Major General Henry Woods
Tank commander who was decorated in Germany and survived fierce fighting in the Korean War
MAJOR GENERAL HENRY WOODS, who has died aged 95, won an MC in Germany in the last phase of the campaign in Europe and subsequently saw action in the Korean War; after leaving the Army he devoted himself to a wide range of national and community projects.
Woods was commissioned into the Royal Armoured Corps in March 1944 and posted to the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (5 RIDG). The Regiment landed in Normandy in July and joined the 22nd Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division.
At the end of March 1945 he was in command of a troop of tanks on the Dutch-german border. At dusk, his squadron had advanced to Südlohn, where it was found that bomb craters had made the town impassable; the only bridge over the river that could be reached was made of wood and would not carry a tank.
Woods fought his way into the eastern outskirts of the town and found that the single line railway bridge was intact. With great skill, he manoeuvred his troops along the line and got them across. When the remainder of the squadron tried to follow they broke their tank tracks, blocked the line and made further movement impossible.
In the darkness he made contact with a small patrol from the Rifle Brigade and they advanced to Stadtlohn. They fought their way into the town, where they were engaged by a self-propelled gun and bazookas. Woods knocked out the gun and covered the infantry while they took up a position in a large house on the main road.
The small mixed force was completely surrounded, but for the next three hours, until they were relieved, they held on and drove off repeated attempts to overrun them. Woods was awarded an Immediate MC.
Henry Gabriel Woods was born in London on May 7 1924. He was the only son of Gabriel Woods, who served on the staff of the Government Code and Cypher School for 28 years, including five years code-breaking at Bletchley Park.
Young Henry was educated at Highgate School before going up to Trinity College, Oxford, in 1942 to read Modern History. His studies were cut short by the war, and the following year he went to the Officer Cadets Training Unit at Sandhurst. The passing-out parade was taken by General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The last words of his speech to the newly commissioned officers were: “See you on the Rhine.”
During heavy fighting in Normandy, Woods’s tank was strafed by a Spitfire, an uncomfortable experience, he said afterwards. Early one morning, his company commander jumped on his tank and said: “Would you like a Panzer MK IV for breakfast?” Woods manoeuvred his tank into position and knocked out the German tank at a range of 800 yards.
On the outskirts of Ibbenbüren in Germany, a few weeks after the action for which he was awarded an MC, his troop ran into ferocious opposition from cadets at the Hanover Infantry School, and he took a bullet in the leg. After the German surrender he returned to Oxford to complete his studies and was awarded a First.
On the evening of November 18 1952, after three years in Germany as regimental signals officer, he was serving as adjutant in Korea when the Chinese launched a big attack on “the Hook”, a strategically important feature that dominated the Samichon Valley.
Equipped with Centurion tanks, 5 RIDG were supporting the Black Watch. Heavy fighting continued until daylight the next morning but the Chinese were unable to consolidate the ground gained and the battle ended with British troops having held on to the position.
A spell in the Canal Zone was followed by Staff College, and then a staff job at the School of Infantry, Warminster. In 1962, having commanded a squadron of 5 RIDG in Germany, he became Military Assistant to the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. He was appointed MBE in recognition of services which included dealing with every facet of the military, political and financial affairs that came before the Chiefs of Staff.
Woods commanded his regiment from 1965 to 1967 in Aden and in Libya. In June 1967, after the outbreak of the Arab-israeli War, there was rioting in Benghazi. The security of the regimental personnel and their families as well as the British and international diplomatic missions was threatened, and only a firm stance by the regiment averted major casualties.
He became assistant military secretary to the Commander-in-chief of the British Army on the Rhine before commanding the RAC Centre at Bovington in Dorset. This was followed by a move to Washington DC as military attaché at the British Embassy.
He was promoted to major general, his final military appointment being that of General Officer Commanding North East District. He was appointed CB; the citation for the award paid tribute to his work on Home Defence planning and the development of the reserve forces, the TA and the cadets.
He retired from the Army in 1980 and subsequently became the national chairman of the Science and Technology Organisation, which aimed at inspiring young people into engineering, technology and maths.
Working with the Duke of York, he set up the Duke of York’s Community Initiative, a scheme to encourage and provide grants for community projects in Yorkshire. More than 400 community schemes have received a Royal Award. He was also a founder and trustee of the Second World War Experience Centre in West Yorkshire.
Woods was Vice Lord-lieutenant of North Yorkshire from 1985 to 1999 and chairman of his Regimental Association from 1979 to 1992. In 2014 he was appointed MVO, and the following year he was appointed to the Légion d’honneur. He was also co-author, with General Sir Cecil Blacker, of Change and Challenge 1928-1978: 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.
He had a great capacity for making friends. His many interests included sailing and fencing. A passionate countryman, he loved horses, dogs, following the hunt on foot and going to the races.
Major General Henry Woods married, in 1953, Imogen Dodd, the daughter of a diplomat, who survives him with their two daughters.
Major General Henry Woods, born May 3 1924, died September 19 2019