Albert Wood
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
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Albert Wood was born in 1898 at Bulwell and was the son of the late George Roby Wood a colliery labourer and Mary Ellen Wood née Beardsmore of Bulwell Nottingham. His father George Roby Wood was born in 1871 at Nottingham he died in 1903 aged 32 yrs , his mother Mary Ellen Beardsmore was born in 1871 at Staveley, Derbyshire, they were married in 1894 their marriage was recorded in the Basford Registration District, they had the following children, George Lewis b1897, Albert b1898 and James b1900 all were born in Bulwell. His mother went on to re marry in 1908 at Nottingham, she married Edwin Cree a blast furnance man born in 1878 at Bulwell, they lived at 298 Coventry Road, Bulwell and went on to have a daughter Gladys Cree born in 1908 at Bulwell. In the 1911 census the family are living at 298 Coventry Road, Bulwell and are shown as Edwin Cree 33 yrs a blast furnace man, he is living with is wife Ellen 40 yrs and their daughter Gladys Cree 3 yrs and Ellen's sons George Lewis Wood 14 yrs a pottery worker, Albert Wood 13 yrs a scholar and James Wood 11 yrs a scholar.
Private Albert Wood attested on 2nd March 1916 at Nottingham, he gave his address as 298 Coventry Road, Bulwell, he was posted to the reserves and called up on 21st October 1916 and reported to the depot at Derby where he was posted to the 7th battalion Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment). He embarked for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force on 30th November 1917 on board H.T. Aragon. He was was killed in the sinking of HMT Aragon on 30th December 1917 and is commemorated on the Chatby Memorial Egypt. On arrival at Alexandria, Egypt on December 30th, 1917, the Aragon was initially permitted to enter harbour, but was subsequently ordered out again. She anchored outside without any protection from submarine attack, for which she was an easy target and was duly torpedoed and sunk with a total loss of 610 officers and men of the Commonwealth forces, of whom 19 were crew. She sank quite quickly and trawlers and destroyers at once closed in to pick up those who had succeeded in jumping clear. The destroyer HMS Attack was one of those engaged in the rescue but was itself literally blown in two by a mine and disappeared with 10 of her crew and many of those she had just taken on board. He is remembered on the Chatby Memorial. The German submarine responsible was UC 34 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Horst Obermüller. UC 34, a mine laying submarine, was scuttled on the 30th October 1918 at Pola on the surrender of Austro-Hungary.
In Memoriam published 30th December 1919 in the Nottingham Evening Post : “In loving memory of our dear son, Pte. A. Wood. Royal Scots, lost on Transport Aragon, December 30th, 1917. Ever in our thoughts. – Mother, father, brothers, sister, and aunt Alice.” In Memoriam published 30th December 1919 in the Nottingham Evening Post courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918
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