Geoffrey Harold Woolley
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Harold Woolley VC
OBE
MC
(14 May 1892 – 10 December 1968) was the first Territorial Army officer to be awarded the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
Woolley was the son of a clergyman, Rev. George Herbert Woolley the curate of St Matthew’s, Upper Clapton, Hackney
in London, and his wife Sarah Woolley. He had seven sisters and three brothers, including the famous archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley
and George Cathcart Woolley
, a colonial administrator and ethnographer. Woolley was educated at Parmiter's School
, Bethnal Green, St. John's School, Leatherhead
and Queen's College, Oxford.
He seemed destined to follow his father into the Church until the outbreak of the First World War
, when he obtained a commission in the 9th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment
(Queen Victoria's Rifles) of the British Army
.
The Queen Victoria's Rifles were posted to the Ypres Salient
. On 17 April 1915, the British Army captured Hill 60
, a low rise to the south-east of Ypres. In the midst of fierce German efforts to retake the hill, Second Lieutenant
Woolley's company were sent up on the afternoon of 20 April to take ammunition supplies to the defenders.
The situation quickly deteriorated, with many men and all the other officers on the hill being killed. Woolley refused verbal and written orders to withdraw, saying he and his company would remain until properly relieved. They repelled numerous attacks through the night. When they were relieved the next morning, he returned with 14 men remaining from the 150-strong company. The citation for the Victoria Cross he was awarded for this action reads:
Two days later Woolley was promoted directly to the rank of Captain
.
He saw further action in the early stages of the Second Battle of Ypres
until he was invalided back to England suffering from poison gas and psychological effects.
When Woolley had recovered, he was appointed as an instructor at the Officers Infantry School. He returned to the Western Front in summer 1916 as a General Staff Officer Grade II on the Third Army Staff.
After the war he resumed the study of theology at Oxford, was ordained in December 1920, and took a teaching post at Rugby School
. In 1923 he resigned his commission and became a parish vicar in Monk Sherbourne, Hampshire
, before moving on to the chaplaincy of Harrow School
.
In January 1940, Woolley resigned from the school and was commissioned into the Royal Army Chaplains' Department
.
He was appointed Senior Chaplain of the Algiers
area in November 1942, reaching the rank of Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (Major).
His son Rollo, a Spitfire pilot, was posted to North Africa in the same month, and killed in early December 1942 in a battle over Tunis
.
Woolley took on the parish of St. Mary's, Harrow
in 1944. In 1952, finding it difficult to climb the hill, he resigned his commission and moved to the parish church of West Grinstead
, where he stayed until he retired in 1958.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(14 May 1892 – 10 December 1968) was the first Territorial Army officer to be awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Woolley was the son of a clergyman, Rev. George Herbert Woolley the curate of St Matthew’s, Upper Clapton, Hackney
Hackney (parish)
Hackney was a parish in the historic county of Middlesex. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney was built in 1789, replacing the nearby former 16th century parish church dedicated to St Augustine . The original tower of that church was retained to hold the bells until the new church could be...
in London, and his wife Sarah Woolley. He had seven sisters and three brothers, including the famous archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley
Leonard Woolley
Sir Charles Leonard Woolley was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia...
and George Cathcart Woolley
George Cathcart Woolley
George Cathcart Woolley was a British colonial administrator in North Borneo in the early part on the twentieth century...
, a colonial administrator and ethnographer. Woolley was educated at Parmiter's School
Parmiter's School
Parmiter's School is a co-educational school in Garston, Hertfordshire on the outskirts of North West London, England with a long history. Although the school admits pupils of all abilities it is partially selective...
, Bethnal Green, St. John's School, Leatherhead
St. John's School, Leatherhead
St. John's School, Leatherhead is a public school in Surrey, England. It has about 420 male pupils and 60 female pupils, and from 2010 it will be fully co-educational....
and Queen's College, Oxford.
He seemed destined to follow his father into the Church until the outbreak of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when he obtained a commission in the 9th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment
London Regiment
The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry in 1908...
(Queen Victoria's Rifles) of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
The Queen Victoria's Rifles were posted to the Ypres Salient
Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient is the area around Ypres in Belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in World War I.In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops...
. On 17 April 1915, the British Army captured Hill 60
Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)
The Battle of Hill 60 was an Australian assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.-1914-15:Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient and was named for the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. Hill 60 was not a natural highpoint, but was created as a...
, a low rise to the south-east of Ypres. In the midst of fierce German efforts to retake the hill, Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
Woolley's company were sent up on the afternoon of 20 April to take ammunition supplies to the defenders.
The situation quickly deteriorated, with many men and all the other officers on the hill being killed. Woolley refused verbal and written orders to withdraw, saying he and his company would remain until properly relieved. They repelled numerous attacks through the night. When they were relieved the next morning, he returned with 14 men remaining from the 150-strong company. The citation for the Victoria Cross he was awarded for this action reads:
Two days later Woolley was promoted directly to the rank of Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
.
He saw further action in the early stages of the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
until he was invalided back to England suffering from poison gas and psychological effects.
When Woolley had recovered, he was appointed as an instructor at the Officers Infantry School. He returned to the Western Front in summer 1916 as a General Staff Officer Grade II on the Third Army Staff.
After the war he resumed the study of theology at Oxford, was ordained in December 1920, and took a teaching post at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
. In 1923 he resigned his commission and became a parish vicar in Monk Sherbourne, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, before moving on to the chaplaincy of Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
.
In January 1940, Woolley resigned from the school and was commissioned into the Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Royal Army Chaplains' Department
The Royal Army Chaplains' Department is an all-officer corps that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army.As of 2007, there are about 280 serving regular chaplains in the British Army; these can belong to either one of several Christian churches, or to the Jewish faith, although...
.
He was appointed Senior Chaplain of the Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
area in November 1942, reaching the rank of Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (Major).
His son Rollo, a Spitfire pilot, was posted to North Africa in the same month, and killed in early December 1942 in a battle over Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
.
Woolley took on the parish of St. Mary's, Harrow
St. Mary's, Harrow on the Hill
St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill is the Borough and Parish Church at Harrow on the Hill. Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, began the construction of a church on this site in 1087. He died in 1089...
in 1944. In 1952, finding it difficult to climb the hill, he resigned his commission and moved to the parish church of West Grinstead
West Grinstead
West Grinstead is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2135 road four miles northwest from Henfield.It is within the ancient division of the Rape of Bramber...
, where he stayed until he retired in 1958.
External links
- Monuments to CourageMonuments to CourageMonuments to Courage: Victoria Cross Monuments and Headstones is a two-volume book by David Harvey on the last resting places of 1,322 of the 1,350 recipients of the Victoria Cross. The 896 page book has over 5,000 illustrations and a large index enabling one to cross reference with ease. There is...
(David Harvey, 1999) - The Register of the Victoria CrossThe Register of the Victoria CrossThe Register of the Victoria Cross is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross ever awarded: it provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the awardee and the following details where applicable or available; rank, unit, other decorations, date of...
(This England, 1997) - VCs of the First World War - The Western Front 1915 (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)
- Location of grave and VC medal (West Sussex)