Fallen WWII soldier has homecoming after name added to Ettington War Memorial
An English soldier who died in WWII now has his name closer to home after it was added to the Ettington war memorial.
Kenneth Seymour Woods, a young English soldier who trained at Wellesbourne and was buried in Italy, has been added to the Ettington war memorial at the request of the daughter he tragically never met, Priscilla Smith, an Ettington resident.
Kenneth Woods, originally from London, miraculously returned from Dunkirk and was stationed in Wellesbourne for further training, where he met Nellie, Priscilla’s mother, at a dance.
They later married, and Nellie fell pregnant with Priscilla before Kenneth was sent to North Africa and later Italy, where he was sadly to meet his fate.
Jane Evans, Wood’s granddaughter, said: “They were sent to come in from the east of Italy, I think to divert attention away from what was trying to be achieved in operation Monte Cassino in the west. I think they were cannon fodder, essentially.
“Because he was a gunner he and four others operated the gatling guns, and got blown up by a tank. So he’s buried in the Sangro River war cemetery, which my mother visited with the British Legion, and is a beautiful place apparently.
“He would have returned to live here and be a part of this community, having married Nellie of Ettington, but sadly didn’t make it. He was only 24 when he died, and of course never got to meet his daughter.”
Historic local stonemasons Cliffords and Sons added Kenneth’s name, while the memorial itself is being maintained and tended to by another Ettington resident, renowned explorer Mark Wood.
One memorium Priscilla has of her father is his medals, which she will wear on the Remembrance service taking place on Sunday 14th November at Ettington churchyard.
Jane said: “My granny kept the medals in a box, along with the letter no one wants to receive, and so my mum and I bought a bar that you can mount the medals on. So they’ll be together for the first time, and she’s going to be wearing them, which will be quite an emotional occasion for her.
“It’s come full circle, really. He’s finally come home to rest in the place where he would have, if he’d lived, made his home for the rest of his life. And my mum will be wearing the medals of the father she never got to meet.”