S3610
WOOD, George Fritchley
| Service Number: | 20 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, October 1878 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Horse Driver |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, 12 August 1951, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Norwood Primary School Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 20, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 20, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide |
Help us honour George Fritchley Wood's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Life Before the war:
George Fritchley Wood was born in August 1878 and enlisted into the army when he was 36 years and 11 months old. Prior to joining the army Wood's job was a horse driver which he had most likely done all his life since he had no previous army or cadet experience. There is little record of what the Wood family looked like apart from the record of Mrs Alice Wood, George's mother who was listed as his next of kin. From this information we can tell that George's father was married or once married to Mrs Alice Wood since she goes by the name Mrs Alice Wood and Mrs Slack lived on Payneham Road, St Peters, South Australia and George lived not too far away on 7 Harris Street, Norwood, South Australia. George was a member of the Church of England. George Fritchley Wood was listed as 5 feet and 8 ½ inches, 152 pounds (69 kg), and a chest measurement of 35.37 inches. Wood was also described to have had a fair complexion with grey eyes and brown hair.
Life in service:
George Fritchley Wood enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force on the 14th of September 1915 as a private. Wood's regimental number was 20 and he was in the 43rd Battalion. He was training in November 1915 at Morphettville camp, Adelaide, South Australia with other members from the 43rd Battalion and finished training around May 1916. After Wood finished his training, he then embarked from Adelaide overseas to Southampton via France on the HMAT Afric A19 on the 9th of June 1916 along with around 500 other members of the 43rd Infantry Battalion. The HMAT Aric A19 was originally used for the transport of livestock but later transformed to be able to carry hundreds of troops and embark overseas for war.
Until up to the 5th of January 1918 there is no record of George's actions or movements, indicating bhe remained with his Battalion during this period. The only recorded information about Wood's war journey is the three times he went on leave and the times he marched out both late in the war and after the war. Finally, Wood returned to Australia after the war had finished on the 12th of June 1919. Once Wood had finished his military service, he was awarded two medals, the British War medal and the Victory medal. The British war medal that he received was the basic medal given to all soldiers who served in the war and the Victory medal was awarded to soldiers for campaign service. Fortunately, George Fritchley Wood did not suffer from any illnesses or wounds throughout his career in World War I.
Life after the war:
After the war Wood either stayed in Perth or travelled to Perth in his older years as he died on August 12, 1951, at Perth Hospital.
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