Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Allan Wordsworth Wood's immediate family were from South Australia though earlier generations of his family originated in England and are linked to the poet, William Wordsworth. His uncle, Walter Ernest Wood, was the first person to establish the link between the clearing of land and the increased salinity of water courses.

His father, William Wordsworth Hosken Wood, was a master saddler who had grown up mostly on the west coast of South Australia around Elliston and Port Lincoln, and also at Maitland on Yorke Peninsula His mother, Sophia Jane (nee Mellen), was of Cornish family origins and hailed from the copper mining town of Moonta on Yorke Peninsula. His father operated a saddlery business in Port Lincoln and trained Allan in that craft.

Allan and his first sister, Ellen Maitland Wood, were born in Victoria (Richmond and Hawthorn respectively). It is evident his father and mother lived for a time in Victoria but why they did so is not clear. Possibly they wanted to see another way of life in a major city. but by 1892 they were in Adelaide, and in 1894 at Elliston on the west coat of Eyre Peninsula. Thereafter William and Sophia lived at Port Lincoln before retiring and moving to Adelaide in the 1920s. In all they had four sons and two daughters, though Ellen died as a girl in 1899.

Allan grew up in Port Lincoln and attended school there. He was musical and a good sportsman. His youngest brother, Louis Clive Wood, enlisted very early in October 1914 and later served at Gallipoli as a stretcher bearer. Allan seems to have finished his apprenticeship before joining the AIF.

The key dates that apply in his life were as follows:
28/09/1916 Enlisted AIF, Royal Australian Artillery, trained at Maribynong, Victoria
23/12/1916 Embarked RMS Orontes 9th reinforcements 25 Howitzer Brigade
c. Feb 1917 Trained in England. Re-allocated to 36th (Aust.) Heavy Artillery Group (later Brigade) 338th Siege Bty
Apr? 1917 Training at Lydd Camp, Isle of Wight And reallocated to 55th Siege Artillery Bty
24(?)/10/1917 Wounded 3rd Battle of Ypres, Flanders. Gunshot wounds to both thighs
Oct 1917 -? Rehabilitation and traveled in England
By Jun 1918 Reallocated to 55th Siege Battery RAA
By Sep 1918 Reallocated to the 2nd Siege Battery RAA
5/04/1919 Discharged, Keswick Barracks, SA Resumed trade of saddler and became a businessman and prominent Freemason in Port Lincoln
4/02/1922 Married Cecilia Veronica Dollard
22/05/1954 Died aged 65 of Paget's Disease

Allan was discharged from the AIF in April 1919. He returned to Port Lincoln and resumed his occupation as a saddler. He also resumed his sporting life and captained the winning “Rovers” Australian Rules football team in 1920. Allan also coached a girls hockey team.

He married his sweetheart, Cecilia (Cissie) Veronica Dollard, in February 1922. She was a Roman Catholic and he was Church of England. It seems likely the sectarian differences of the times made matters difficult for them so they eloped to Adelaide. Cecilia was estranged from the Roman Catholic Church until after Allan's death.

Cecilia had kept a lolly shop in the town and was an excellent cook and was known for her Cornish pasties and many fine cakes. After they married they initially had no children of their own. They raised the niece, the daughter of Cecilia's brother before having two daughters and a son of their own.

Allan built up his saddlery business and later also undertook car upholstery. He first lived above his shop and later built two homes on the outer parts of the bay in Port Lincoln. These were modern houses that were much remarked at the time. He did much of the excavation work himself by pick and shovel. Allan became very well known and had a large circle of friends that called him 'Ned Kelly'. He led these friends on many fishing holidays to Coffin Bay

Allan always wore the badge of Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (later the RSL). However he would not participate in the march and the subsequent drinking which he was firmly against. Nonetheless he enjoyed his football and the horse racing but he did not wager. He also became the senior Freemason on Eyre Peninsular and traveled widely to conduct lodge affairs.

When he died in May 1954 of Paget's disease his funeral was attended by a very large number of people and was thought to be the largest seen at Port Lincoln to that date.