WOODWARD, DOUGLAS FREDERICK
Rank:
Service No:
Date of Death:
Age:
Regiment/Service:
Grave Reference:
Text on stone:
Corporal
5389202
21/09/1944
27
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1st Bn.
I. B. 05.
Proud and treasured memories of my beloved husband, on whose souls sweet Jesus, have mercy
Additional information:
Son of Frederick W. and Abi S. Woodward, of Bicester, Oxfordshire; husband of May Aldomla Woodward, of Bicester.
Killed during battles around the Wilhelmina Canal near the town of Oirschot. Initially buried at Oerle.
I am writing to give you a bit of history and personal information about my father.
He was born in Bicester, a market town in Oxfordshire. He was the youngest son of six children. Two boys and four girls. He met my mother May Hart when they were teenagers and i twa his one and only true love. When he left school he went to work in our towns co-op which was and still is a supermarket. He was soon promoted to assistant manager. He was very well loved and a popular man in Bicester town. He married my mother at Hethe Catholic CHurch. He converted tot he Catholic relegion to have the full ceremony in the church.
When I was born 4-12-42 he was away at the war, after joining the Oxford and Bucks regiment. I was named Patricia after a man called Patrick who was his close friend in the army and died just before I was born. I wonder if he is also is buried in Valkenswaard War Cemetery?
On the 60th aniversary myself, husband William, and our three sons came to Valkenswaard to meet up with Mr. Van Gent OBE and his wife Agnes who took us tot he grave, and the place where my father died by the canal. It was a very moving expierience one we shall never forget.
Since then all our seven grandchildren have visited the grave. They went every year for several years visiting Centre Parks and making it their base. We have many pictures, along with paper cuttings That I will send you.
My father was quitte a hero. The day before he died he managed to save several people from a burning farm house. I wish I could remember this brave, kind and wonderful man but sadly I was too young.
From the service records of Douglas Frederick Woodward, the following account can be reconstructed.
Douglas Frederick Woodward was born on 16 November 1916 in Bicester, Oxfordshire. In civilian life he worked as a grocer’s assistant. He enlisted in the British Army on 18 April 1940 and joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
He married May Aldona Hart on 16 April 1940 in Oxfordshire. The couple had one child.
Douglas Frederick Woodward embarked for service in North West Europe on 24 June 1944.
According to his service records, he was 5 feet 10 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Douglas Frederick Woodward was killed in action on 21 September 1944.
. The
Americans at Best were still drawing away the enemy from the path of the 43rd,
but that respite was to be short-lived as other enemy units were shadowing the
movement of the Battalion as they retreated in tune with the British advance.
There was no doubt that the 43rd were due for a surprise at the Wilhelmina
Canal!
On the
evening of the 20th September, with the noise of shooting becoming more
pronounced, many local inhabitants of De Kruisberg moved out of their houses to
look for safe shelter from the advancing dangers of war. The Dankers
family with their ten year old son Martin, left their house in a hurry
as a group of five wounded Germans were deposited on the floor on stretchers,
accompanied by some German soldiers including medics. One of the medics went
searching for assistance and found the local baker, Wilhelm Van der Loo.
He was asked for urgent help with the wounded and it was suggested he contact
the advancing British troops as the only ones likely to have adequate medical
facilities for the task. Van der Loo, by the nature of his job, was well
known in the area but he was not a member of the Dutch Resistance and was not
aware of the difficulties that might arise in such a venture. He worked with
his father and brother at the family bakehouse at nearby Middlebeers and saw
this as an opportunity to be one of the first in the area to make direct
contact with the British advance. There was no doubt that he could provide
helpful information if required regarding the deployment of what was left of
German troops in the area. Unfortunately the British were not in a position to
identify him. Unknown to this brave young Dutchman, he was about to embark on a
perilous venture. Within the next three days he was to be mistrusted by the
British, and having escaped from that dilemma, find his mother and sister
killed in the cross-fire as the British liberated the area.
As Van
der Loo moved off into the darkness to meet the expected forward elements
of the 43rd Light Infantry, events at the Dankers farmhouse had taken a
turn for the worse. The German soldiers, a group of ruthless Waffen SS, were
about to set a trap for the British party. Unknown to the wounded, the German
soldiers, who appeared to be waiting patiently for their prey to arrive. Of this,
Van der Loo was not aware.
