Horace Wood was born on Monday 12th February 1912 in New Marske, Yorkshire son of George Henry a Police Constable and Eva nee Stainsby. He had one brother George Henry Junior who was born in 1914 but died in 1915 and a sister Sheila born in 1924. At the outbreak of World War I, George was called up and served in the Military Mounted Police, the family were living at that time in 9 Manor Street, Middlesborough. Following his education at Secondary School, Horace became a Commercial Traveller, before following in his father's footsteps and joining the Metropolitan Police on 25th February 1935 aged 23 with Warrant Number 43/124009. He was posted to the K Division and described as 5'.9 5/8 " tall. Interestingly the Met Commissioner at that time was the 'Father' of the Royal Air Force, Marshal of the Royal Air Force The 1st Baron Trenchard. During the third quarter of 1937, Horace married Vera May Ward in Cleveland and they and they had one son Charles E born in 1938. The 1939 Register shows the family living at 342a Henley Road, Ilford, Essex. At the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Horace continued serving in the police and on 18th August 1941 was appointed as Assistant Clerk and promoted to Sergeant 2nd Class on 14th September 1942. On 22nd March 1944, he was seconded into the Army, as Police Officers were not generally considered a reserved occupation. He was Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant on the General List with service number 313970 and undertook training in the UK. On 24th August he boarded SS Fort Covington for the journey to France. He landed at Arromanches les Bains in Northern France on the 27th having transferred from the ship to a Rhino Ferry - a barge constructed from several pontoons which are connected and equipped with outboard engines. From here he headed inland, to Antwerp where he would remain for the foreseeable future within the Civil Affairs Department and investigate local atrocities committed against Belgians by German troops during their protracted withdrawal from Antwerp and ...