Brigadier-General Philip Richard Wood (February 1868 – 10 October 1945) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who briefly served as

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

33rd Division during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Military career

Wood was commissioned into the

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry (later changed to light infantry) regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess ...

in February 1887. He saw action in the Nile Expedition in 1899 before becoming commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers on the Western Front in December 1914 during the

. After receiving a promotion to the temporary rank of brigadier general in August 1915, he went on to be commander of the 43rd Infantry Brigade and, after being made a substantive colonel in March 1917, was

general officer commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

of the 33rd Division in September 1917, but was replaced in November. He was promoted again to temporary brigadier general in April 1918 and succeeded George Glas Sandeman Carey in command of the

46th (North Midland) Division The 46th (North Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, that saw service in the First World War. At the outbreak of the war in 1914, the 46th Division was commanded by Major-General Hon. ...

's 139th (Sherwood Foresters) Brigade. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

on 23 June 1915 and a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the

1917 Birthday Honours The 1917 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

. In May 1919, with the war now over, he reverted to his permanent rank of colonel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Philip 1868 births 1945 deaths British Army brigadiers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Royal Irish Fusiliers officers 19th-century British Army personnel British Army generals of World War I