Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Roydon Hunter Woods was born on July 5th, 1886, in Waterloo, Sydney and was baptised on August 4th at St. Silas, Waterloo. He was the second of the four sons of Thomas Woods and Celia Hunter. Only two of their sons survived past the age of two and they both enlisted in the war. They also had four daughters. His son, Donald Woods, served in World War 2.

Roydon enlisted on April 1st, 1916, and stated that his occupation was an Operator before the war. He was employed at the Government Printing Office as a monotype operator and a compositor from 1902 to 1912. Roydon’s service record also shows that he elected to pay the higher amount of three-fifths of his eight shillings per day allowance to his wife, Mabel.

As part of his compulsory military service Roydon was a member of the Scottish Rifles for two years and of the 37th Fortress Company Engineers. The Scottish Volunteer Rifle Corps were first raised in New South Wales in 1885, following the surge of public support for the war in the Sudan. In 1901 they became known as the 5th New South Wales Infantry Regiment (Scottish Rifles).

In 1908 there were two regiments of the Scottish Rifles. In 1911, the Government announced that a new Citizens' Army involving compulsory service was to be formed and all existing Units would be absorbed into the militia. In 1912 this came into effect and all trainees were drafted into new Battalions, those in Sydney being the 25th and 26th Infantry and the Scottish Rifles ceased to exist. Roydon’s maternal grandparents were English, and his paternal grandparents were from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland so his connection to the Scottish Rifles is unknown. Maybe he liked the kilt which was a Black Watch pattern in the style of the Royal Highland Regiment.

The Royal Australian Engineers were founded in 1860 as the Corps of Engineers in Victora. By 1876, five of the six colonies, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia, had also raised their own engineer units. These were amalgamated on July 1st, 1902, as the Corps of Engineers. At this time, the corps consisted of field, fortress, telegraph, electric and submarine mining companies Later the Australian Corps of Signallers was absorbed into the Engineers.

Roydon was assigned to the 4th Divisional Signals Company. He embarked from Sydney on the “Aeneas” on September 30th, 1916, and disembarked in Plymouth on November 19th, 1916. Roydon transferred to the number three camp at Parkhouse on the edge of the Salisbury Plain. He joined the 4th Australian Divisional Signals Company in France on August 6th, 1917, and on October 2nd he was briefly transferred to the 12th Field Company Engineers before being transferred back to the 4th Divisional Signals Company. After the armistice Roydon, like other AIF members returned to England from France. On April 15th, his record notes that was leaving the 4th Division Headquarters for employment in a non-military role. He was due to attend printing school at St Bride Foundation Printing School from April 28th however his early return to Australia was approved and he left England on May 20th on the “Nestor” and disembarked in Sydney on July 5th.

Roydon returned to his Hurstville home where his wife, Mabel, whom he had married in 1913 in Newtown in Sydney. He returned to the Government Printing Office in Harris Street in Ultimo, possibly travelling by train from Hurstville to undertake his role as an overseer. In 1923 a silver watch, a gift from his employer as recognition of his war service, was stolen from his home, The Glen, in MacLaurin Avenue, Hurstville.

Roydon and Mabel had three children, Audrey born in 1920, Donald born in 1922, and Heather born in 1926. Roydon died on January 9th, 1952, and is buried at Woronora Cemetery.