George Wood (British Army officer)

George Wood CB CBE DSO MC
Memorial in Sherborne Abbey
Born	4 May 1898 Bristol, England
Died	1982 Camden, London, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1916-1952
Rank	Major General
Commands held	12th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment 2nd Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment 4th Indian Infantry Brigade 25th Indian Infantry Division 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division
Battles/wars	First World War Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Mentioned in Dispatches

Major General George Neville Wood CB CBE DSO MC (1898–1982) was a senior British Army officer during the Second World War, commanding the 25th Indian Infantry Division during the Burma Campaign.

Early life

Wood was born on 4 May 1898 in Bristol, England the son of Frederick and Hannah Wood, his father was a commercial traveller.^[1][2]

Military career

Wood was commissioned into The Dorsetshire Regiment in 1916. He fought in the First World War, serving the last year of the war in the Royal Air Force and was awarded the Military Cross, Mentioned in Dispatches and made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.^[3] He was promoted to temporary Major in 1920.^[4][5] During the Second World War, Wood was the Commanding Officer of the 12th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment in 1941 and Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion, Dorset Regiment between late 1941 and mid-1942. In July 1942 he was the Acting Commander of the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade before becoming Commander of the 4th Indian Infantry Brigade until January 1943. In October 1944, Wood was made Acting Major General and took the command of the 25th Indian Infantry Division, overseeing victory at the decisive Battle of Kangaw and Operation Zipper.^[6] He was promoted to full Major General in February 1947.^[7] Between 1947 and 1950, he was the Commanding Officer of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, before serving as Director of Quartering at the War Office until his retirement in 1952. He was subsequently honorary colonel of the Dorset Regiment from 1952 to 1958 and the first honorary colonel of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment.

References

1. 1901 Census of Bristol, RG13/2399, Folio 8, Page 7, George Neville Wood, 79 Berkeley Road, Bristol, aged 2
2. General Register Office index of deaths registered in January, February and March, 1982 - Name: Wood, George Neville, born 04 MY 1898, District: Camden Volume: 14 Page: 1964.
3. Flight (11 December 1919), 'The Royal Air Force', p.1600.
4. The London Gazette: no. 32192. p. 367. 11 January 1921.
5. The London Gazette: no. 33804. p. 1420. 1 March 1932.
6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37803. p. 5893. 3 December 1946.
7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37880. p. 750. 14 February 1947.