Private Arthur J. Woods
The background of this North Irish Horseman is not known at present, other than that he was from Belfast. Two possibilities are Arthur Appleton Woods, born on 1 August 1884 at Sydenham, Belfast, the first of two children of clerk William Henry Woods and his wife Lizzie Wallace Woods (née McCutcheon); and Arthur John Appleton Robson Woods, born on 6 July 1898 at Whitespots, Newtownards, County Down, the first of four children of marine engineer John Woods and his wife Annie Jane (née Bell). To date, however, nothing has been found to link either man to the North Irish Horse.
Arthur J. Woods enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 25 or 26 May 1915 (No.1620 – later Corps of Hussars No.71475). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp before embarking for France sometime between 1916 and 1918, possibly with E Squadron on 11 January 1916.
In May 1916 E Squadron came together with A and D Squadrons to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to VII, XIX, then V Corps until February-March 1918, when the regiment was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit. It then served as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war.
Woods was wounded in late August or early September 1918 at the beginning of the Advance to Victory offensive. On 14 March 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.