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Captain T B C H Woods
Late Grenadier Guards
by Major N J R Davis MBE
formerly Grenadier Guards
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Tim Woods died suddenly on 27th May 2023 at the age of 67 whilst walking in Ireland with lifelong friends from Durham University. Born on 17th February 1956 in Hilden, Germany, he was the second son of Bryan and Anita (née Justesen) Woods.
In 1958 his father retired from the Army and the family returned to England and settled in London. Tim was sent first to Hamilton House prep school in Florence Road, Ealing, and then on to Westminster School. It was here that his talent for running was spotted and nurtured, resulting in winning the 1971 Middlesex Junior 800 metre title. This was the start of a formidable running career which saw him not only run in the first ever London Marathon (invitation only!) completing a time of 2 hrs 19 mins but also represent the England ‘B’ team in France and Switzerland.
From Westminster Tim went up to Durham University in 1975 where he read Economic History and continued his running career under the careful eye of the charismatic coach, Alan Storey. After university he joined the British Bank of the Middle East Trust Department in Bishopsgate.
Tim joined the Army in 1980 and endured the delights of Brigade Squad No 26 in a bitterly cold January. His fellow Brigade Squad ‘inmates’ said of him ‘he was rather an elder statesman for us all, he kept his and our equilibrium relatively stable when all around was chaos’. Another said ‘Tim always exuded a dependable calm stoic persona to me. A proper gentleman with a highly developed sense of duty and a generous smile’.
After eight weeks he escaped to join the graduate course in Victory College, Sandhurst which he enjoyed until autumn 1980 when he attended the Platoon Commanders’ Course in Warminster, before then joining the 1st Battalion in Berlin. Here he joined No 3 Company and was an immediate hit with the Guardsman as he was totally approachable with his wonderful easy-going style and bone-dry sense of humour. A fellow officer described him one of the ‘early communicators’.
The highlights of this posting he remembers as keeping the Russians out of the West, Rudolf Hess inside Spandau Prison and adventure training in Norway and Canada, helicopter tours of the Berlin Wall, and visits to amazingly cheap and interesting nightclubs and restaurants in East Berlin! Running continued to fill much of his spare time, and he was able to escape down the corridor into West Germany to join the Army cross-country and athletic teams in various competitions.
After Berlin, the 1st Battalion moved to Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow with the normal round of Public Duties. During this time Tim continued to run for the Army and Ranelagh Harriers, fitting in one very cold period in Canada as a member of the BATUS staff at Calgary. On his return to the UK he switched battalions where he became a pivotal member of a very successful athletics team which came runners up in the Army championship and winners the following year. Tim ran the 3,000 m steeple-chase which with his cool determination and resilience he made look so effortless.
Knowing he would not make the Army his career, he left, with some doubts, soon after his short service commission ended in 1983 and followed a well trodden path into the City. Here he joined the private client department of Panmure Gordon where he passed various Stock Exchange exams and became a member in 1985, before working for Capel-Cure Myers, County NatWest, and Fleming Montagu Stanley. After that, he helped to set up Private Fund Managers before moving to Gerrard Vivian Grey and then to Jupiter where he stayed until the private client department was sold to Rathbones in 2014. Having seen out his time there, he hung up his dealing book for the last time in February 2017. He looked back with great fondness on his 30 plus years in the City during a time when the industry had changed dramatically. During this time Tim remained a firm supporter of the Association becoming a Vice President of the London Branch and was a regular attendee at the First Guards Club dinners.
In July 1984 Tim married Susie (née Harlock) and had one daughter Katie. Sadly, this marriage was dissolved but Tim went on to meet and marry another Katie (née Jones) and have a further two children Alexander and Phoebe. They were married in London in August 1990 with a service of blessing at the Guards’ Chapel and a reception at Westminster School. They made their life at Eccles Road in Wandsworth, which was always open house to anyone who was passing through town! Tim and Katie were the most generous hosts and you were always made to feel so welcome.
In retirement Tim was incredibly busy, initially involved in planning various global trips, helping several charities (Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, Battersea United Charities, Royal Trinity Hospice, the Pilgrim Trust, and others at Westminster School) with their investments and finances. From 2017 to 2020 he suffered a series of heart operations which he overcame with great fortitude but this and Covid put paid to some of their more ambitious overseas holiday plans. In 1999 Tim and Katie purchased ‘La Maison Rose’ in Honfleur and continued to spend many happy days, weeks, and months there with family and friends.
Tim will be remembered for many things, not least a lifelong love of the Rolling Stones, The Archers, and Crosswords but probably most of us will remember him for his charm, generosity, sense of humour, good nature, and desire to help others wherever and however he could. He was a much-loved friend, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and son. |
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