Known as Percy in the Army, but George to his family, he lived in Newport with his mother. His father may have been working away.
After the war he returned to the Isle of Wight, marrying Mary Lenihan in 1946. Their daughter was born in 1948.
He apparently later became a governor of the Wormwood Scrubs prison. This may suggest that he worked as a prison officer after the war, initially on the Isle of Wight at Parkhurst.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAS 1944-1945 | SAS combatant | 01 Feb 1944 | 01 Oct 1945 |
| SAS 1944-1945 | SAS combatant | 01 Feb 1944 | 01 Oct 1945 |
| Isle of Wight's Unallocated Men | Patrol member | 08 Jul 1940 | 15 Apr 1943 |
Retail wine and spirit storeman
Percy Woodford was listed on the Hampshire nominal roll. He is known to left Auxiliary Units on 15 Apr 1943, the date when men whose call up had been postponed were released to join the Army. He also had Identity Card number EPC 778861 listed indicating he had joined the military but then been released again, presumably due to his Auxiliary Units exemption. Also notable is the date of birth given in his record as 24 Dec 1922, making him appear 18 months older than he really was. This would only have been necessary for him to be able join Auxiliary Units in 1940. The roll states that he joined on 8 Jul 1940.
According to Pat Manser, who lived next to his son, he went on to join the SAS. He served in Germany, being present at the liberation of concentration camps. Afterwards he was sent to Norway and had a certificate from the King of Norway relating to this period.
1939 Register
National Archives WO 199/3391
Pat Manser