Philip James Woods
Encyclopedia
Colonel Philip James Woods, DSO
(23 September 1880-12 September 1961) was an independent unionist
politician
in Northern Ireland
, member of the Northern Ireland House of Commons. He was a colonel in the Royal Irish Rifles
and also worked as a textile
designer
.
under Baden-Powell, he became involved in the Ulster Volunteers and joined the Army
on the outbreak of war. He served with the Royal Irish Rifles (RIR) as part of the 36th (Ulster) Division and, during the 1916 Battle of the Somme, was active in the Thiepval Wood section when it suffered heavy losses achieving its objectives. In 1917 Woods led the 9th Battalion (West Belfast) of the RIR until it was amalgamated with 8th Bn to form 8/9th Bn. on 9 August 1917. This leadership included action in the Battle of Messines
.
In June 1918, he went as part of the Murmansk force
involved in the Allied intervention to Russia
. Its task was to obstruct the Viena expedition
by German-officered White Finn
forces threatening East Karelia
and the Murmansk
-Petrograd railway. Operating out of Kem on the White Sea
, he established a Karelian Regiment, supplied and officered by the British. The "Irish Karelians", as they were known, adopted a regimental badge, designed by Woods and consisting of a green shamrock
on an orange field. With this force he was able to push the Germans and Finns established in Uhtua
out of White Karelia (Vienan Karjala) in 1918. His success with the Karelians
fostered unrealistic hopes of national self-determination which were ultimately unfulfilled, caught as they were between the Finns and Russians. The formation melted away as a transfer to White Russian
command was attempted and Woods was evacuated in October 1919 with the rest of the British forces.
In 1919-1920 he served with a group of British officers organising the nascent Lithuanian Army, defending it against various German Freikorps
and Polish threats. Arguments over their agreed British Army rates of pay led to the group eventually leaving Lithuania.
held on 2 May 1923 for Belfast West
, following the assassination of William Twaddell
, the sitting MP. He stood in 1925
in both Belfast West and Belfast South
, winning both seats, but opting to sit for Belfast West. Woods campaigned in the Parliament for ex-servicemen and on economic and social issues. As the only MP without party affiliations before the Nationalists
took their seats, he operated as a lone opposition voice to the dominant Ulster Unionist Party
government.
He unsuccessfully contested the 1929 election
in Belfast St Anne's
. His loss can, in large part, be attributed to the abolition of proportional representation
in February 1929, its replacement with a first-past-the-post system
and the establishment of new electoral constituencies which divided his support base. Lacking a party machine, he also lost the Westminster election
in Belfast South
held eight days later.
in the 1930s and re-married, living in Long Crendon
, Buckinghamshire
. He was incidentally an employer of William Joyce
at this time, but had no direct links with the British Union of Fascists
. During the Second World War he fund-raised in Yorkshire
for the war effort.
Short publishers description
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(23 September 1880-12 September 1961) was an independent unionist
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, member of the Northern Ireland House of Commons. He was a colonel in the Royal Irish Rifles
Royal Ulster Rifles
The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...
and also worked as a textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
.
Military career
A staunch Imperialist, P.J. Woods had an eventful career before entering politics. Originally serving in the South African WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
under Baden-Powell, he became involved in the Ulster Volunteers and joined the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on the outbreak of war. He served with the Royal Irish Rifles (RIR) as part of the 36th (Ulster) Division and, during the 1916 Battle of the Somme, was active in the Thiepval Wood section when it suffered heavy losses achieving its objectives. In 1917 Woods led the 9th Battalion (West Belfast) of the RIR until it was amalgamated with 8th Bn to form 8/9th Bn. on 9 August 1917. This leadership included action in the Battle of Messines
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
.
In June 1918, he went as part of the Murmansk force
North Russia Campaign
The North Russia Intervention, also known as the Northern Russian Expedition, was part of the Allied Intervention in Russia after the October Revolution. The intervention brought about the involvement of foreign troops in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White movement...
involved in the Allied intervention to Russia
Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War
The Allied intervention was a multi-national military expedition launched in 1918 during World War I which continued into the Russian Civil War. Its operations included forces from 14 nations and were conducted over a vast territory...
