WOOD, George John

George Wood was the only son of George and Esther Wood of Hayley Green, Halesowen, and attended Hasbury C of E School. He was a chorister and Sunday School teacher at St. Margaret's church, Hasbury, and was employed at Halesowen Steel Works He volunteered at '17' for the Worcesters and joined the 10th (Service) Battalion which went to France in 1915. They were sent to Artois and endured the winter of 1915-16 in trenches near Festubert. After re-training they were among those battalions selected for the first day of the Somme on the 1st July. After the first waves had made little progress the 10th were held until the 3rd July for the delivery of an assault on the villages of La Boisselle and neighbouring Ovillers. It was a daunting proposition but at heavy cost the German defenders of La Boisselle were cleared and Private Fred Turrall was awarded the Victoria Cross. However, among the many killed on that day were five Halesowen men, including Private George Wood, who is commemorated on the Halesowen and Hasbury C of E School Memorials. He was 16 years of age and is considered to be the youngest man recorded on the town Memorial.