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404085 Sergeant Francis Perie George MOORE. (surname underlined)
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. A. Moore of Tangarakau.

Francis Moore was born at Waverley on the 12th January 1918. His education was received at the Tangarakau School where he gained his Proficiency Certificate. The sports in which he took part were football, wrestling, swimming and cricket. At the time of making application for war service in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in January, 1940 he was employed in the factory of the Hawera Dairy Company.

Sergeant Moore was enlisted for aircrew training on the 27th October 1940 at the Ground Training School, Levin, and on the 30th January 1941 he embarked on the "Aorangi" at Auckland to proceed to Canada for training under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

Shortly after his arrival in Canada, Sergeant Moore was posted on the 16th February to No. 4 Air Observer School, London, Ontario. This was followed by his posting on the 13th May to the Composite Training School, Trenton, Ontario, and on the 21st July he proceeded to No. 1 Wireless School, Montreal, Quebec. The next stage in his training took him on the 9th December to No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School, Jarvis, Ontario, and while here on the 5th January 1942 he was awarded his wireless operator air gunners' badge and received his promotion to Sergeant. Subsequent to this on the 7th January 1942 he proceeded to No. 1 "Y" Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia to await embarkation for the United Kingdom.

Having arrived in England on the 9th February Sergeant Moore was held at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, until posted on the 8th April to No. 1 Signals School, Cranwell, Lincolnshire, and at the conclusion of his course here he was posted on the 19th May to No. 16 Operational Training Unit, Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, to crew-up and complete his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. While with this unit as wireless operator of a Wellington bomber he took part in two operational flights against the targets of Hamburg and Dusseldorf.