George WOODWARD, PRIVATE 33229

Born: 4Q1889 at Middlesbrough
Son of: James and Eleanor Woodward
Local address: 11 New Buildings, Drinkfield Lane, Darlington
Pre-war occupation: Labourer in Ironworks
Father’s occupation: Labourer in Rolling Mills, Rise Carr Works
Siblings: Three brothers, two sisters, position in family: 5
Enlisted: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Regiment: King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI)
Died: Died of wounds, 29 August 1918
Age: 26
Buried: Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Longuenesse, France

Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) records state that George Woodward died on 29 August 1918 while serving with the 13th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment. His record in Soldiers Who Died in the Great War (SDGW) states that he enlisted at Newcastle upon Tyne, (date not given) with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Service Number 408. No service record exists for him, so we know little about his military career, although it seems likely that he transferred from the KOYLI to the East Lancashire Regiment at some point in the war, possibly in June 1918 when 13/East Lancashire was raised in France.

There were two George Woodwards in Darlington in the 1911 census but the most likely one to be ‘our man’ shows him living at Drinkfield in Darlington. In 1911, this George Woodward was aged 19, a labourer in the ironworks, living at New Buildings, Drinkfield Lane at his brother James’ house. James was also a labourer in the ironworks and was married to Jane.

In August 1918 the Battalion War Diary records that the battalion were in the Vieux Berquin Sector, south-east of Hazebrouck and later were part of the final advance in Flanders. On 28 and 29 August the diary records that there was heavy and continuous shelling from the enemyÉ.due to the enemy firing off the dump before retiring which evidently took place at 10pm for reports from front line Companies noted that all machine gun and rifle fire ceased at this point.

By then it was too late for George Woodward, who lost his life only a few weeks before the Armistice. Seven soldiers of 13/East Lancashire lost their lives during the massive bombardment which took place on 28 and 29 August. The seven men have no known grave and are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial. George Woodward died of his wounds so must have survived for a time. Longuenesse Cemetery is on the outskirts of St Omer, about 20km from Vieux Berquin. It’s likely that George Woodward was taken to a Casualty Clearing Station or Field Hospital in the St Omer region, died there and was buried nearby.

George Woodward is commemorated on the Brass Memorial Plaque in St Andrew’s Church, Haughton-le-Skerne, the North-Eastern Railways memorial in York, on a Memorial Plaque in Rise Carr Primitive Methodist Church, Darlington (the plaque is now in Northland Methodist Church, Darlington) and on the Roll of Honour in Darlington Public Library.