Six: Sub-Lieutenant A. T. Woods, Royal Navy - wounded in action in the Dubai Incident, 24 December 1910

Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1908-10 (236229 Sig., H.M.S. Hyacinth); Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Persian Gulf 1909-1914 (236229 Lg. Sig., H.M.S. Hyacinth); 1914-15 Star (236229 Y.S., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Mte., R.N.); Marine Society Reward of Merit (Alfred T. Woods, March 17th 1914) silver, some with contact marks, very fine and better (6) £450-550

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The John Chidzey Collection.

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Alfred Thomas Woods was born in Regents Park, London on 4 July 1890. Formerly a Boy on the training ship Warspite, Woods entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on Impregnable on 20 April 1906 and was advanced to Boy 1st Class in November 1906. He was ranked as Signal Boy in October 1907 when on Victorious. Serving on Dreadnought, he was promoted to Ordinary Signalman in July 1908 and Signalman in December 1908. Serving on Hyacinth, March 1909-June 1911 he saw service along the Somali coast and in the Persian Gulf and on 2 December 1910 was promoted to Leading Signalman.

In early December 1910 information was received that arms were being illegally stored in certain houses on the seafront at Dubai. On 24 December a landing party from the Hyacinth was despatched to search for the weapons. The party, numbering 48 men, commanded by Captain J. D. Dick proceeded ashore. A search revealed a cache of arms but as the search widened the locals became increasingly hostile and at length, shots were fired at the shore party. The men conducting the search retreated to the shore where they dug in. The Hyacinth, anchored a mile offshore, then used her 6 inch guns in active support. In the short action that followed, one marine and five seamen were killed and one officer, four marines and five seamen were wounded - amongst the latter was Signalman A. T. Woods. On the Arab side, some 37 were killed and many more wounded. Four days later Rear-Admiral Slade and Colonel Cox, the Political Resident in the Gulf, arrived at Dubai to deliver an ultimatum to the local sheikh who fully complied with their demands. As a result of the action a note was recorded on Wood’s papers: ‘To be specially advanced to Yeo. of Sigs. as soon as qualified by service & examination, for gallantry in the skirmish at Dibai (sic) in Persian Gulf’. Following on from this Woods was promoted to Yeoman of Signals in May 1912 when serving on the battleship King Edward VII. His wartime service was mostly ashore, with the exception of service on the battleships Swiftsure, May 1916-April 1917 and Lord Nelson, September 1917-June 1918. In that month he was advanced to Acting Mate and subsequently was appointed a Sub-Lieutenant.

With copied service paper and a copy of the article: The Dubai Incident -24 December 1910, by Kevin Patience, which appeared in the Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society.