- See John Wood’s entry on the Board of Trade’s Ancestry public tree.
- This information updates the group’s previous research published on the former DTI website (now archived by the National Archives).
- Do you have any more information about John Wood? If so the War Memorial Research Group would love to hear from you.
Name recorded on Board of Trade Memorial: J. Wood
Born: 6 October 1891, Eyemouth, Berwickshire
Date of Death: 13 November 1917
Age at death: 26
Service, Regiment, Corps, etc: King’s Own Scottish Borderers and previously London Scottish Regiment
Unit, Ship, etc: 4th Battalion
Enlisted: London
Rank: Lieutenant (Service no: )
Decorations: WW1 Campaign medals (Victory Medal, British War Medal and 1914-1915 Star)
War (and theatre): WW1 (Egypt and Palestine)
Manner of Death: Killed in Action (KIA)
Family Details: Son of John Wood (Solicitor) and Rebecca J Wood, Victoria House, Eyemouth, Berwickshire, Scotland
Residence:
Home Department: Board of Trade – Labour Department (South Eastern Division)
Civilian Rank:
Cemetery or Memorial: Ramleh War Cemetery (P.24); Board of Trade War Memorial, London; Memorial to the Staff of the Ministry of Labour; United Free Church WW1 brass plaque, Eyemouth; Eyemouth Cemetery; Royal High School Porch WW1; Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle
Biography:
John Wood was born on 6 October 1891 in Eyemouth, Berwickshire, Scotland. His parents were John Wood (1860-1916) and Rebecca Jane Johnston (1865-1945). He had three brothers – Joseph Revan Wood (1888-?), George Russell Wood (1890-1946) and Alexander Robertson B. Wood (1896-?). John Wood senior, his father was a local solicitor and banker.
John appears in the census records in 1901 living with is parents and siblings in Toll Road, Eyemouth. At this time John is aged 9.
He was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh. After leaving school he went to work in London for the Board of Trade working in the South-Eastern Division of the Labour Department.
On the outbreak of WW1, John Wood went to France with the 1st Battalion, London Scottish, in September 1914, having signed up as a territorial. During his time in France, John fought at the Battle of Messines Ridge on 31 October 1914 .
In May 1915, John was then commissioned as an officer into the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. He served with the KOSB at Gallipoli and in Egypt.
John died on 13 November 1917 aged 26 whilst serving in action at El Mughar (also known as the Battle of Mughar Ridge) which was part of the push by the British forces led by Sir General Allenby into Palestine and towards Jerusalem. The Middle East area of military operations was a vital location with strategic assets like the Suez Canal and the Abadan oil pipeline of vital importance.
The following account as published in on the website – “The Battle of Mughar Ridge: One soldier’s story” – explains the circumstances in which John died:
“The two K.O.S.B. battalions had marched into position on the reverse side of a hill in the early hours of the morning. After spending a cold night without blankets and breakfasting on half rations, the battalions advanced over the brow of the hill where the village of El Mughar – their objective – was pointed out lying amongst groves of cypress trees on a small hill at the end of a ridge. Below the ridge was a flat plain; it was likely to be difficult ground to attack over if the Turks put up resistance.
Although disorganised by the sudden advance, the Turks had placed machine guns behind the cacti hedges, and their artillery had taken up positions on an adjoining ridge, giving them a clear field of observation over any attack. The neighbouring village of Katrah (approximately a mile away) was to be attacked by two battalions of Royal Scots Fusiliers (part of 155 Brigade, 52nd (Lowland) Division.)
The 1/4th K.O.S.B. advanced under a hail of machine gun and shrapnel fire. About 400 yards from the edge of the village, the troops came across a dry river bed from which they returned the Turkish fire. Realising that the advance on El Mughar was stalling, the 1/5th K.O.S.B. were ordered forward to assist, unsurprisingly they too were met with intense fire and joined the 1/4th Battalion under cover in the river bed. Meanwhile, the attack on Katrah was also held up.
The Brigadier-General in charge of 155 Brigade (Brigadier-General Pollock McCall) had joined the K.O.S.B. in the river bed and due to the problems encountered was contemplating calling for artillery support to suppress the Turkish fire. It was now early afternoon, since the advance was ordered at 7.45am and the battalions had come under fire at 10am, little had been achieved; however help was at hand. To the left of the infantry were the yeomanry of the 6th Mounted Brigade (comprising 1/1st Berkshire Yeomanry, 1/1st Buckinghamshire Yeomanry and 1/1st Dorset Yeomanry) being part of the Yeomanry Mounted Division.
At 3pm 1/4th K.O.S.B. moved forward, using the cover of a dip known as Wadi Jamus, and approached to within two miles of the Mughar Ridge. The yeomanry advanced first at a trot, then to a canter, and when within 100 yards charged into the Turkish positions to the north of the village.
Seizing the opportunity Brigadier-General McCall grabbed a rifle and personally led the two battalions of Kings Own Scottish Borderers in a charge to the Turkish positions. The War Diary of the 1/4th K.O.S.B. describes how, at 4pm, the battalion “...made a final rush, driving the enemy from all his positions, in the gardens and cactus hedges, and forcing him into the open behind the village...”
After a few minutes of hand to hand fighting, the Turkish troops realised that discretion was the better part of valour and threw their weapons to one side and surrendered.
The Yeomanry had cut off the Turkish retreat, and over a thousand prisoners were taken. The Royal Scots Fusiliers had also taken their objective of Katrah, however the real success was the fact that the way was now clear for an advance on Junction Station. This was taken early the next morning, 14th November, by a brigade from the 75th Division with support from armoured cars; there was no Turkish opposition.
The day’s casualties for the 1/5th K.O.S.B. were one officer and 18 other ranks killed, plus a further two officers and 110 other ranks wounded. The 1/4 K.O.S.B. lost slightly more heavily, having three officers and 26 other ranks killed, plus 9 officers and 138 other ranks wounded. The 1/4th and 1/5th Royal Scots Fusiliers between them suffered fatal casualties of one officer and 26 other ranks; the three regiments of yeomanry had one officer and 15 other ranks killed on 13th November.“
He is buried in Ramleh War Cemetery in modern day Israel where his headstone bears the personal inscription “R.I.P”. The photograph of the grave of John Wood in the Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel courtesy of LTC (IDF – Ret. ) Zev Gross.
John is also commemorated on the Memorial to the Staff of the Ministry of Labour, now hanging in Caxton House, Tothill Street, London SW1 and on the Board of Trade War Memorial. In his home town of Eyemouth, John is remembered on a family gravestone at Eyemouth Cemetery and on a brass plaque at Eyemouth United Free Church (which is now a local museum).
John is also one of 183 men who are remembered at his old school – the Royal High School – in the form of a marble WW1 Porch The porch is flanked by dedication brass plaques and the upper part of the Doric portico bears a Greek inscription from Simonides: ΟΥΔΕ ΤΕΘΝΑΣΙ ΘΑΝΟΝΤΕΣ. [which translates as ‘They died but are not dead’].
John’s life is also one of 135,000 Scottish lives remembered by the Scottish National War Memorial located at Edinburgh Castle.
Board of Trade War Memorial 