WOOD, William Howard
| Service Number: | 1672 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 December 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Liverpool, Lancashire, England, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Arncliffe, Rockdale, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Caledonian School, Liverpool, England |
| Occupation: | Farm Hand |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 18 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Pozières British Cemetery Plot IV, Row L, Grave No. 44. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1672, 5th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1672, 5th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1672, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne |
Help us honour William Howard Wood's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Son of Thomas and Emily Wood, of 4, Clifton Rd. East. Tue Brook, Liverpool, England.
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
1672 Private William Howard Wood enlisted in Melbourne in late 1914. His parents were Thomas and Emily Wood, of Tue Brook, Liverpool, England. His father filled out his Roll of Honour form in much detail. William had only arrived in Australia a year before the war.
He was one of five brothers, four of whom served in WW1. His brother, 5776 Pte. Percy Wood 1st Pioneer Battalion AIF died of wounds on 5 October 1917 age 27, having also come to Australia.
Another brother, who served with the British forces, 7695 Pte. Harold Wood 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, died of wounds in France only nine days before the Armistice, on 2 November 1918.
A fourth brother, George Henry Wood, joined the RAF in 1918 but the war ended before he did much service.
William Howard Wood gave his home town as Arncliffe, Sydney, New South Wales but he enlisted in Melbourne in late 1914. He served at Gallipoli with the 5th Battalion and suffered a bomb wound to the abdomen on 11 May 1915. He was evacuated to Egypt and returned to the unit during October 1915.
He went to France with the 5th Battalion and was killed in action during the heavy fighting at Pozieres on 18 August 1918. William was recommended for a mention in despatches only a few weeks before his death. He, along with five other men, who were all Signallers and Runners, were recommended on 25 July 1916, as they ‘assisted to maintain communication under extraordinarily difficult conditions for over 12 hours, during which time the enemy launched two counter attacks, each accompanied by heavy shelling.’
No award was ever made to Wood. His grave was found after the war and he was buried in the Pozieres British Cemetery. He left a will in favour of his mother in England.
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