| Rank | Private |
| Service # | A86732 |
| Unit # | 30th Recce Regt. (Essex Tanks) |
Born in Scotland 29/10/1924 at Mains [farm], Byth, the son of James and Isabella Wood, the brother of James Andrew. The family emigrated to Canada in 1930, settling at Corn Hill, New Brunswick. John would move with the family, first working in Essex County and then to Kent to the Bruce Bradley farm but went to work on the Earl Smith farm on the 7th Concession of Dover Twsp.
His brother Jim enlisted with the Navy in Aprril of 1942 and Jack left the farm to enlist in the Army in Windsor 15/06/42 with 30th Recce Regt. They trained at Carling Heights in London, ON. and then to Camp Dundurn, Saskatchewan during one of the coldest witers with temperatures down to -30F. The 30th and 31st were murged to bring up their numbers to go overseas. They were then moved to Camp Bordon and in June of 1943 they embarked on the Queen Elizabeth sailing from Halifax to Greenock, Scotland, the same port the family had left from 13 years before.
While in Scotland he met his sister Julie who had been serving in the W.A.A.F. (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) and he hadn’t seen simnce 1932. She was now married, out of the W.A.A.F. and pregnant. He spent his first leave with his sister and her husband.
In the spring of 1944 he transferred to the 32nd Recce Unit (Royal Montreal Regt.), this unit came under the 21st Army Group under the command of General Bernard Montgomery and John was transferred to the 18th Armoured Car Regt. of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. In July of 1944 they embarked for France leaving Southampton landing near Bernies, France for the breakout at Cean for the drive on Falaise. Of the 3 APC. (Armoured Personnel Carrier) attached to the Algonquin Regt. two were wounded and one was KIA., all on 9 Aug. 1944.
John was hospitalized for three days in France before being evacuated to Basingstoke Hospital for treatment of a head wound. When recovered he was transferred from Armoured to the infantry as a reinforcement to the Lincoln & Welland Regt.
The regiment spent the winter in Holland before the spring offensive in 1945. On 10 March the L & W was “really clobbered”and from then until May he doesn’t remember much. In June the war was over and John was invalided home on the hospital ship Lady Nelson to Halifax and by train to London, ON., he was finally released from hospital 15 October, 1945 and he was discharged from the army.
John took a job with a Chatham ‘market gardener’, as his health improve so did his income and after a year moved back to help his father. He then got a job with St. Clair Grain & Feed in Merlin driving truck. From there he worked for Canada Bread until June of 1952 when he began working at Ontario Hydro in Merlin, transferred to London in December of 1964 and after 36 years retired.
While helping his father in 1947 he met Donna Jean Mifflin the daughter from the next fam and they married on 10 December, 1948. They rented a house on the Russ Powell farm near Merlin, later they would buy that house and move it to Merlin where there daughter Brenda Jean was born in 1949 followed by Bob in 1951.
Information from R. E. Wood.
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