George Alfred WOOD Private 18648, 10 th Battalion, Scottish Rifles. Died 12 th August 1916. Research into the background and history of the "A. Wood S.R." named on the Howden-le-Wear War Memorial proved challenging, as there appeared to be no match for ‘A Wood S.R.’ in the military archives. At the time of the 1911 Census there was a Wood family headed by the widowed Sarah Ann Wood, whose husband had died since the time of the 1901 Census, living in High Street, Howden-le-Wear. There were five children in the family, and Alfred was the second oldest, aged 19. He was an oil hawker, and at the time of the outbreak of war in 1914, now aged 22, he would have been eligible for conscription. It is highly likely, therefore, that this was the Wood family who lost their son Alfred during the conflict. However, still there was no military match for "A. Wood S.R." The regimental letters "S.R." recorded on the War Memorial could have identified him as being in the Special Reserve or in the Signals Regiment. However, further research highlighted the possibility that his regiment may have been the Scottish Rifles. There is evidence of a George Alfred Wood serving in the 10 th Battalion of the Cameronians, which was also known as the Scottish Rifles. This Alfred volunteered, was sent to France on 12 th December 1915, and died on the 12 th August 1916 in the Somme Region. His body was not found but he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial. Unfortunately, there is no trace of this Alfred Wood having any connection with Howden-le-Wear. Assuming that the Alfred Wood shown in the Census mentioned above is the one who served during the war and died, and who is named on the Howden-le-Wear War Memorial, it is likely that he was one of the many soldiers whose military records were lost during the London blitz in 1940.

Remembering Our Fallen

Howden-le-Wear History Society