His Honour Judge James Henry Moore

Jim Moore and Elsie Simpson at Deer Park - October 1917

• General Notes
  • 
    9th child.
    County Court judge.
    VFL footballer - he played with Richmond then later Melbourne.
    
    Born in Elmhurst at the family property "Deer Park".
    Educated at Melbourne High School - soon after it was established.
    His name is first on the school honours board - for gaining an external scholastic distinction in 1908.
    He became head prefect there - School Captain in 1909.
    1910 - played in the Old Boys football team.  Captained the football team in 1911.
    1912 to 1915 played VFL football - initially with the Richmond Seconds (becoming captain), then in the Melbourne First XVIII.
    
    In 1915 he enlisted with the Australian army and in 1916 was sent to France as a private in the AIF.  He joined his older brothers Edwin and Richard in England in the AIF.  In 1916 they all embarked to fight in the trenches in France under the command of General John Monash.  Jim rose to the rank of captain but was seriously wounded in 1917 and was invalided home.  Later brother Richard who had risen to the rank of sergeant, was killed in 1918.
    
    According to Ted and Bev Moore, 4 brothers went to war - Jim, Walter, Richard and Billy (William).  They quite often got together while overseas and "got up to lots of hi-jinks".
    Wounded in WWI - survived his wounds and returned to Melbourne to marry his fiance Elsie.
    The story goes that at Ypres in 1917 he served as an infantry officer and was leading a column of troops across "no man's land" during a night attack, when a grenade went off between his legs.  This removed a substantial part of the muscle, soft tissue and blood vessels in his legs.  He was taken to a field hospital, and surprisingly survived.  He told the story that the only thing that kept him going was the vision of his sweetheart Elsie waiting for him back home.
    He did return home and married Elsie in October 1918 at Ballarat.  They honey-mooned in Lorne, Victoria - in later years they often returned here for holidays (staying at Erskine House).
     
    He also recovered sufficiently to father 3 children, and to later play tennis (winning many trophies at the Kooyoong lawn tennis club), and then lawn bowls in his old age.
    Over the years he did require further surgery for the effects of his war wounds, including for a bullet which was permanently wedged near his spine and so could never be removed.
    
    From 1911 he studed law at Melbourne University.
    He completed a Bachelor Of Arts and Master Of Laws degrees at Melbourne University and graduated with first class honours.
    In 1919 he was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor.  He signed the roll of Counsel in 1920, and practised as a barrister at the Victorian Bar.  He was a forceful advocate and developed a solid general practice.
    In 1921 he went to Rabaul as an administrator.
    In 1943 he was appointed a Judge of the County Court of Victoria, and stayed there until 1963 when he reached the statutory retiring age of 72.
    When the position of Chairman of the County Court was first created in 1956 he was appointed to this, and remained in the Chair until 1960.
    In WWII he enlisted in the Army Legal Department, and was legal officer for the 4th Division with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
    He was a significant legal figure in Victoria, and played a major part in introducing proper legislation into Victoria with regard to drink-driving and for workplace safety.
    He subsequently was appointed as the First Chairman of the County Court of Victoria.
    
    The first home of James and Elsie was at The Esplanade, Brighton Beach, circa 1921.  Their second home was at Middle Brighton, circa 1924.
    For many years he and his wife and children lived at 15 Power Street, Hawthorn in Melbourne - the property was called "Alnwyck".  Jim commissioned the same  architect who had designed the "Deer Park" and "Huntingdon" properties, to build his Power Street house.
    In his later years he moved to Burwood in Melbourne.
    
    His beloved wife Elsie died in 1966.
    
    In his old age he married for the second time at age 91 to a childhood schoolfriend from Elmhurst - Phillis Wise.  Phillis had grown up on the property next to Jim at Deer Park.
    
    Known to his children and grand-children as "Poc".
    

Wife's Pictures

Elsie Moore (nee Simpson)