“D”
Company continued in the lead towards De Kruisberg with Private John Ellis
in 16 Platoon taking over from his section-commander at the front. He
considered this position worth the risk, in order to be free of his turn at
carrying the heavier weapons, such as the Bren-gun or the PIAT, at the back of
the section. Ellis moved along what appeared to be a single line small
gauge railway track. Just before midnight he suddenly heard the approach of
footsteps in the dark, and gave the `Go to ground’ signal to those following.
He challenged the approaching form silhouetted against a somewhat lighter sky.
The tired looking Dutchman who spoke broken English was Van der Loo. He
asked to see the officer in charge and was accompanied by Ellis back
along the halted line of infantrymen to the mobile Company HQ where he was
introduced to Major Ivor Jenkins.
The halted
infantrymen looked out apprehensively into the hostile darkness whilst section
and platoon commanders and sergeants took the opportunity of re-arranging the
position of some of their men and arms in the sections and Ellis ended
up carrying two cases of 2″ mortar bombs stuck on the back of a bike.
Meanwhile
the Dutchman explained to Major Jenkins that he had been sent by a group
of German soldiers who wished to surrender so that their comrades could have
proper medical treatment. He gave directions as to their whereabouts in a house
about two hundred yards ahead but was hesitant when asked to accompany the
British detachment to secure the wounded prisoners. Jenkins had no way
of checking his name in such a short space of time and became suspicious,
leaving the Dutchman under observation whilst he went off to brief Lieutenant Geoffrey
Fuller, the commander of 17 Platoon. He instructed Fuller to take
two sections from his platoon and, with the Dutchman as guide, seek out the
Germans and provide as much medical assistance as was possible under the
circumstances and take prisoners, if the opportunity occurred. If a trap was
suspected, there was no doubt that Van der Loo was to be held prisoner
or shot if he attempted to escape.
It was
before midnight when Fuller and his two sections came within sight of
their objective at the hamlet of De Kruisberg to the right of the road,
accompanied by the Dutchman under escort. Voices could be heard in the darkness
coming from the outline of a large house just ahead, but no movement was
visible. One section with Fuller and his section-commander, Corporal Douglas Woodward,
entered by a door at one end of the building and commenced to search their way
through a corridor interconnecting rooms on the ground floor. The Dutchman was
now in a hostage situation under the eye of Lance Corporal Percy Brown
who followed close behind his platoon commander. If things went badly wrong for
the British detachment, there was no doubt that the unfortunate individual
would be first to be killed. If the Germans didn’t get him, the British would.
Partially surrounding the building was the other section with Platoon Sergeant Gordon
Hay and Corporal Jim Wilsdon ready to give covering fire with the
remainder of “D” Company moving up along the path adjacent to the
building. Behind them followed the remainder of the Battalion.
As Fuller
and his men entered the first room at one end of the dimly lit building he came
upon two seriously wounded German soldiers lying on the floor in a
semi-conscious state and found two more situated in the next room. Fuller
doubtful whether such limited medication could save their lives. In the third
room along, they came across another British party. Fuller suddenly
realised that the sense of urgency and fear in the man’s voice was some kind of
warning and he feared a trap. He immediately shouted orders to evacuate the
building as quickly as possible. His shout of warning alerted the Germans
waiting in ambush at the other end of the building and all hell broke loose.
Just as the first man hastily emerged into the darkness, there was a thunderous
roar and a white flash from the other end of the building as phosphorous
covering the whole of the ground floor ignited. The heat, brightness and noise
increased with intensity as it raced through the the building at lightning
speed, engulfing the building in a mixture of bright white flame and dense
black smoke that threatened incinerate the British soldiers and the Dutchman as
they rushed back the way they had come, falling over each other in haste. In
the confusion, Van der Loo, suddenly realising the seriousness of his
situation, detached himself from Percy Brown and hid behind a table
before dashing outside to freedom. Percy was more than grateful to find
himself in one piece and thoughts of the Dutchman were not foremost in his mind
at that particular moment! The victims of the trap were the German wounded,
sacrificed by their own side, in an incredible attempt to entrap the British
party. At the other end of the building the perpetrators of this vile deed
fired at the escaping infantrymen, their task made easier by the fact that the
escapees retained much of the phosphorous on the soles of their boots, thus
pin-pointing their running forms by the reflective qualities of the chemical.
But for the quick intervention of the covering section, casualties could well
have been high.
