Pte 12056 Sandford Woods

• Age: 30
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• Died Monday 28th October 1918
• Commemorated at: Berlin South West Cem
  Panel Ref: II.F.8

Sandford was born in Walton, Liverpool on 14th April 1888, the son of Edward Woods and his wife Emma (nee Poynton) who were married in 1885 in Chester.  

The 1901 Census shows the family living at Southport Road, Scarisbrick, Ormskirk, Lancashire. His father, Edward, is aged 40, born in Liverpool in 1861 is a blacksmith, his mother, Emma, is aged 39, born 1862 in Chester and has no occupation listed. They have six children in teh household at the time of the Census; William aged 14, born 1887 and Sandford aged 12, born 1889 were both born in Walton, Liverpool, the remaining four children Elizabeth aged 11, born 1890, Richard aged 8, born 1893, Alice aged 4, born 1897 and Mary born 1901 were born in Scarisbrick.

His father died on 12th July 1910.

1911 Census - 23 Ireton Street, Walton – Mother Emma (Widow) with children Sandford, Elizabeth, Richard Poynton, Alice Margaret and Mary.

Sandford married Annie Holroyd in 1913. They has a son William Edward, born on 20th May 1914. Annie sadly died, aged 23, on 31st July 1915. 

Sandford had previously enlisted in the Army. Service records show that he joined the 4th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment on 05th September 1905 as Private 7247. 

He enlisted in Liverpool and served overseas from 19th May 1915. Following a transfer he was serving with the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 12056.

Sandford was taken as a Prisoner of war on 22nd March 1918 during the opening days of the German Spring Offensive. He was initially interred at Cassel but later transferred to Chemnitz Camp. He died, according to POW records, of "inflammation of the lungs" on 28th October 1918 aged 30, just 3 weeks before the Armistice. His son William Edward was now an orphan at just 4 years of age. 

He now rests at Berlin South West Cemetery at II.F.8 where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"UNTIL THE RESSURECTION MORN"

In 1922-23 it was decided that the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who had died all over Germany should be brought together into four permanent cemeteries. Berlin South-Western was one of those chosen and in 1924-25, graves were brought into the cemetery from 146 burial grounds in eastern Germany. There are now 1,176 First World War servicemen buried or commemorated in the Commonwealth plot at Berlin South-Western Cemetery. The total includes special memorials to a number of casualties buried in other cemeteries in Germany whose graves could not be found. The following cemeteries are among those from which graves were brought to Berlin South-Western Cemetery:- ALTDAMM PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, 8 kilometres East of Stettin, in the Province of Pommern (Pomerania), contained the graves of 46 soldiers from the United Kingdom, three from Newfoundland and two from Canada, who died in 1915-1918. BUDEROSE PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, near Guben, in the Province of Brandenburg, contained the graves of 18 soldiers from the United Kingdom, one from Canada and one from Australia, all of whom died in 1918. CROSSEN PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, 3 kilometres East of Crossen, on the river Oder, in the Province of Brandenburg, contained the graves of 66 sailors and soldiers from the United Kingdom, one from Australia and one from South Africa all of whom died in 1918. DOBERITZ PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, about 19 kilometres West of Berlin, in the Province of Brandenburg, contained the graves of 38 sailors and soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1914-1918. HASENHEIDE GARRISON CEMETERY, on the South side of the city of Berlin, contained the graves of 369 Russian, 125 French, and 58 Belgian, American, Italian, Rumanian, Portuguese or Serbian soldiers; 63 sailors, soldiers and Marines from the United Kingdom; and one Indian soldier. HEILSBERG PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, in Ostpreussen (East Prussia), contained the graves of 50 soldiers and one Marine from the United Kingdom, who died in 1917 and 1918. Only twelve of which were found when the graves were being recovered; the remainder are still buried at Heilsberg. KLEIN WITTENBERG OLD CEMETERY, 3 kilometres West of Wittenberg, in the Prussian province of Saxony, contained the graves of 23 soldiers, one Marine and eight civilians from the United Kingdom and one soldier from India, all of whom died in 1915; the NEW (or PRISONERS OF WAR) CEMETERY, those of 71 soldiers and three civilians from the United Kingdom, two soldiers from Canada and one from Australia, who died in 1915, 1917 and 1918; and WITTENBERG OLD SMALL CEMETERY those of two soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1914 and 1915. The first and third of these cemeteries are associated with the outbreak of typhus at the Wittenberg camp in December 1914. LAMSDORF PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, in Schlesien (Silesia), contained the graves of 81 soldiers from the United Kingdom, one from Australia and one from New Zealand, who died in 1917-1919 (it was used for French burials in 1870-71). MAGDEBURG MILITARY CEMETERY, in Prussian Saxony, contained the graves of 24 soldiers and one Marine from the United Kingdom who died in 1915-1918. MERSEBURG TOWN CEMETERY, in Prussian Saxony, contained the graves of 12 soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1914-1917, and the PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY those of 33 soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1917-1918. OPPELN TOWN CEMETERY, in Upper Silesia, contained the graves of 41 soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1921-22. They belonged to the British force stationed in Upper Silesia during the Plebiscite. Thirty of them, who died after the legal termination of the war, were left buried at Oppeln. SCHNEIDEMUHL PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, in Posen, West Prussia, on the borders of Poland, contained the graves of 76 soldiers from the United Kingdom, five from Australia, three of the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry, and one from Canada, who died in 1915-1918. Eighteen of the graves could not be recovered. STARGARD PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, in Pomerania, contained the graves of 37 soldiers and one Marine from the United Kingdom, two soldiers from New Zealand and one of the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry, who died in 1917-1918. STENDAL PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, in Prussian Saxony, contained the graves of 140 soldiers from the United Kingdom, two from Canada and one from Newfoundland, who died in 1917-1918. ZERBST (HEIDETOR) CEMETERY, in Anhalt, contained the graves of two soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1914-1915, and the PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY those of 45, who died in 1917-1918.

He was listed as Missing in the Weekly Casualty List on 04th June 1918.

Sandford earned his three medals.

Sandford is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 33 Right

Scarisbrick Roll of Honour

He is also commemorated on the family headstone in Anfield Cmemtery:

SANDFORD WOODS

2nd son of the late Edward Woods

Who died Prisoner of War

Chemnitz, Germany 28th Oct 1918

Aged 30 years

Soldiers Effects to child William Edward Woods and pension to Anna Woods (guardian) and child William Edward.

A second Soldiers Effects states a Will dated 01st May 1915 was found in his AB64 pay book, it was returned to his son on 4th August 1932.

His father was remembered in the Liverpool Echo 12th July 1917 the seventh anniversary of his death:

WOODS - In loving memory of my dear husband Edward Woods, passed away July 12, 1910, also Annie, beloved wife of Sandford Woods, passed away July 31, 1915.  (Some day God will link the broken chain.) - Ever remembered by wife and children 23 Ireton Street, Walton.

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