Harris Dunmore Lang Woods J.P. (1869 - 1917)

Born 1869 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Died 7 Jun 1917 at about age 48 in Manly, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Harris Woods J.P. has Irish ancestors.

This profile is part of the Woods Name Study.

Harris Dunmore Lang Woods was born in 1869 at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was a son of Irish parents John Woods and Margaret G Ewing.^[1] He attended Sydney Grammar School.^[2]

When he was aged 14, he and his older brother, Sammy Woods, traveled to England and attended Silwood House in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, a preparatory school.

On 14 May 1896 Harris was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the New South Wales Military Forces.^[3]

On 26 February 1897 Harris was promoted to Lieutenant with the Fifth (Union Volunteer) Infantry Regiment, New South Wales Military Forces.^[4]

He was also a member of the New South Wales Irish Rifles.^[2]

Aged thirty years, Harris was taken on strength as a Corporal, no doubt acknowledging his previous infantry experience, with the New South Wales Military Force's 1st Australian Horse (a unique unit raised in 1897, prior to the federation of the Australian colonies, but solely comprised of troops from NSW), and deployed with the unit to South Africa in November 1899 for service in the Second Boer War. He was promoted to Sergeant on 6th February 1900.^[5] Harris was wounded in the Battle of Dreifontein in March 1900 and repatriated to Australia, arriving 13th April. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal. ^[6]

Harris was the returning officer for the Middle Harbour electorate and captain of the Manly Cricket Club.

In 1905 H.D.L. Woods, J.P. lived in Esplanade West, Manly, New South Wales. ^[7]

In 1913 Harris Dunsmore Lang Woods (Military Officer) and Campbell Woods (Engineer) lived in Chapel St, Kogarah, St. George, New South Wales. ^[8]

He passed away, about 48 years of age, in 1917^[9] and was buried at the Manly Cemetery on 7 June 1917.^{[10] [11]}

Death of Mr. Harris Woods ^[12]

Mr. H. D. L. Woods, the Manly cricketer, died at Manly last week. He had not been in the best of health for some little time, and was looking much less robust than formerly when I last met him a few months back. He was a younger brother of the great S. M. J. Woods, who played for Australia against England at cricket, and for England against the other national teams at Rugby Union football. After leaving Royston College in Sydney, he went to school at Brighton, in England, with S.M.J.,1 where he played in 1888 for Somerset against the first Maori Rugby Union football team to tour England. He was a member of the old Wallaroos team in Sydney for some years, and also liked and played Soccer, which he had learnt to play in England. In cricket Harris Woods was a breezy, hard-hitting batsman, who scored heavily on the Manly Oval in all kinds of cricket. He also represented the club on the Cricket Association, and was always on the side of progress. He was a man with a quiet personality, being well liked generally. Prior to the outbreak of war he was an area officer in Sydney under the system of universal training for the cadets.

Sources

1. ↑ Australia, Birth Index, Volume Number V2326 VOL 45
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Journal of the Sydney Society for Scottish History, Volume 16 September 2016; accessed 13 Apr 2020
3. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazettes, 1896; Page Number: 3436
4. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazettes, 1897; Page Number: 1577
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial
6. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: 1058 Corporal Harris Dunmore Lang Woods; accessed 13 Apr 2020
7. ↑ Sands Directories: Sydney and New South Wales, Australia, 1905, page 1235
8. ↑ Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1913
9. ↑ Australia, Death Index, Registration Number 6784
10. ↑ Find A Grave
11. ↑ Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, St. Matthew, Manly - Burial
12. ↑ Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939) Wednesday 13 June 1917 p 11 Article

• The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930) Saturday 20 April 1901 p 9 Article - RETURNED FROM THE WAR
• UK, British Army Lists, 1882-1962
• New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazettes, 26 Feb 1897, Page Number 1577