The Wooding Brothers

[David Harrison]

I am looking for information on my 2 Great Uncles who served in the Great war with neither surviving the conflict Stanley Wooding enlisted at Crystal Palace  date unknown and became attached to a light trench mortar unit Hood Batallion RNDivision. He may have been involved  in the Dardenells campaign as that ended in the early months of 1916. I do not believe that he was involved in the main Somme offensive in July 1916. His Batallion was involved in the Battle of the Ancre and he was killed on 13th November 1916 being the first day of the battle. I have no information as to how he was killed but I believe that the entire trench mortar unit were killed on that day which would seem to suggest a direct hit from shellfire or catastrophic failure of the mortar. He has no known grave. He was 19 when he was killed.

Stanley had  a younger brother Phillip Henry Wooding. I do not know when he enlisted but probably  in 1916 into the Rifle Brigade. I believe he saw active service in France in 1917 and 1918. He received a Battlefield Commission and was awarded  MC. He was seriously injured and became a POW in the fighting during the German spring offensive. He died of his wounds in 1919 but he may have committed suicide as he died on the 13rh November 1919 being the 3rd anniversary  of his brother's death.

Can anyone help with suggestion s how I should start to fill in the blanks

Thanks

[DavidOwen]

Welcome to the forum David.

Does this newspaper cutting (courtesy FMP) relate to your great uncle? Birmingham Gazette 24 November 1919

[DavidOwen]

A second article would seem to confirm it is him. Northampton Mercury 28 November 1919 (courtesy FMP)

[stiletto_33853]

Philip Henry Wooding was originally B/2867 enlisting 1/9/1914 and joined the 8th Rifle Brigade. Appointed to Commission on probation 5/11/1916.

Gallantry Card for meritorious service 20//11/1915, D.C.M. London Gazette 14/1/1916. M.C. London Gazette 18/7/17 Sent to Cadet School 30/8/1916 at 2nd Training Camp, Etaples. Commissioned 8th Rifle Brigade,  but Employed by the Royal Engineers (Signals).

Taken a POW 27/5/1918 whilst with 8th Division Signal Coy, enemy barrage opened at 1 a.m. & attacked at 4a.m. Front line was soon over-run and Brigade H.Q. surrounded. At about 5.30am I was wounded by a hand grenade and carried to a dug-out where I was subsequently taken prisoner.

Repatriated 14/12/18

The information I have is that he did indeed commit suicide.

Edited 26 September by stiletto_33853

[horatio2]

Stanley

You should start by downlaoding (free from TNA) his RND Record Card   -   https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7295526

Formerly Officers Training Corps Northampton Co. School ; ex-Public Schools Battalion, enlisted 26/11/14, he served as Able Seaman (RNVR London Division) in 'D' Coy Hawke Bn. (NOT Hood) RND and was attached to 2nd Bde. LTMB (formed on 25 Jun 1916 after the RND moved from the MEF to the BEF). On 21 Jul it was re-named as 189 Bde. LTMB.

His RNVR enrolment and other papers are held by the Fleet Air Arm Museum. Copies can be ordered (charges apply).

189 LTMB lost about ten members on 13 Nov 1916 on the Ancre. Each of two LTMB sections (each with four Stokes mortars) would have comprised some 20+ ratings.

The RND history is worth reading  -  https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.523461/page/n5/mode/2up   as is "The Hawke Battalion" by the same author, Douglas Jerrrold.

His three W1 medals were never claimed by his family.

 

Edited 27 September by horatio2

[horatio2]

He embarked, with 'D' Coy Hawke Bn.,for the Dardanelles in HMT IVERNIA on 12 May 1915, landing on Gallipoli on 28 May.

Hawke Bn. Left the MEF for the BEF on 19 May 1916, sailing from Mudros to Marseilles (23 May) in HMT FRANCONIA.

[David Harrison]

Thanks for this. Sorry  what does the Anagram MEF stand for.? Where would I find details of  D company's  actions between 28 May 1915 and 19 May 1916. To be in action for a year with no home leave doesn't bear thinking about. Churchill had a lot to answer for.

[tankengine888]

28 minutes ago, David Harrison said:

Sorry  what does the Anagram MEF stand for.? 

Hello David

MEF - Mediterranean Expeditionary Force

Also, Gallipoli concluded in January 1916 [Evacuations throughout Dec 1915] so it was more from May 1915 to Jan 1916, and that's not mentioning possible periods of rest and so on.

Details about what his Battalion was doing during this time is available via the War Diary of his Battalion via The National Archives

Zidane

[Matlock1418]

3 hours ago, David Harrison said:

To be in action for a year with no home leave doesn't bear thinking about.

"In action" - I'm not sure he was in action all the time - though he would have been on Active Service all the time [though that would apply to service in the UK too and when on leave]

Whilst Gallipoli, because of its restricted geographiocal circumstances, offered lesser respite from action [initiated by the Allied forces or Turks] in other theatre of war there was usually more opportunity for respite - remember that elsewhere actually being in the frontline was pretty typically in the minority of time spent when in theatre due to rotation of troops.

Though leave was initially restricted later on actual leave to the UK was possible from France and some men would have spent more time in theatre than just a year before they got it [Egypt and Salonika also seem to come to mind for long periods before leave]

And, as has been mentioned, Gallipoli wound up in Jan 1916.

Never the less quite a lot of time to be away from home for him and commonly for a lot of other men too.

M

Edited 27 September by Matlock1418
allied

[horatio2]

1 hour ago, tankengine888 said:

Details about what his Battalion was doing during this time is available via the War Diary of his Battalion via The National Archives

Not so.

Sadly, the Hawke Bn war diary for Gallipoli has not survived. See the two Douglas Jerroldbooks I have referenced above for the best summary of Hawke Bn's actions. Note that for his time in the BEF the war diary of 189 LTMB (rather than Hawke Bn.) is available but it only covers the months of Jul and Aug 1916.

See TNA WO 95/3115/3   -   https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7355476