Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookremained until the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914. He had received a commission as Lieut. (unattd. List, T.F.), 1 July, 1910, and was in the Shrewsbury School O.T.C., and immediately volunteered for foreign service. He was gazetted Capt. 8th Rifle Brigade, 27 Dec. 1914; went to France in May, 1915; was severely wounded at Hooge in July, and was only able to return to his regt. 1 June, 1916; was again wounded on the day of his arrival, and died in hospital from these wounds on the 4th; _unm._ Buried near Bethune. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in the field at Hooge, 1915. While at Marlborough College he was head of the school, and was in the cricket XI and football XV; at Oxford he took a first-class in Mods, and a second class in Lt. Hum. His two brothers, Kenneth and Sidney Woodroffe, V.C., were also killed in action (see their notices.) [Illustration: =Leslie Woodroffe.=] =WOODROFFE, SIDNEY CLAYTON, V.C.=, 2nd Lieut., 8th (Service) Battn. The Rifle Brigade, 4th and yst. _s._ of Henry Long Woodroffe, of Thorpewood, Branksome Avenue, Bournemouth, by his wife, Clara, dau. of the late Henry Clayton; _b._ Lewes, co. Sussex, 17 Dec. 1895; educ. Rose Hill School, Banstead; Marlborough College, gained a Classical Scholarship at Pembroke College, Cambridge; gazetted 2nd Lieut., 8th Rifle Brigade, 23 Dec. 1914; went to France 25 May, 1915, and was killed in action at Hooge, Flanders, 30 July, 1915; _unm._ He was awarded the Victoria Cross [London Gazette, 6 Sept. 1915] "For most conspicuous bravery on 30 July, 1915, at Hooge. The enemy having broken through the centre of our front trenches, consequent on the use of burning liquids, this officer's position was heavily attacked with bombs from the flank and subsequently from the rear, but he managed to defend his post until all his bombs were exhausted, and then skilfully withdrew his remaining men. This very gallant officer immediately led his party forward in a counter-attack under an intense rifle and machine-gun fire, and was killed whilst in the act of cutting the wire obstacles in the open." At Marlborough he was Senior Prefect, Capt. of the O.T.C., and member of the football XV (1912-13-14), hockey XI and cricket XI. Lieut.-Col. R. C. Maclachlan wrote: "Your younger boy was simply one of the bravest of the brave, and the work he did that day will stand out as a record hard to beat; later I will try to get you a more or less definite account. When the line was attacked and broken on his right he still held his trench, and only when the Germans were discovered to be in rear of him did he leave it. He then withdraw his remaining men very skilfully right away to a flank and worked his way alone back to me to report. He finally brought his command back and then took part in the counter-attack. He was killed out in front, in the open, cutting the wire to enable the attack to be continued. This is the bald statement of his part of that day's action. He risked his life for others right through the day and finally gave it for the sake of his men. He was a splendid type of young officer, always bold as a lion, confident and sure of himself too. The loss he is to me personally is very great, as I had learnt to appreciate what a sterling fine lad he was. His men would have followed him anywhere." His elder brothers, Lieut. K. H. C. Woodroffe and Captain L. Woodroffe, were both killed in action (see their notices). [Illustration: =Sidney Clayton Woodroffe.=] =WOODROFFE, WILLIAM JOHN=, Private, R.M.L.I., 8842 (R.F.R. Ch. B. 816), H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =WOODS, ARTHUR WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class, Chatham, S.S. 105687, R.F.R., B. 8977, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._ =WOODS, BASIL HAMILTON=, 2nd Lieut., 1st East Lancs. Field Coy. Royal Engineers (T.F.), elder surviving _s._ of William Henry Woods, of Ravenstone, Hale, Cheshire, Mechanical Engineer, by his wife, Norah, dau. of Charles Greville Williams, F.R.S., F.C.S.; _b._ Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near Manchester, 18 Aug. 1891; educ. Repton School (where he was a Sergt. in the O.T.C.), and Oriel College, Oxford, was given a commission in the Reserve of Officers, which he resigned early in 1914 to take one in the East Lancashire Territorial Division, R.E., 16 April, 1914; went to Egypt with the East Lancashire Division in Sept. following, and was killed along with a number of N.C.Os. and men, 17 Dec. 1914, while on active service on the Suez Canal, by an explosion on a launch, supposed to be caused by a German mine, and was buried with full military honours in the Suez Cemetery. [Illustration: =Basil Hamilton Woods.=] =WOODS, CHARLES=, Stoker, R.N.R., 1676U, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =WOODS, EDWARD WILFRED=, Signal Boy, J. 24461, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. =WOODS, MAURICE=, Seaman, R.N.R., 5005A, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =WOODWARD, WILLIAM=, Private. R.M.L.I., Ch./11382, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914. =WOODWARD, WILLIAM BERNARD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4608), S.S. 103734, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =WOOKEY, FREDERICK MAURICE=, A.R.C.S.I., 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Royal Irish Regt., only surviving _s._ of Frederick Wookey, of Weston Lodge, Leixlip, co. Dublin, J.P., a member of the firm of Wookey & Son, Ltd., Washed Flock Manufacturers, by his wife, Fanny, dau. of Colin McCalman; _b._ Rathmines, co. Dublin, 1 July, 1887; educ. privately; Campbell College, Belfast, where he won two scholarships; and the Royal College of Science, Dublin, passing in with a scholarship and obtaining the distinction of a pass "with credit" in 13 of the 16 examinations, and was awarded the Diploma of Associateship in the Faculty of Engineering. After this he went to Sir Howard Grubb's for about a year, thence to the British Westinghouse Co., Manchester, for practical knowledge of all kinds of engineering, in order that he might qualify himself to take charge of his father's factory, Electric Lighting, etc. Here he for some time worked for Mr. Bissett in the Large Machine Drawing Office, and was afterwards transferred to Production Department where he remained until 1913, when he returned to Leixlip. He was first Secretary and then Director of Wookey & Sons, but gave up everything when war was declared. He joined the O.T.C. about 6 Aug. and on Tuesday, 8 Sept. 1914, enlisted as a Motor Despatch Rider in the Reserve Signal Corps of the Royal Engineers, leaving for Chatham that day. He was given a commission at the Front, dated 14 Feb. 1915, and learning from his Commanding Officer that they wanted to fill up the gaps caused by casualties he joined the 1st Battn. of the Royal Irish, though he could have come home for training either |