David A Wood
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Captain David A. Wood was the adjutant of the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment during the 1982 Falklands Conflict.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood
David Wood was born in Newport-on-Tay, Fife, on 15 January 1953, as the eldest of three sons of Jean and Alastair. He was brought up in Kennoway, Fife, where he joined the Cubs at 8 then the Scouts at 11. In the same year, he gained entry into Buckhaven Grammar School, and then in time he joined the Leven section of the Air Training Corps (2319 Vale of Leven, whose HQ burned down last November).
In 1969, the family moved to Gillingham, Kent, where David continued to study at Gillingham Grammar School. He was, however, distracted from his studies by his intense interest in the Air Training Corps, where he attended 1039 (Gillingham) squadron ATC. His growing leadership talents were acknowledged, and he quickly rose to the rank of Cadet Warrant Officer.
[edit] Adulthood
In 1973, David was commissioned into the RAF Regiment, after failed efforts to become a pilot, and saw tours in Salalah (Oman) and Northern Ireland. He also got experience of Germany, Hong Kong and Denmark during his three years with the Regiment. Then in November 1976, his request to join the Parachute Regiment was accepted.
Between 1976 and 1981, David served in Cyprus, then Canada, Kenya, America and Northern Ireland. He took up sports parachuting, sub-aqua diving, fly fishing and discovered skiing in Switzerland during his last Christmas, 1981. Meanwhile in the Parachute Regiment, he was promoted to Captain and posted to the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (2 Para) as their adjutant.
The original plan for 1982 was jungle training in Belize, but on the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands prompted 2 Para's Commanding Officer to cancel their Belize deployment, and they boarded the North Sea ferry Norland instead. It was on this ship that 2 Para landed in the Falkland Islands on Friday 21st May 1982.
Seven days later, the Battle of Goose Green began.
[edit] Goose Green
In the theatre of operations that was the Falklands Islands, the battle for Goose Green should have been, by rights, inisgnifcant and quick. The plan was to raid the Argentine garrison at Goose Green, and should have been over in a very short period of time.
However, the first land battle of the Falkland Conflict became a "vicious, 14-hour infantry struggle, in which 2 Para - outnumbered, exhausted, forced to attack across open ground in full daylight, and with inadequate fire support - lost their commanding officer, and almost lost the action."
As the adjutant, Cpt. Wood's role was typically at Battalion HQ, but he preferred to be in the action, with CO and close friend Lt-Col Jones. He was his typical, jovial self when trying to keep up moral, and when A Company were pinned down beneath Darwin Hill, Cpt. Wood was heard to say "Come on lads, remember Arnhem!", one of 2 Para's most prized battle honours. Throughout the battle he was his typical, courageous self, wise-cracking and encouraging others, right up to the moment he was hit.
Only a few minutes later, Cpt. Wood and two colleagues were felled by bullets from a machine gun post they were attacking.
He was killed instantly.
