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WORLD WAR ONE

The Men Who Died

WORLD WAR ONE

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William was born in Brecon in May 1898 and baptised at the Priory Church in July. He was the son of Henry and Hannah Wood and the family lived at 8, London Row, Brecon. Henry was a carpenter and wheelwright.

Henry had served with the Brecknocks, joining the Territorial Force in 1908, and previously been with the Volunteer Force for most of the period from 1888 until 1908. He regularly went on annual training with the Brecknocks. He was in to the army at the outbreak of war and served in Britain until 1917, although for the final year was released to work for the Metropolitan Carriage Works in Birmingham.

William initially joined the Royal Army Service Corps but later transferred to the Machine Gun Corps, fighting in France and Flanders. The 237th Battalion, MGC joined the 21st Division in 1917 at Moyennville. The division, known as the Leicester Tigers was involved in the Cambrai operations of November and December 1917, particularly against the German counter attack in early December. Cambrai was renowned for the introduction of tanks to the battlefield, with 476 being deployed. As well as William and his father, brothers George and John also served.

Private William Thomas Wood

Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), 237th Battalion, service no.

115810

Died on January 29th, 1918 in France, aged 19

Buried at St Sever Cemetery extension, Rouen, France

Milton appears to have made his home in Brecon and was a member of the Usk Lodge of Buffaloes.

Whilst Number 3, General Hospital was based in France, Milton appears to have been on his way to Alexandria, Egypt with other reinforcements when the ship he was travelling on, the S.S. Transylvania, was torpedoed near Savona, Italy with the loss of over 400 lives. Milton was among those lost and is commemorated at Savona.