Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Wood was born in Lancashire England 13th August 1889. He was 26 and 3 months old when he enlisted and he lived at Bowden South Australia. He had blue eyes and was 5 foot 7 and 154 lbs., his chest measurement was 35~38 inches and his hair was brown. His wife's name was Emily Wood, and she lived at 13th Street Brighton. For his religion he nominated congregational on his Attestation Paper which was a Protestant church in the Calvinist tradition,

Life during the war:

Wood enlisted and took his medical on the 18th October 1915 and was appointed to the 11th Field Ambulance. He completed training at Mitcham in Adelaide and embarked overseas in May 1916.

He served as a medic on the battlefield with the 11th Field Ambulance. After arrival in Britain the unit had further training at Lark Hill Camp, Salisbury plain for four months. They then embarked at Southampton for France 24th November 1916. By the 26th November they were at the front line and two days later then took over duties at the Divisional Rest Station at Steenwerck.

From here the unit completed various duties in support of the Third Division, including running sector medical posts and stations, operating Advanced Dressing Stations and running rest areas.

During it’s time on the Western Front the Ambulance was involved in numerous areas and sectors including, Ploegsteert, Messines, Charing Cross, Ypres (Broodseine Ridge, Passchendaele and Flanders Ridge), the Somme and Villers Bretonneux. The casualties were numerous, and the stretch-bearers had found evacuating the wounded from the various posts to be difficult.

In the final stages of the war the Ambulance was involved in the last Somme operations in 1918.

On the 6th September 1917 Wood was recognised for gallantry and devotion and was recommended for a Military Medal due to his actions, the following is quoted from his unit diary “Wood one of a stretcher party carrying cases from the A.D.S to a Motor Ambulance about 400 hundred yards away. Owing to the heavy shelling in process the Motor Amb was unable to approach closer. After loading the cases the Amb proceeded down the road until it was blocked by a quaitity and sleepers and debris thrown onto the track by a shell exploding nearby. As the shelling continue the car retired and Pt Wood went forward with Pt Whallin and under fire they cleared the road sufficiently to enable the Amb to get through. They signalled the Amb to come on and continued the work of clearing the road till the lastt moment, when they swung into the moving Amb as it went past. The work was carried out with a total disregard to personal safety and enabled to patients to be moved from a very dangerous spot as the enemy was shelling the whole read and delay might easily have resulted in disaster”

The Field Ambulance Company was responsible for 'Second Line' casualty evacuation from 'First Line' Regimental Aid Posts (RAP) in each battalion. During attacks or advances, the RAP was exposed to enemy direct fire (rifles and machine guns) and indirect fire (artillery mortar fire and gas), experiencing the same risks as front-line combat troops. The Field Ambulance retrieved casualties from the RAP to the Field Ambulance Advanced Dressing Station - and then to a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS).

Wood was wounded with on 24th August 1918 with a General Gunshot wound to the back and spent a month in hospital recovering rejoining his unit 18th September 1918.

After the war had ended Wood went AWL from 26th January 1919 until 28th January 1919 and was punished, losing 5 day’s pay.

The unit returned to Australia and was demobilized in 1919.

Life after the war:

Thomas was later discharged from the 1st of May 1919 .and went back to his wife and died 27th of December 1977 at 77 years old and buried at Renmark Cemetery South Australia