. Its task was to obstruct the Viena expedition
Viena expedition
The Viena expedition was a military expedition in March 1918 by Finnish volunteer forces to annex White Karelia from Bolshevist Russia. It was one of the many "kinship wars" fought near the newly independent Finland during the Russian Civil War...
by German-officered White Finn
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
forces threatening East Karelia
East Karelia
East Karelia , also rendered as Eastern Karelia or Russian Karelia, is a name for the part of Karelia that since the Treaty of Stolbova in 1617 has remained Christian Orthodox under Russian supremacy. It is separated from the western part of Karelia, called Finnish Karelia or historically Swedish...
and the Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
-Petrograd railway. Operating out of Kem on the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
, he established a Karelian Regiment, supplied and officered by the British. The "Irish Karelians", as they were known, adopted a regimental badge, designed by Woods and consisting of a green shamrock
Shamrock
The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland. The name shamrock is derived from Irish , which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover ....
on an orange field. With this force he was able to push the Germans and Finns established in Uhtua
Kalevala (urban-type settlement)
Kalevala is an urban locality and the administrative center of Kalevalsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It was named Ukhta until 1963. Population:...
out of White Karelia (Vienan Karjala) in 1918. His success with the Karelians
Karelians
The Karelians are a Baltic-Finnic ethnic group living mostly in the Republic of Karelia and in other north-western parts of the Russian Federation. The historic homeland of Karelians includes also parts of present-day Eastern Finland and the formerly Finnish territory of Ladoga Karelia...
fostered unrealistic hopes of national self-determination which were ultimately unfulfilled, caught as they were between the Finns and Russians. The formation melted away as a transfer to White Russian
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
command was attempted and Woods was evacuated in October 1919 with the rest of the British forces.
In 1919-1920 he served with a group of British officers organising the nascent Lithuanian Army, defending it against various German Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
and Polish threats. Arguments over their agreed British Army rates of pay led to the group eventually leaving Lithuania.
Political career
Standing as the Fighting Colonel he was first elected in a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 2 May 1923 for Belfast West
Belfast West (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast West was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned four MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
, following the assassination of William Twaddell
William Twaddell
William John Twaddell was a Unionist politician from Belfast.Twaddell was a draper from Belfast who was educated at a Belfast primary school....
, the sitting MP. He stood in 1925
Northern Ireland general election, 1925
The Northern Ireland general election, 1925 was held on 3 April 1925. It was the second election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland. It saw significant losses for the Ulster Unionist Party, although they maintained their large majority. This was the last election for the Stormont parliament...
in both Belfast West and Belfast South
Belfast South (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast South was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921-1929. It returned four MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
, winning both seats, but opting to sit for Belfast West. Woods campaigned in the Parliament for ex-servicemen and on economic and social issues. As the only MP without party affiliations before the Nationalists
Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....
took their seats, he operated as a lone opposition voice to the dominant Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
government.
He unsuccessfully contested the 1929 election
Northern Ireland general election, 1929
-References:*...
in Belfast St Anne's
Belfast St Anne's (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast St Anne's was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast St Anne's was a borough constituency comprising part of south-western Belfast...
. His loss can, in large part, be attributed to the abolition of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
in February 1929, its replacement with a first-past-the-post system
Single-winner voting systems
A single-member district or single-member constituency is an electoral district that returns one officeholder to a body with multiple members such as a legislature...
and the establishment of new electoral constituencies which divided his support base. Lacking a party machine, he also lost the Westminster election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
in Belfast South
Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in 1922 when, as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
held eight days later.
Later life
After his political career in Northern Ireland had ended, Woods moved to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the 1930s and re-married, living in Long Crendon
Long Crendon
Long Crendon is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, about west of Haddenham and north-west of Thame in neighbouring Oxfordshire.The village has been called Long Crendon only since the English Civil War...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He was incidentally an employer of William Joyce
William Joyce
William Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality...
at this time, but had no direct links with the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
. During the Second World War he fund-raised in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
for the war effort.
Sources
- Baron, Nick. The King of Karelia: Col P.J. Woods and the British Intervention in North Russia 1918-1919. A History & Memoir (London: Francis Boutle Publishers, 2007).
Short publishers description
- Baron, Nick. "The King of Karelia", History Today, June 2007