Search our records : William John Woodgate

Surname: Woodgate
Forename(s): William John
Service Number: D3207
Date of Birth: 5th October 1885
Force: Royal Naval Reserve
Unit: HMS President III
Parents: Thomas and Georgina Woodgate
Home address: 11 Highfield Terrace, Beer, Devon

William Woodgate was born in Beer on 5th October 1885, (according to his Royal Naval Reserve record, although other records suggest he was in fact born in 1887), the son of Thomas Woodgate, a fisherman, and his wife Georgina. 

William joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 5th October 1905, when he was fishing out of Beer on the ‘Happy Return’ (E216), and lived at 11 Highfield Terrace, Beer.

He was mobilised for war service on 3rd August 1914, and although his RNR record does not show the names of any of the ships he served on, his parent unit is shown as HMS President III, which was the accounting base for men serving as gun crews on Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (DAMS).

He was demobilised on 18th March 1919, but remained in the RNR until October 1925.