By now, 16
Platoon had deployed themselves in single file towards the back of the house
where Private John Ellis and Private Albert Burroughs came under
heavy enemy fire from a Spandau position nearby. Ellis dropped the bike
in a hurry and dived with Burroughs for cover.
“We
both hit the ground with a complete mix-up of platoons and sections, all
seeking safe ground to avoid the spray of bullets now striking the wall of the
cottage, just twelve inches or so above ground. We crawled to the end of the
cottage for cover, but after a short pause, the Spandau started up again and we
were nearly caught out by its movement to an alternative position, or it might
even have been a second Spandau for all we knew. Moments later tracer shots
ignited a hay-stack about one hundred yards away and everyone became
silhouetted against the cottage. Lance Corporal “Dicky” Bird from Cleobury
Mortimer, Shropshire, the “D” Company office clerk at Faversham,
dived towards an outside toilet for cover and slammed the door behind him, only
to be killed as the Spandau found its mark. Another 16 Platoon infantryman to
be killed in the early hours was Pte Dennis Hammersley of Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
whilst, several others were wounded before we all recovered our balance to
retaliate.”
Still under
heavy fire, Ellis and Burroughs found themselves in a gully next
to Captain Ashcroft (Formerly 8th Irish Bn, The Kings Regiment) who
suggested to those within earshot, that everyone should fend for themselves.
Although not a textbook approach as prescribed by the infantry manual, it found
favour with the two infantrymen next to him and they didn’t require any further
encouragement to beat a hasty retreat, although at one point they had regrets
as a burst from a Spandau nearly caught up with them. They both ran in the
direction from where they came, zig-zagging and
dropping to
the ground every few yards to avoid the bullets, eventually reaching a ditch
where Major Jenkins and CSM ‘Trotter‘ Mitchell, somewhat
surprised by the hold-up, were about to turn their thoughts to a response in
the form of mortars and Brens. Due to enemy action, orders were received to
make camp and await dawn before initiating another attack on the enemy position
just beyond De Kruisberg.
As Jim
Wilsdon and Doug
Woodward, the two leading section leaders from 17 Platoon, pushed
their way forward towards the blown bridge at Oirshott, both men ahead of their
respective sections watched anxiously for any sign of movement. For them it was
a far cry from those enjoyable early training days together, as prospective
junior NCOs on a cadre course. Now, as mature NCOs, they were sufficiently
experienced enough to appreciate the real dangers of an unpredictable enemy in
relatively open country. As the two sections approached the Oirschot crossing
both section leaders spotted enemy movement on both sides of the canal and
called forward their platoon commander Lieutenant Geoffrey Fuller to
assess the situation. As Fuller arrived with his platoon sergeant, Gordon
Hay, the sections were suddenly attacked and dispersed by a strong
detachment of Panzer Grenadiers. The forward group of Fuller, Hay,
Woodward, Wilsdon,
Wren, Brown, Cooper, Holifield, Bunce, and Coles
became separated from the remainder of their platoon by a sudden enemy thrust,
and were forced to run for cover in a large house situated on a smallholding
close to the canal. Here they found themselves surrounded and trapped by the
enemy. Corporal Doug
Woodward and his bren-gunner Lance Corporal Percy Brown rushed
up the stairs and hacked their way on to the roof to establish an excellent
vantage point for the Bren, from which they had a good view of any impending
assault. Woodward
held on precariously to the bipod feet of the weapon in an attempt to steady it
for aim on a sloping roof. Likewise on the ground floor, there was a flurry of
activity as everyone barricaded and deployed themselves in readiness to await
the inevitable onslaught. The air of pessimism as regards survival evaporated
as attention was turned to the sounds of an enemy attack. Approximately twenty
Grenadiers were involved, supported by Spandau machine gun fire from another
cottage on the north bank of the canal. Almost at once the Bren returned the
fire and effectively silenced the German machine gun partner, wounded,
scrambled back through the doorway into the building.
Despite
gallant opposition from the ground floor, at least six of the assault force
reached the outer walls defended by the infantrymen. There was cause for
concern as the enemy attempted to throw stick grenades through the windows, but
in the event two were killed by Lieutenant Fuller, using his pistol at
short range whilst another was killed by a hail of bullets from the cottage,
another was wounded and the remainder fled.
The
Grenadiers, having failed with this course of action, then resorted to the
tactical ploy of firing 20mm incendiary shells to force the British out. Woodward and Brown
in their exposed position were fortunate to survive the attack whilst Fuller,
alarmed by the build-up of enemy forces, decided it was time to make a move.
