John Wooddisse was commissioned into the Sherwood Foresters on National Service and served with the 1st Bn in Derna, Libya. On converting to a regular commission he joined The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment with whom he served towards the end of the the Malay Emergency and then, following amalgamation, in the Royal Anglian Regiment. It was as a Royal Anglian that he came to Oman with SAF between 1964-5 and served as a company commander in the Northern Frontier Regiment which at the time had a number of Royal Anglian officers including the CO, Lt Col Dougie Dalgleish.
Most of John’s time in Oman was spent on or near the Jebel Akhdar with A Coy, first at Saiq and then at Rostaq. His affinity with remote mountainous terrain influenced his decision to live in retirement high up above Ullswater on the side of a Cumbrian Fell. One definitely needed an eight figure grid reference and SATNAV to locate the house.
John died on the 18th October following a short illness and to Ann, John’s wife of 52 years and to all his family we offer our deepest sympathies. He will be buried at St Peter’s Church, Alstonefield, Derbyshire on 8 November at 2pm. A number of SAF Association members will attend the funeral. If there are others who wish to attend please email saf.business@dudwell.co.uk so that we can inform the family.
A fuller obituary will be published in the next SAF Journal