My Uncle Terry was probably, for a lad of my age in the mid sixties, just about the perfect Uncle!  Married to my lovely Aunty Julie, my mum's sister, he drove an E-Type Jaguar, sailed a boat on the Thames and had a private pilot's license!   

I often spent a week or so in the summer with Julie and Terry and my cousins Helen and Simon  in their lovely cottage in Wildmoor Lane, Sherfield on Loddan.  For us at that time, in pre-motorway days it was 100 miles and 3 hours away.  Some years later at the age of just 17 I can remember being allowed by mum to do the driving down there.  My first ever long-distance drive!  Today, by chance, we live just 10 miles away and I frequently ride past on my days out on my motorbike!

I never met Terry's father, Charles Bertram Wood, though he was still alive at the time I was visiting in the 1960's.  He was a wealthy man having made his money as a Butcher and in Wholesale Provision.  He owned a palatial property - Normandy, Devonshire Avenue, Amersham.

Terry, in the 60's, owned a chain of Launderettes and I remember well travelling round them with Terry in the E-Type collecting the takings and checking all was well.  It seemed like the perfect job to me at the time!  He later became involved in boat hire and in the late 70's or  80's Terry and Julie moved from Hampshire to the Devon/Cornwall border where they ran a pub.  The Royal Inn at Horsebridge.  Once again, for a lad of my age, now in my 20's, as a pub landlord - the perfect uncle!

Prior to their time at Wildmoor Cottage Terry travelled to Africa and farmed in Kenya for a while.  He and Julie married in Kenya.

Sadly, Terry died suddenly at the age of  just 66 in 1998. Julie in 2013.

The Wood Family

Normandy
The lovely house owned by Terry's parents where he and his sister Paddy and brother Tony grew up.  It was fondly remembered by Terry's daughter Helen.
 
"Yes I remember Normandy and grounds very vividly as grandad was very old when he died.  The house was massive with servant rooms and everything. He had a butler and a cook. I remember their faces but not their names. They will probably come back to me now I’ve unlocked that bit of memory. Fabulous huge garden with a stream, bridge and stone Wendy house. I remember playing in it with all the tiny furniture and china tea sets and pretty dolls. "

Lilly Alexander Newman
Terry’s mother Marie Newman was from a large family; she had three brothers and six sisters. One of these sisters, Lily Alexander Newman married an Alfred Bowers and they had three daughters who lived to adulthood, Margaret, Marie and Pamela.  These were Terry’s cousins though he must have had many more as well!

Sadly, Lily herself died in 1932 at the age of just 30 from pneumonia.  So at the time of their mother’s death the three daughters were just 7, 5 and 3. 

Seven years after Lily’s death, in 1939, her husdand Alfred was living with Lily’s mother Maria, Lily’s brother William and Lily’s uncle Walter. Surprisingly though, there is no sign of Alfred’s three girls. The sad fact is that two years after losing their mother they were sent to a children’s home in Bristol in 1934 and remained there until each was seventeen.

All three led full lives though into at least their 80’s and Pamela is still alive now I believe at 92.  I had the following message from her daughter Chris (Christine):

"Marie Louise Newman was my Mum's Aunt "Tots", Paddy, Tony & Terry her cousins who she never met.

My Mum, age 92, remembers seeing Aunt Tots in 1946 or 1947 after she left Bristol age 17. Tots drove her to Totternhoe Churchyard to see her mothers grave. Lily Alexander Bowers nee Newman died in 1932, in 1934 my Mum and her two sisters were sent to live in a children's home in Bristol until they were 17 years old.

My Aunt Margaret, the eldest sister, was the only one to have any real contact with the Woods family, she was hired in 1944 as a nursemaid to Paddy's first born, but after a while went off to train to be a Registered Nurse.

Aunt Tots turned up at Margaret's (1948) and Marie's (1949) weddings in a large car wearing furs to just drop off a gift, that was the last time they saw her then she died in 1958 so all contact with the family was lost."

Chris then added further information in November 2021:

"Lily’s death, she went into hospital with a lung abscess, I have a record of her being in hospital in Luton in May 1932. Sent to London’s Brompton Hospital to have the abscess drained 30/11/1932 and died of pneumonia and blood in the lungs on the 4th December.

My mum is still with us age 92, quite good health for her age and still very sharp, computer literate and very independent!  Tots didn’t go to Pam’s wedding, Margaret told Pam to invite her but only having met her in her kitchen, via the back door at Normandy once in 1946 and saying she was not friendly she decided not to.

