George Wood (1887-1957)
George Henry WOOD - Born 3rd April 1887, Hastings.
List of home addresses:
21 Salisbury Road
27 Horntye Road [1]
82 Old London Road [2][3]
'Chumleigh' Westfield, Battle. - June 1943 [4][5].
George's early career was in Merchant shipping where he entered with the title of 'Boy'. The documents record which ships he saw service on as follows:
1902/3 - Alexandria – Home and Continent Passenger Haul (x3) from Newhaven
1904 -Sussex Maid – Coasting (x2) from Hastings
13th July 1904 – Ophir – Yachting – from Tilbury
12th August 1904 – Registered with The Shipping Federation
27th August 1904 – Minneapolis – New York – from Tilbury
7th October 1904 – Orontes – Australia – from Tilbury
27th January 1905 – Orontes – Australia – from Tilbury
2nd November 1905 – TSS Tongariro – New Zealand – from Victoria Docks
1st June 1906 – SS German – Cape Colony – from Poplar Docks
1st August 1906 – SS Goth – Cape Town – from Poplar Docks
17th May 1905 – Joined Royal Navy Reserve Force as Seaman (Discharge 15th April 1911)
11th December 1915 (Attestation 3rd April 1918)– Enlisted - 6 Res Bn, Machine Gun Corps – L/Cpl 173129[5]
Later Career
George appears to have already been in Hastings police as PC42 prior to enlistment into the MGC and he was certainly still in the police post WW1 (pension documentation supports that). One notable episode of his service in the police was a double fatal fire in Croft Road during 1913. John D'Anter posted in the Historical Hastings Facebook group excerpts of his Police Constable's Pocket Note Book for 1914-1915, entries being transcribed by John as below:
Jenny MANN (Fishmarket)
Tulio DELACATO (Aged 10 yrs - fall from high pavement High Street - head injury )
Guiseppe CASCARINO (Witness)
Dr Baker (Attended injured 10yr old)
Bert WHITEMAN (35yr old ex soldier)
John DARBY (Tram conductor No 23, Car 51)
Harry HARMER (Fell from moving tram Car 51 - concussion)
Mrs BLACKMAN (Reported)
Miss DYER (7 Carlisle Terrace)
H LAVENDER (142 Queens Rd)
Mrs FELLOWS (70 Milward Rd)
Thomas William MARSHALL (Licensee - Angel Inn - St Mary's Terrace - nuisance smoke/fire from chimney - fined 5/ + costs, total - 11/6)
Ellen COBALD (Maid at Angel Inn)
William FUNNELL (Drunk on licensed premises - Jenny Lind - fined 5/ + costs)
Henry FUNNELL (Drunk on licensed premises - Jenny Lind - fined 5/ + costs)
James WHITEMAN (Barman at Jenny Lind)
Mr SMITH (Licensee of Jenny Lind - fined £1 + costs)
Walter FORRESTER (64 Milward Rd - suffered fit in Queens Rd)
Thomas WHITING (47 St Georges Rd)
Mr A GARDNER (84 Victoria Ave - wife drunk)
Rhoda GARDNER ( 84 Victoria Ave - wife of above - drunk)
Alfred LEWIS (14 Rotherfield Ave - allotment gardener Croft Road - victim of theft - 2 x Pullets)
William James MARCHANT (39 Hardwicke Rd - suspect of theft of pullets - 2 months hard labour)
Thomas William ATKINS (34 Sandown Rd - suspect to theft of pullets - not guilty)
Henry BARNES (2 Wellington Cotts, All Saints St - 7 years old - injury - taken to ESH by taxi)
William BAILEY (Witness to above incident)
Joseph KENT (102 All Saints St - Grocer - failure to obscure bright light during blackout - cautioned)
George BURT (69 Priory Rd - 4 years old - incised wound under chin caused by falling from railings in Milward Rd - taken home by PS)
