WOOD, James
(Service number 8/957)
| First Rank | (1) Private; (2) Rifleman | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 17/02/1882 | Place of Birth | Oamaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | (1) 25 August 1914; (2) 30 October 1916 | Age | (1) 32 years 6 months; 34 years 8 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | (1) Empire Hotel, Christchurch; (2) Wairau Hospital | ||
| Occupation | (1) Shepherd; Labourer (Wairau Hospital Board) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | South Canterbury Mounted Rifles - 3 months | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | John WOOD (father), Highfield, Timaru; John WOOD (father), C/o P. W. Dept, Whangarei (deceased), Mrs Jessie WOOD (mother), 35 Seddon Street, Timaru, then Lyndhill, Albury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | (1) Main Body; (2) New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | (1) Otago Infantry Battalion; (2) Reinforcements H Company | ||
| Date | (1) 16 October 1914; (2) 16 February 1917 | ||
| Transport | (1) Ruapehu or Hawkes Bay; (2) Navua | ||
| Embarked From | (1) Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago | Destination | (1) Suez, Egypt; (2) Devonport, Devon, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Balkan (Gallipoli); Egyptian; Western European | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 3 February 1929 | Age | 47 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru Public Hospital, Timaru | ||
| Cause | Acute toxaemia following peritonitis which originated from a ruptured gastric ulcer. | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Timaru Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
James Wood was the youngest son of Scottish parents, John Wood of Highfield, Timaru, and Jessie née Laing, and the only one of their four sons to be born in New Zealand. He arrived back in New Zealand on 3 February 1916 per the Rotorua and was discharged, being unfit for the military forces on account of a broken wrist. He was a labourer at the Wairau Hospital when he enlisted at Blenheim for a second time on 30 October 1916. After another stint at the front, J. Wood, 8/957, Timaru, returned to New Zealand in March 1918 per Draft 149. He had given a total of three years and 98 days of service in two stints and in three campaigns - Egypt, Gallipoli and Western Europe. Attained rank of lance corporal, James came home to Lyndhill Farm, Albury. It was to this address that his 1914-1915 Star was to be sent in June 1920. James married Sarah Winter in 1919, and together they had four children before James' death in 1929 - John Laing, Jessie Laing, William Winter and Cynthia.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [05 February 2017]; NZ Defence Force Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5557 0124872) [07 February 2017]; Otago Daily Times, 16 & 22 September 1914, 12 October 1914, Dominion, 15 & 24 September 1915, Timaru Herald, 25 April 1916, 4 March 1919, Evening Post, 13 March 1918, Press, 7 February 1929 (Papers Past) [05 & 07 February 2017]; Probate record (Archives NZ/FamilySearch) [06 February 2017]; Timaru Herald, 4 & 5 February 1929 (Timaru District Library) [07 February 2017]
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