

He was at the electricity works at Roselands at 08.53 on the 26th of August 1942 when two FW190s (German fighter aircraft) dropped two bombs; one fell on Marlow Road whilst the other fell on Eastbourne Corporation’s electricity generating works. Frank Moore was killed .

The register of civilian war dead records him as the son of Caroline Moore, of Fleur de Lys, Cambridge, and of the late Percy Moore; husband of Annie Ellen Moore, of 102 Brodrick Road, Eastbourne.

The town was attacked by two FW190s of Luftwaffe Fighter Group 10/JG26, based at Wewelghem in German occupied Belgium. Obergefr Wittman, in company with Oberfw Kassa (flying FW190A-2 2080 13+) approached the coast without being detected, crossing at Pevensey firing cannon as they did so, hitting 54 year old fisherman Alfred Grant.

The target was the industrial area on the eastern edge of the town. Much damage was caused to an electrical station and to Caffyns workshop where a Canadian soldier opened fire on the attackers with a Bren gun, hitting Kassa’s aircraft which crashed at Lottbridge Drove. Oberfw Werner Kassa, aged 28 was killed. Several houses were destroyed and in the town, civilian Frank Moore was killed and two others, Lucy Dann and Ruth Chatfield died in hospital of their injuries and another seven were injured.

(*) Ofw Kassa was born the 1st of January 1914 at Angerburg. He was interred in Eastbourne (Langney) Cemetery until being transferred to Cannock Chase post war.

(**) The soldier who shot the FW190 down was Private Emerson “Soapy” Johnstone, aged 29 from Vancouver, of the Canadian Seaforth Highlanders. He was born in Scotland and went to Canada with his parents at the age of four; he worked for the Royal Crown Soap Company, hence his nickname. The Vancouver Daily Province reported the action of Pte Johnstone and quoted him as saying that shooting down the enemy plane was like “shooting ducks with an air gun.