Great War East Africa 1918 New Years Honours Military Cross group awarded to Captain W.G. Wood, 8th Regiment of South African Infantry, who having initially served as a Private in the Volunteer Company, Royal Scots during the Boer War on operations in Cape Colony and Orange Free State as well as at the action at Belfast on 26th to 27th August 1900. Recalled for the Great War he would be commissioned in the 8th Regiment of South African Infantry seeing service in the fighting in East Africa, and would be decorated with the Military Cross in the London Gazette of 1st January 1918.
Group of 5: Military Cross, GVR GRI cypher; Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902, 4 Clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Belfast, South Africa 1901; (7224 PTE. W. WOOD. VOL:COY. RL: SCOTS.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (CAPT. W.G. WOOD.) South Africa War Service Medal 1939-1945, silver, unnamed as issued.
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
William Grahame Wood initially saw service as a Private (No. 7224) with the Volunteer Company, Royal Scots in South Africa during the Boer War in operations in Cape Colony and Orange Free State as well as in the action at Belfast on 26th to 27th August 1900.
Recalled for the Great War, he was living in Cape Town and was called up to serve as a 2nd Lieutenant in ‘C’ Company, 8th Regiment of South African Infantry from 26th November 1915, seeing service in Kenya, East Africa where he suffered from Malaria during July 1916.
He arrived back in Durban aboard H.M.S. Kinfauns Castle on 22nd February 1917 along with the rest of the regiment. He would then be appointed Temporary Captain on 15th April 1917, this being confirmed in the London Gazette of 17th October 1917.
In the meantime, Wood would once again travel to East Africa on 13th June 1917 aboard H.M.S. Anchises where he would again take part in the pursuit of the German Army. The greatest enemy of the South African’s during this campaign was the tropical climate with numerous casualties to Malaria, Dysentery and other tropical diseases greatly reducing their fighting ranks.
Wood would be awarded the Military Cross for distinguished service in the field as a Temporary Captain in the London Gazette of 1st January 1918.
Subsequently returning to South Africa he was released from Temporary Imperial Service and relinquished his commission on 12th December 1918.