Somehow everyone escaped out of a low opening at the back of the house,
partially hidden from the attentive gaze of the Germans, and in small groups of
two or three, dashed along the furrows of a potato field in different
directions, amidst a hail of bullets. The powerful frame of Jack Bunce,
moving at speed, nearly demolished a hedge allowing space for Lance Corporal Wren
and Corporal Wilsdon to follow through but Wren was hit and badly
wounded and his two compatriots were fortunate to remain uninjured as they
struggled to remove him to safety. One man who failed to join the escapees was
Corporal ‘Gladys‘ Cooper, who fell awkwardly into a trench and
sprained his ankle. Fortunately he had the good sense to stay where he was
throughout the remainder of the day and during the night, hidden from the
German Grenadiers who had returned to the burnt cottage and were now in
occupation only a few yards away. Once or twice he nearly fell asleep listening
to some romantic music from a German radio station but awoke intermittently as
the programme was interrupted by a series of news bulletins accompanied by
martial music. He remained unobserved and on the following morning was rescued
by Lance Corporal Kinlock as soon as the enemy had vacated the premises.
Woodward, Brown and Holifield made good
their escape and rejoined about thirty other infantrymen endeavouring to hold
off another determined attack by the Germans to the right of the road leading
down to the blown bridge at Oirschot. In this vicinity they were attacked by
the main group of the enemy and were forced to find immediate cover in a long
natural sandy gully as the Germans charged their position in strength. The
first wave was repulsed with considerable enemy casualties but they were by no
means finished. Again they attacked, throwing all their weight at the
infantrymen to the left of the position. Here there were many wounded in the
British ranks and with difficulty holding the line, they were forced to give
ground, thus exposing Woodward,
Brown and Holifield on the left flank of the centre group of
infantrymen. Taking full advantage of this initial success the Germans moved a
Spandau machine gun into a position at right angles to the gully. It was a move
that placed the remainder of the British infantrymen in an impossible
situation. They had difficulty in returning fire and were pinned to one side of
the gully, hoping to avoid the direct line of German fire. Bullets scattered
sand in their eyes and it was only a matter of time before the casualties
became unacceptable. The infantrymen who were forced out of position were now
regrouping and just about to counter-attack. Seeing an obvious opportunity Woodward told Brown
to cover him while he manoeuvred his way towards the opposite side of the gully
where he hoped to throw a grenade at the offending machine-gun but alas it was
not to be. He had only moved a few feet when he was hit and found his last
resting place in Percy’s arms. It was at that very moment that the 43rd
counter-attacked and destroyed the machine gun post to disperse the Panzer
Grenadiers.
Douglas Woodward came from Bicester, Oxfordshire, and was a
youngster typical of his time. He played with his mates at the water filled
gravel pits near his home, and during the hot summers, swam and made a
makeshift raft to sail. In the evenings he made up an improvised tent from old
sheets and left home at night to sleep under the stars. With the arrival of
winter he skated on the ice of a nearby pond, emulating the explorers of the
Arctic. Doug
was a popular lad and when he left school he became just as popular in his new
job as an assistant manager at the local Co-operative store. He married his
childhood sweetheart May and had a baby daughter named Patricia.
For Douglas
and his family the world was at its best. But then came the Second World War.
He joined the 43rd Light Infantry at Cowley Barracks, 18th April 1940 and
quickly made friends with two other members of his intake, George Smith
of Oxford and Albert Rawlings of Datchett, Buckinghamshire. In
preparation for the Normandy landings all three found themselves at Faversham, Doug at the
Congregational Church Hall at Partridge Lane and George with Albert
in the MT Section billeted elsewhere in town. Whenever possible they met
together for an evening out at the cinema, with fish and chips and a pint of
bitter on the way back to their billets. After the Normandy landings many
things changed for the infantrymen who left Faversham. Lance Corporal George
Smith recalls:
“I was
the sole survivor of the trio at the end of the war and looking back, I
remember a time in December 1944 when my name was drawn out of the hat for the
rare privilege of ten days leave at home with my family. As the train
approached Oxford Station on the last lap of the journey, I suddenly realised,
in all my excitement, that Douglas was not amongst the people in the carriage. We had
always come home together on week-end leave to be greeted by our wives and both
women had waived us good-bye at the end of the furlough, but that day was very
different. It was a day of poignant memories and the unavoidable thought that Doug would never
again be seen on Oxford station.”
