Henry Moorey was one of two brothers to serve and die for the King’s Royal Rifle Corps – the other was Jesse Moorey.
Around the time of Henry’s birth, the Moorey family were living at 14 Newark Street in Strood, and Charles, Henry’s father, was the captain of a barge. Charles Moorey the elder was born in Strood, whilst his wife and Henry’s mother, Elizabeth Mary [Skillen], was born in Camberwell, in South London. Charles and Elizabeth married in 1886 in Gravesend. In 1881, Elizabeth was 18 years old living and working as a domestic servant at 15 Darnley Road in Gravesend for George John Smith, who was a trinity pilot. At the time of the 1901 Census, Henry was living with his family at 14 Victoria Street in Frindsbury. Henry was the third of five boys born to his parents at this point, with his eldest brother Charles aged 14, John aged 12, Henry himself was 10, Jesse was 7 and Albert was 3. No occupation was listed for Elizabeth in any of the later Censuses, so Charles the elder was apparently able to support her to remain at home; and all the boys with the exception of Charles were in school. Charles was also missing an occupation, but the enumerator noted that he had lost an eye. By the 1911 Census, Henry and his younger brother Jesse were still living at home with their parents and youngest brother. Henry and Jesse were both listed as grocers’ assistants, and that they were working at home. They had not followed their father into working on the water.
Henry Moorey was a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Kings Rifles Corps, with his regimental number 11603. He died on 25 January 1915 of wounds incurred whilst he was serving in France and Flanders. Details of his grave can be found on EveryManRemembered.
NB: Henry’s surname has been misspelt at Henry Morrey or Moorley on some documents.
FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
Class: RG13; Piece: 720; Folio: 22; Page: 33
Ancestry.com. 1901 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
Class: RG12; Piece: 653; Folio: 98; Page: 20; GSU roll: 6095763
Ancestry.com. 1891 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.