Miss Nellie YOUNGER (95 High St)
Haddon (letter of thanks to be answered)
Daisy WHITE
Elizabeth WHITE (33 years old - general servant)
Laurence FUNNELL (45 Russel Street)
Pat BEENEY (HIgh St)
Miss TUCKER (22 St Mary's Terrace - suffering from hysteria at White Rock - taken to ESH)
Rhoda GLADWISH (7 Mann St)
Barry STEWART (10 Cornwallis Terrace)
George BLACKWELL (1 Cornwallis St - Greengrocer- allowing a bonfire to be alight on allotment gardens, Braybrook Road contrary to Defence of the Realm orders)
Fred MARTIN (4 Kents Cotts, All Saints)
G WINGFIELD (35 Old London Road - engineer)
Mrs DITON (4 The Croft - caused accidental fire in basement by dropping lighted match on paper whilst lighting gas stove)
Mrs BARKER (2 The Croft)
Frederick HENHAM (The Cottage, Roebuck Yard - Pot Boy - drunk -fined £1)
Helen HENHAM (The Cottage, Roebuck Yard drunk - fined £1)
Edgar HENHAM (The Cottage, Roebuck Yard - drunk - fined 1/- )
Frederick PEPPIN (present at The Cottage, Roebuck Yard)
Ernest ELLIOTT (Fairlight Vicarage)
Thomas WALKER (277 Mount Pleasant Rd - Newsagent - attempt break to premises)
Fred FUNNELL (Jenny Lind, High St)
Harry FUNNELL (Jenny Lind, High St)
Mr BLOMFIELD (Old London Road - Window broken)
James THOMAS (15 Market Passage - 16 years old - fined 2/6)
Sarah PETERS (3 years old - epileptic fit - Rock-a-Nore Road)
Maggie WHITE
Ernest WHITE
Albert B JONES (Cobden Cotts, near 17 Croft Rd)
John WATSON (9 Croft Rd)
Mrs J E COX (7 Priory Ave)
Miss CHILD (7 Priory Ave)
Edward STOCK (28 Russell St)
Alfred PEERLESS (194 Priory Rd)
George PEERLESS (194 Priory Rd)
Edward WAGHORN (9 Mann St)
Richard GANNON (92 All Saints St)
Arthur STEVENS (166 Hughenden Rd)
Edward HOARE (22 Russell St)
Dr STANLEY (15A Canal Walk, Southampton - Furious riding of a cycle in Ashburnham Rd)
Richard BAILEY (28 Milward Crescent - dropping vile ointment - reported)
Robert HATTER
Capt COX R.A.M.C R.F.C (7 Priory Ave)
Meeting at Blacklands Parish Room, Hughenden Rd - Present:
Mr YEATS
Mr WATFORD
Mr ALEXANDER
Mr TYLER
Sub Insp MOORE
Dr CULHANE
Dr PRAEN
Mr BATSTONE (Caretaker)
Notes regarding a fatal housefire at the rear of 8 Croft Rd in Feb 1913.
"At 6:40 pm on 22nd Feb I went to Croft Rd. I saw BURTONSHAW, helped him up to the bedroom window, got down, helped get baby out of cot, assisted PAINE to recover, assisted Mrs RING to No 9 Croft, controlled around for fireman to work."
A later entry documents the inquest verdict into the fire and 2 deaths:
Inquest 24th Feb 1914
Verdict, deceased male,
died from shock,
Deceased female died
from suffocation.
A note follows which simply states:
(Ring) BURTONSHAW
The documents last record George as living in Westfield (1943). Records would suggest that George's wife (Eileen) pre deceased him by some years[5].
Children
| Children of: George Wood and Hetty Florence Lawes (1886-1955) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Eileen Flora Wood (1915-2000)
• | |||
His daughter Eileen served in the Womens Royal Navy 21285[6], later becoming a nurse 17th Jan 1956 – S.E.A.N (from engraved General Nursing Council badge) D Day Fellowship membership (this may indicate some involvement whilst in the WRN)
