Ralph Wood

 

Ralph William Wood was born into an army family at Aldershot on 31 March 1911. His family moved to Ireland where his father, a colour sergeant in the Leicestershire Regiment, was sent during the ‘troubles’. In 1919 the family moved to Delhi in India. Ireland, and the trip to Delhi, became powerful memories for Ralph. Back in UK, Ralph left school at fourteen to work in one of many footwear factories in Leicester. Then his employer sent him and Arthur Jefford to the annual engineering exhibition at London Olympia.

 
‘We were in London for the first time. We were goggle eyed at all this huge machinery and thought … there’s a big world out there!’ What they saw and conversations they had there, got them thinking about broadening their horizons. After seeing information about the Dreadnought Boys in a newspaper, Ralph and Arthur (without telling their parents) filled out the Dreadnought application forms. Australia House sent the papers to be signed by the boys’ parents, and references from various people had to be obtained, so it was a great relief when nobody objected.

Ralph Wood and Arthur Jefford arrived in Sydney aboard the SS Baradine on 15 March 1928, and were both sent to Yanco Agricultural Experiment Farm, in the Riverina area of southern NSW. Ralph’s early years in Australia were spent at various farms around nearby Leeton. His experience of sleeping accommodation ranged from the very bad to appalling but was accepted without complaint, and a bit of self-help.

Young Ralph Wood

Five years on, Ralph returned to Depression-hit Sydney. ‘It was the world of soup kitchens and doss houses. I did all sorts of lowly jobs, anything at all. I scrubbed out baths, peeled potatoes in cafes for a couple of feeds. Very rarely were you paid in cash. There were gardening jobs on the North Shore and in Vaucluse and places like that. By the time you’d taken your tram fare out and one thing and another, there wasn’t much left.’

Canon RBS Hammond, the famed Rector of St Barnabas’ Broadway, ran several hostels. They allowed an unemployed man to retain his dignity while looking for work. Ralph lived in one of these ‘Hammond Hotels’. Ralph, who greatly admired Hammond, did odd jobs for him and became his driver. This was the start of better things.

Hammond was a good friend of Sir Phillip Game, the NSW Governor and, one day, got a call from Government House saying there was a vacancy for a temporary worker. It was offered to Ralph who readily accepted. Later Ralph was offered semi-permanent employment with Sir David Anderson, the new Governor. He was a scullery and maintenance man. ‘I enjoyed it. I had a ball. I was getting a reasonable wage and all I could eat. I could even buy myself some clothes from a shop.’

Unfortunately, the governor died and Ralph Wood was made redundant in November 1936. It was back to a Depression-hit workforce. But Ralph had a valuable asset, his driver’s licence had a ‘Government House’ stamp on it. Ralph got a job with a garage, servicing and washing cars at night, ready for senior business men to collect them the next morning. He was servicing and preparing the vehicles, and he was able to sleep in them at night.

In time he was recognised as a motor mechanic, paid enough to rent accommodation and have an improved lifestyle. One of his customers was the United States Trade Commissioner who, impressed by his competence, recommended Ralph to other Americans. One day the Consul called in and explained that his position was being upgraded to Consul-General, and that the new man was on his way. He was bringing his own car and could need a driver.

Ralph met the new man, took him from the ship to the Hotel Australia, offering his services. According to Ralph, ‘He said, “You’ll have to wear a uniform, you know.” I said, “It depends on what you mean by uniform. If you mean a peaked cap and double-breasted coat with buttons down the side and leggings, I don’t think I could be in it.” He said, “Oh no, you’ve been looking at too many American movies. What I have in mind is a dark double-breasted coat and I’ll require you to wear a cap and sometimes gloves. After all we have a position to maintain”.’

Ralph found the Consul-General, Thomas Murray Wilson, a friendly likeable man. He also liked the car, a swank V12 Lincoln Zephyr. Ralph provided the punctual coming and going for the Consul-General, whether around the city or on a country visit. The American was a bachelor, one of the most eligible in town. This involved Ralph Wood in providing discrete advice, and the occasional tactical exit.

Ralph Wood with the American Consul-General’s car

Wilson was replaced by another diplomat in 1940, and the post was upgraded to Ambassador. It was explained to Ralph that, to keep the job, he would have to move to Canberra and find a wife who would be employed as housekeeper. Ralph wasn’t ready for that, so he left, returning to his first love - engineering.

World War II raged, and Ralph took on an adult apprenticeship in fitting and turning, and attended evening classes. In 1941 Ralph applied to join the RAAF but was not accepted because his work was in a ‘reserved occupation’. When he applied to the army, he was accepted. He soon found himself in the Royal Australian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, based in Sydney and the Northern Territory, rising rapidly to the rank of sergeant. During this time, he met his wife, Kathie.

After the war, he spent ten years running an oil pumping station at Woolloomooloo for the refuelling of ships. He was, for ten years, involved in the completion and commissioning of Sydney’s large Warragamba Dam, and then ten years with the engineering company, Hardy’s.

Ralph Wood and his wife were enthusiastic members of the Sydney-based Dreadnought Association, and he was their next-to-last President in 1995-6. Was he pleased that he came out to Australia under the Dreadnought Scheme? ‘Oh yes, it was the best thing I ever did. I wouldn’t have swapped my life for anything with anybody.’

Bootmaker, farmhand, engineering worker, Government House kitchen hand and chauffeur to the US Consul-General. It is hard to find a Dreadnought Boy with a more varied life than Ralph Wood.