Private George W. Woods
The background of this man is not known at present.
George W. Woods enlisted in the Hussars of the Line in 1915 or the first half of 1916 (No.27259). He was posted to the 3rd (King's Own) Hussars. On 7 December 1916 he was transferred to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (No.33405). Although the sequence of events is not clear, it appears that he later returned to the 3rd Hussars, embarking from France in 1917.
In September 1917, as part of a general reduction in the size of the cavalry, a number of men of the 3rd Hussars left the regiment. The regiment's war diary of 15 September records that:
56 other ranks of the regiment proceeded by rail from Hesdin to the Rouen Base for transfer to Infantry on the reduction of the 100 dismounted men allowed to Cavalry regiments.
Between twenty-eight and thirty-four of these men, including Woods, were transferred to the North Irish Horse, joining the 1st (NIH) Regiment in the field on 11 October. Woods was issued regimental number 2733.
In February-March 1918 the regiment, which had been serving as corps cavalry to V Corps, was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit, serving as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war.
Woods remained with the North Irish Horse until 15 February 1919, when he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.