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George Wood - Information

George Wood was born c1897 in Sydney. When the war began, he was living on Ely in Douglas Park with his mother, Annie Wood. George served in the Senior Cadets, and helped support the family working as a blacksmith. On the 11th of July 1916, he enlisted in the AIF in Goulburn. During training, George was made a Private with the 7th Reinforcements, 55th Battalion. He then embarked Sydney onboard the HMAT Ascanius bound for England on the 25th of October 1916.

George landed in Devonport at the end of December, and was then sent to France in February 1917. In March, he was transferred to the 18th Battalion and joined them in the field. At the time, the Germans were withdrawing to the newly developed defence system, known as the Hindenburg Line. The Anzacs were ordered to advance, engaging this fortification at Bullecourt on the 3rd of May. Later in the year, the 18th Battalion were moved for operations during the Third Battle of Ypres. Here, on the 20th of September, George was wounded in action with a gun shot wound to his ankle. He was then admitted to hospital in Rouen. After he recovered, he joined his unit in early December, and on Christmas Eve, they got a break and were stationed to the Base Depot. Following the horrendous fighting in Belgium, the men were exhausted, spending much of the winter behind the lines resting. As a result, in March 1918, George was admitted to hospital with gonorrhoea, and returned to his Battalion at the end of July. In the advances that unfolded from the Allied Offensive, George was wounded in action a second time moving through German defences at Montbrehain, hit in his leg and his side on the 3rd of October. He was rushed to hospital, and was still there when the war ended on November 11th. George was later granted leave in January 1919, before being sent back to Australia in early July. After he was discharged, he returned to his family in Douglas Park.