The Wood’s butchers business dates back to the early 1800’s and Charlie Wood’s grandfather at 3 Whitechapel, possibly even earlier. Tots may have met Charlie via her sister Kate who married a cheesemonger with a family business also in Whitechapel. And I don’t think Charlie and Tots ever married, possibly because Charlie was already married but have not proved this yet.

I took a DNA test, interesting results, so my mum also took one. And we find that Lily was not the biological daughter of Ernest George Newman, her biological father was one Obadiah Living. The Living’s and Newman’s shared a house from about 1895 to about 1905 so are there more offspring of Obadiah? Getting a test from one of Tot’s descendants would be interesting.  Kate and Rose are Newman’s as I have DNA matches from their descendants."

Rose Ellen Newman
Rose was an older sister of Terry's mother Marie - Rose married a William Spackman and their grandson, Bob Spackman, also has fond memories of Normandy and "Great Aunt Tots".

"It is always interesting to hear from folks tracing their family. I do not remember Terry as I think he had left home by the time I was old enough to remember visits to his home in Amersham. However I fondly remember his mother, Marie (Auntie Totts to me), as she was such a lovely person and used to make a fuss of her nephews and nieces.

My family when I grew up were living in a flat in Walthamstow and a visit to Normandy House in Amersham was a visit not to be forgotten. We used to be picked up at the station by Auntie's car and taken to the house where I found the gardens and goldfish ponds, not to mention the stuffed birds and fish, tremendously exciting.

Auntie Totts always gave Christmas gifts which were special. I remember the disappointment one year when she obviously got the address labels mixed up and my present was a clockwork ballerina!"

Terry and Lou Wood
This is about Terry's own Uncle Terry, Charles brother, and his wife Lou.  Charles and Terry were in business together and the families spent time with each other.  We heard from Janet.  the daughter of Lou's niece, Joan Marie Lant, telling the story of how her mother also had wonderful memories of Normandy.

My link to the family is through my Great Aunt Lou who was married to Terry Wood, brother of Marie Louise Newman's  husband, Charles. My Mother spent many happy weekends at Normandy with the family before and during WW2. Playing tennis and swimming in the pool. It is a spectacular house. Terry lived  just round the corner. In Manor Drive. He and his brother Charles had a very successful company called Table Dainties. Every Christmas in the 50,s they gave my family a turkey with all the trimmings and a goose for my Grandmother. A lovely family. Their grave is in a little cemetery near by.

I live only 15 minutes away from Amersham and when I used to drive my dear Mum around she would reminisce of all the happy times she had as a young girl with her sister Rita spending many weekends at Normandy and at Sandbanks with Paddy and family.  On my tree I have a few pictures of Paddy, her wedding that mum and my Aunt Rita went to  a photo of the invitation that I found amongst my Mothers letters after she died.  My Mother had masses of photos  she kept everything, letters , telegrams etc.

My Great Auntie Lou, Lucy Florence Dodridge,  was very happily married to Uncle Terry for many years.  Sadly, after 28 years, an incident in their marriage, which she found unforgiveable at the time , ended the marriage.  They both remarried,  My mother told me of a conversation in hospital before Auntie Lou died, in which she told her that her one regret was not forgiving Uncle Terry as she still loved him and always would and was devastated when she heard of his death.  My Grandmother, Alice Marie Dodridge, stayed in touch with Uncle Terry till his death. She did not know the reason for the divorce and there was friction in the sisters relationship which was not resolved, unfortunately.  After my Grandmother died We found a photo of her sister Lou in her wallet.  Sad. !!

Just a note that, rather weirdly,  10 days ago I found a picture on Find a Grave web site of the Grave of Charles and Marie in Chesham Bois cemetery.  We went to visit the grave a week ago and found the cemetery a very peaceful and lovely place.

Woods Table Dainties
The Wood family had been butchers for many generations and even back in the 1920's Charles Bertram Wood had owned a 'Preserved Provision Manufacturing' company.  This was likely the start of Table Dainties, Charles and his brother Terry's business, which grew and was eventually bought out by a larger company, Winton Smith, who in turn gave the franchise for the London area to a leading employee, Alfred Labbett.  He built the business further and it still survives and thrives to this day as Woods Food Service!   The company is today ran by Alfred's grandson Darren.  I've spoken with Darren who says how his grandfather always spoke of the Wood brothers with huge respect and affection and so was more than pleased to be allowed to keep the 'Wood' name in the company's title because of the excellent reputation and loyal customer base that it had.. Wood's Table Dainties Beer Mat.

The Shannon / Leuw Families

Terry's auntie Sarah Wood married a William Leuw and their daughter Mary Leuw married a Guy Shannon. I was contacted by Mary and Guy's grandson Paul Shannon.  He has fond memories also of visiting Terry and Julie's pub in Devon  "I remember looking for the Woods at the Royal Inn in the 80s & warm conversation with Terry. Simon was making some very exclusive beer in the out buildings at the back, but I don't think your Auntie Julie was at home."

