The story of Private Ernest William Woods
Three pictures of Ernest William Woods. In the first picture, William is the man sitting down.
Ernest William Woods, regiment number 149219, was a gunner with the 188 siege battery RGA. William Woods didn't join up until 1917 and was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in France in July 1917 (1st reserve Brigade RGA) and to 188 SB on the 11th august 1917. He was active in the Ypres area because he had two small military maps (one around Ten Brielen and the other around Houtem). William Woods survived the war and lived to an old age. He died however well before his grandson, Richard Woods, could ask him any questions about his war service. The only thing Richard can remember was that his grandmother wouldn't let William in the house when he came home on leave until he had removed his uniform as it was invested with lice.
Picture of Ernest William Woods (William is the man sitting down)
Ernest William Woods
Photograph
CONTRIBUTOR
Richard Woods
DATE
/
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
3
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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Photograph of my paternal uncle, Ino LK Nuttall Service medal of my paternal uncle, Ino LK Nuttall || My paternal uncle, Ino LK Nutall, joined up on the first day of the war, according to what my father told me. He was in the Alberta Dragoons, having been about 3 years in Canada. Ino had emigrated as there were no opportunities at home, as a second son from a modest farm in Sligo. My grandfather, his father, had married a widow with a farm and a family of her own, and they went on to have a family together. Ino served in Belgium and France; he was behind the lines when he was killed in a shooting accident. He is buried in the cemetery at Chateau Kemell. As far as I understand, the soldier who accidentally shot him was not court-martialled. I am the eldest son in my family, and I inherited the farm from my father - and his desk. The medal and the photograph were in the desk. Although I don't have any items with me which belonged to my mother's father, his story was quite dramatic. He was a doctor in Dublin whose name was Dr Frank Purser. In WWI he joined the medical corps, where he treated soldiers with shell-shock. He wanted to build a hospital for recovering soldiers in Monto in Dublin, rather than Castlecove in Kerry where he felt they would be isolated, but nothing came of that plan. He was also an ex-rugby international and in 1910 was President of the RFU ( he played on the wing and he was very quick) , and this probably saved his life. On Easter Saturday he was injured playing in an Old Ulster/Old Leinster match and was in hospital rather than walking around Dublin in uniform when the fighting broke out. || || Ino Nuttall || Photograph || Ireland || Photograph of my uncle, Ino Nuttall