Isaac John Wood was born in Daglingworth, Gloucestershire on October 4th 1918. Known as John or Jack, or even Zac, he was the eldest of four children born to Isaac and Elsie Wood.
He attended Daglingworth school until he gained a scholarship to study at Cirencester Grammar School. Legend tells that Daglingworth school honoured his achievement with a half day holiday.
Some time after gaining his scholarship, John's family moved to the village of Hankerton, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Rather than transfer to Malmesbury Grammar, John opted to cycle the 22 or so miles a day to carry on attending Cirencester Grammar School.
John had a summer job working for the Pettifor's vet practice in nearby Crudwell before starting his career with the Great Western Railway. At the time of his enlistment to the Army at the age of 21 he was working as a railway clerk.
On leave from the Royal Artillery in October 1940 he married Florence May Denley in Holy Cross Church, Hankerton. They made their home firstly at Number 10 Hankerton - the home of Flo's parents - Edwin and Emily Denley. Later they moved next door to Number 11.
After the war, John, now qualified as a Railway Surveyor and a Classified Signaller, returned to work with the Great Western Railway.
Flo and John had one child, a son - Richard John, born in 1946, and the family continued to live in Hankerton until promotion to Station Master meant that the family moved to Fern Bank, the Old Station House at Kemble, Gloucestershire. John made weekly trips back to Hankerton to visit both his parents and Flo's, and it was not long before he had invited Flo's parents to come and live with them at Fern Bank.
John was well respected within the railway industry. From planning routes for hazardous loads to searching for bodies in Sapperton Tunnel, brake testing to training other railway employees; John enjoyed a hugely varied career. At one time he even worked in London on British Rail's Motorail service. At the time of his retirement, John was Area Manager frequently taking on the role of Relief Station Master in the region.
After retirement, John and Flo moved firstly to Brockworth, Gloucestershire and then in 1982 they moved to Chippenham in Wiltshire to be near their son and his family.
John died in September 1994 at the age of 74. Flo remained in Chippenham, close to her family, until she died in October 2017 at the age of 98. They are both remembered with much love.