Geoffrey Harold Woolley was born on 14th May 1892 in Bethnal Green, London, UK. His parents were The Rev. George Herbert Woolley, Curate of St Matthew’s Church, Upper Clapton in London, and his wife Sarah L. Woolley, nee Cathcart. Geoffrey had seven sisters and three brothers, including the famous archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley and George Cathcart Woolley, a colonial administrator and ethnographer.
Geoffrey was educated at Parmiter's School, Bethnal Green, St John's School, Leatherhead, Surrey and Queen's College, Oxford University. While at University Geoffrey joined the Officers' Training Corps (OTC). He studied for Holy Orders and was going to be ordained as an Anglican priest like his father when, at the age of twenty-three, he decided to fight for his country. Geoffrey obtained a commission in the Queen Victoria's Rifles, the 9th (County of London) Battalion of the London Regiment of the British Army.
The Queen Victoria's Rifles Regiment was posted to the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. On 17th April 1915 the British Army captured Hill 60, a low rise to the south-east of Ypres. In the midst of fierce German efforts to retake the hill, Second Lieutenant Woolley's company were sent up the line on the afternoon of 20th April to take ammunition supplies to the defenders. The situation quickly deteriorated, with many men and all the other officers on the hill being killed. Geoffrey refused verbal and written orders to withdraw, saying he and his company would remain until properly relieved. They repelled numerous attacks through the night. When they were relieved the next morning, he returned with 14 men remaining from the 150-strong company.
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The citation for the Victoria Cross he was awarded for this action reads:
“For most conspicuous bravery on "Hill 60" during the night of 20th–21st April 1915. Although the only Officer on the hill at the time, and with very few men, he successfully resisted all attacks on his trench, and continued throwing bombs and encouraging his men till relieved. His trench during all this time was being heavily shelled and bombed and was subjected to heavy machine gun fire by the enemy.”
Two days later Geoffrey was promoted directly to the rank of Captain. He saw further action in the early stages of the Second Battle of Ypres until he was invalided back to England suffering from poison gas and psychological effects. When he had recovered, he was appointed as an instructor at the Officers Infantry School. Geoffrey returned to the Western Front in summer 1916 as a General Staff Officer Grade II on the Third Army Staff.
In September 1919, Geoffrey married Janet Beatrix Culme-Seymour. Geoffrey and Janet’s son - Harold Lindsay Cathcart Woolley - was born on 7th October 1919
Geoffrey was demobilised on 1st February 1919 and was awarded the Military Cross on 3rd June 1919 for his actions in France and Flanders. He returned to Queen’s College Oxford from 1919-1920, earning a Diploma in Theology and an MA in 1924. He was part of the VC Guard at the interment of the Unknown Warrior on 11th November 1920. Geoffrey was ordained in Coventry Cathedral on 19th December 1920 with a licence as a curate at Rugby parish church and he was employed as an Assistant Master at Rugby School 1920-1923.
Joining the hastily formed Defence Force against strikes, Geoffrey was granted a temporary commission as Captain in 7th (Defence Force) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 12th April 1921. He commanded a company in Coventry, and following this appointment, he resigned his commission on 5th July 1921.
Geoffrey became Vicar of Monk Sherborne, Hampshire, before moving on to take up the post of Chaplain of Harrow School.
In January 1940 Geoffrey resigned from the school and was commissioned into the Royal Army Chaplains' Department. He was appointed Senior Chaplain of the Algiers area in November 1942, reaching the rank of Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class, with the rank of Major. Along with several other officers he was appointed OBE in 1943 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North Africa."
Geoffrey and Janet’s son Harold joined the Royal Air Force, became a Flying Officer and a Spitfire pilot with 152 Squadron. Harold was posted to North Africa and was shot down and killed by a Bf109 near Souk el Arba on 2nd December 1942 in a battle over Tunis.
Geoffrey took on the parish of St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill, in 1944. In 1952, finding it difficult to climb the hill, he moved to be Rector of West Grinstead, Sussex, where he stayed until he retired in 1958.
Geoffrey died on 10th December 1968 and was buried in the Churchyard of St. Mary’s Church, West Chiltington, Sussex, UK.
In 2013 a block of flats was built by Tower Hamlets Community Housing and named in memory of Geoffrey Woolley VC, OBE, MC, (1892-1968) who was born in Bethnal Green.
A collection of verse written by Geoffrey H. Wooley, VC was published under the title “The Epic of the Mountains (verse)” by Blackwell, Oxford in 1929.
I believe Geoffrey also had a poem published in “The Times” newspaper.
Sources: Wikipedia, Find my Past, FreeBMD,
https://riflesmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.pdf
https://victoriacrossonline.co.uk/geoffrey-harold-woolley-vc-obe-mc/
