Pte 30278 John Woods

Duncan Woods married Mary Ann Spencer in 1865 in St. Nicholas, Liverpool.  Duncan was born in Greenock, Scotland, and Mary Ann in Preston, Lancashire. They had at least 14 children. John had elder siblings Thomas, John (who died in 1882 at the age of 15), Duncan (who died at age 5), Mary, Cecelia (who was born in 1872 in Fleetwood, Lancashire), Sarah Ann (died at 2 years old), another Duncan (who lived six months), William, Isabella, Mary Ann, and Richard Spencer, and younger brothers Duncan and Spencer Paul.

John was baptised in St. Paul's Church, Kirkdale, his parents Duncan and Mary Ann living at 108 Selwyn Street, and his father's occupation given as shipwright.

At the time of the 1891 census, John, age 6, is living with his parents and five siblings at 110 Selwyn Street, Kirkdale.  His father and Thomas, 25, are shipwrights, William, 13, is a  shipwright's assistant, Isabella, Richard and John are at school, and Duncan is 4.

His father died in 1896, aged 58, when John was 11 years old.  

In 1901 his widowed mother Mary Ann, 52, is still at 110 Selwyn Street with six sons at home. Thomas, 35, is a shipwright (wood), William, 23, is a boilermaker, Richard, 17, is an apprentice shipwright, 16-year old John works in the wine and spirit trade, Duncan, 14, is an office boy for a coal merchant, and Spencer is 9.

John married Maud Hannah Jackson on 02nd September 1906 in St. George's Church, Everton. John, 21, gave his occupation as railway porter and they both gave their address as 6 Ramelton Street.

His youngest brother Spencer died in 1910 at the age of 18.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 64 Imison Street, Walton, Liverpool.  John is aged 26, born 1885, he is a signalman and was born in Liverpool. His wife Maud Hannah is aged 26, born in Liverpool in 1885 and has no occupation. They have been married for 4 years and have two children, John aged 2, (born 22nd March 1909), and William Spencer aged 4 months (the name Spencer is his mother’s maiden name) born on 12th November 1910, both born in Liverpool. The family also have a boarder living with them named Sidney Graham aged 25, born 1886 and occupation Stoker (railway company) who was also born in Liverpool.  

His mother Mary Ann, aged 63, now lives at 56 Brewster Street, Kirkdale with son Richard Spencer, 27, a shipwright. Their boarder, James Tinsley, 35, is a railway porter.   His mother is found on electoral rolls at this address until 1920. It is not known when she died.

Prior to the outbreak of war he had been employed as a signalman on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

John enlisted in Liverpool and joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 30278. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity John enlisted in about June 1915. The medal roll shows that he arrived in France on 29th December 1915.

John died of wounds on the 01^st August, 1916, aged 31.

His wounds were from the fighting at Guillemont on 30th July 1916, the Battalion diary provides an insight into the circumstances of the day upon which John was wounded.

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July. 

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.   

He now rests at La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, France. The inscription on his headstone reads:

“A LOVING HUSBAND TRUE AND KIND A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY LEFT BEHIND”

In April 1916, No.21 Casualty Clearing Station came to La Neuville and remained there throughout the 1916 Battles of the Somme, until March 1917. La Neuville British Cemetery was opened early in July 1916. Most of the burials date from this period, but a few graves were added during the fighting on the Somme in 1918. Neuville British Cemetery contains 866 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There are also 27 German war graves. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His death was recorded in the Liverpool Courier dated 11^th August, 1916.

John is commemorated on the War Memorial at Manchester Victoria Train Station.

He earned his three medals.

His sons were 7 and 5 years old when John died.

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £3-10s went to Maud, who was awarded a pension of 18/6d a week for herself and two children.  

Maud remarried Alfred Hensman in 1920; there appears to be no children born to the marriage.

In 1939 Maud, 54, was still living at 64 Imison Street, and working for Liverpool Educational Meals(?). She is married but her husband is not in the household.

Son William, 28, a bricklayer, lives a few doors away at 76 Imison Street with his wife and two daughters. Son John has not been definitively identified on post-war records. (In 1939 John Woods, with the same birthdate, single, lives in Didsbury Road, Stockport; he is a motor driver, food transport. He died in Stockport in 1992.)

Maud died in 1960 aged 75, still at 64 Imison Street.  William died in 1981, aged 67.

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