Pte 50685 Robert Wood

• Age: 19
• From: Blackburn
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 29th April 1918
• Commemorated at: Voormezeele Cem Encl No. 3
  Panel Ref: XIV.F.25

Robert Wood was born in Blackburn on 13th May 1898 the son of Edward Wood and his wife Maria (nee Fielding). He was baptised at St Matthew's Church, Blackburn on 12th June 1898. The family residence is shown as 54 Dewhurst Street and his father's occupation is listed as a Moulder.

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 33 Dewhurst Street, Blackburn.

His father, Edward, is aged 25, born in Blackburn in 1876 and is employed as an iron moulder, his mother, Maria, is also aged 25 and employed as a cotton weaver who was also born in Blackburn. They have two children, Robert aged 2 and brother, James who was born in 1900.

By 1911 the family have moved to 40 Dewhurst Street, Blackburn.

His father Edward is now aged 35, born 1876 and employed as an iron moulder in a factory, his mother, Maria, is also aged 35, she has no coccupation listed. They have been married for fifteen years and have had four children of which two had died. Their two surviving children are Robert now aged 12 and is at school but is also shown to be working part time in a mill. His younger brother James is 11 and at school. 

Robert was serving with the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 50685 when he was killed in action on 29th April 1918, aged 19.

A newspaper article in the Lancashire Telegraph dated 23rd August 1919 reports:

Private Robert Woods (sic) of the 17th King's Liverpool Regiment who was reported missing on 29th April 1918 is now presumed killed. He resided at 55 Chester Street, Blackburn, before enlisting in January 1916, and was 21 years of age at the time of his death.  

Robert was buried close to where he fell but after the war when graves were concentrated his body was exhumed and he now rests at Voormezeele Enclosure No.3 in Belgium at XIV.F.25.

The Voormizeele Enclosures (at one time there were a total of four, but now reduced to three) were originally regimental groups of graves, begun very early in the First World War and gradually increased until the village and the cemeteries were captured by the Germans after very heavy fighting on 29 April 1918.

Voormezeele Enclosure No.3, the largest of these burial grounds, was begun by the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in February 1915. Their graves are in Plot III, the other Plots from I to IX are the work of other units, or pairs of units, and include a few graves of October 1918. Plots X and XII are of a more general character. Plots XIII to XVI were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from isolated sites and smaller cemeteries to replace the French graves (of April and September 1918) that were removed to a French cemetery. These concentrated graves cover the months from January 1915 to October 1918, and they include those of many men of the 15th Hampshires and other units who recaptured this ground early in September 1918.

There are now 1,611 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in Voormezeele Enclosure No.3. 609 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 15 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of five casualties whose graves in PHEASANT WOOD CEMETERY could not be found on concentration.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

He is also commemorated on the Blackburn Roll of Honour 1914-1918

We currently have no further information on Robert Wood, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.