§ 55. Mrs. L. Jegerasked the Secretary of State for War what were the circumstances in which Rifleman John Patrick Thomas Moore, of B. Company, 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade, lost his life while doing National Service in Malaya; and why his next of kin have not been given full details.
§ Mr. John HareRifleman Moore was fatally wounded on 20th of October while on operations against terrorists in Malaya. He was one of a party forcing its way through dense undergrowth when a gun carried by another soldier was fired accidentally.
I should like to express my sympathy with Rifleman Moore's mother in her bereavement.
A telegram was sent to her on the same day, followed by letters of sympathy from the battalion and company commanders and the records office.
The cause of death was told briefly and it was explained that full details would inevitably be delayed until investigations had been made.
The report of a board of inquiry was received in London on 20th November and a full account of the accident was sent to the next of kin on the 22nd.