Paul's father Martin Shannon was best friends with Terry's brother Tony.  "My father & Tony Wood, Terry's brother, were best friends in the 1950s I think. He also drove an E-Type in the early 70s, a red one, until he gave it up when the oil crisis happened. Perhaps Terry inspired him.  Caroline & Michael, Tony's children, were very much a part of my early childhood, I think because Tony & my father were best friends. I have a whole album of photos of them off-road racing together." 

Paul also had information that the famours British artist John Wood (1801-1870) was a relative ... "John Wood the artist made a huge lithograph of Benjamin Wood (one of them) that hung at my grandmother's, which was thrown out by my father when he was clearing the house. I think now John Wood might have been her great great uncle. What doesn't fit at the moment is the tradition that John Wood's father was the artist John George Wood, and the advanced age of John Wood's mother when she gave birth to George."  

Not all forebears were quite as illustrious according to Paul's grandmother Mary Leuw, Terry's cousin. Says Paul, "My grandmother had many stories. For example, Uncle Leon stole Uncle Charlie's watch & sent him the pawn ticket." And Terry himself told Paul how "Uncle Leon went very religious & married a Christian. He deserted the Navy and in America he swam ashore from Ellis Island to avoid immigration and was never heard of again!"

Here's a tree showing the connection between the Shannon, Wood and Powers families. Link.

Leonard Wood -  Watch Purloiner and US Émigré! 

Before going further it's worth stating that the stories about Leonard are purely family folklore and have not been substantiated.  I'm sure he was also a totally upright citizen.  My Uncle Terry always did like telling tall stories!   (End of disclaimer!!)

We did find out a little more from Leonard's wife Rose's family in the US.  Namely from David Cole and his wife Susan. David's grandfather was Leonard's wife Rose Brockett's cousin.  David wrote to say "Thanks Steve. Good to hear from you. Leonard Wood was the youngest son. His father was a dry grocer on High St. in London. He ended in Oneida County NewYork in a village called Westmoreland. My Mom said his daughter Lois was her 2nd cousin . I have Lois’s family photos. I’m the family genealogist with about 27 years experience".

David confirmed, "Susan and I share this site. My Mom was Laura Poile Cole 1913/2019. Her side included Brockett, Cronkite, and Hutchinson. The Poile line was from Kent, England. Mom married Albert L. Cole 1915/1969 in 1939. I was one of their five children. Mom said Lois Wood was her 2nd cousin. Lois was the daughter of Leonard and Rose Brockett Wood."

Thumbnails of some of the photos of Leonard, his wife Rose and their families are shown in these trees ... The Wood Connection ... The Brockett Connection. 

Robert Campbell - Surgeon and International Rugby Player

Whilst not a Wood himself, Robert Campbell, husband of Paddy Wood is worth a mention.  Robert was not only a surgeon of world repute but also had caps for playing for the England Rugby team in the 1940's.  Thanks are due to Chris for unearthing this information and some brilliant newspaper clippings.  See below for more of these clippings from Chris.

Family Trees
There are a number of different family trees available for the family of Paddy, Tony and Terry.  These are not exhaustive, not all family members are shown.  Both their father and mother came from large families.  These trees are mainly from the Ancestry website created by other family members. They are hopefully accurate but not 100% guaranteed.

Vertical Pedigree Chart - Their ancestors going back five generations.
Benjamin Wood Descendants - Their father's Family
Robert Reynolds Descendants - Their mother's family
Lily Newman's Descendants - Their aunt Lily's family
George Newman's Descendants - Their uncle George's family
Lou Dodridge family - wife of Terry Wood (b 1891)
Helen to Janet - Relationship between Helen Wood to Janet Knight - their great uncle/aunt were married.
Helen to Christine - Relationship between Helen Wood to Christine Kemp - second cousins.
Helen to Paul. - Relationship between Helen Wood and Paul Shannon.
Yarwood/Hayclock Family - Family charts for Terry's wife Julia Helen Haycock


Photos from the collection of  Joan Marie Knight (nee Lant)
Joan and Rita Lant were related to the Wood family through their Aunt Lou who married Terry Wood.  Rita was the same age as Paddy and Joan was five years older.  The three girls spent many happy times togethr.  Joan's daughter Janet explained that "My Mother had masses of photos  she kept everything, letters , telegrams etc."  There follows some of them that Janet has kindly supplied.

Terry Wood (1891-1965) and wife Lucy Dodridge