War Memorial
Roland Alfred Woodgate was born in Oxted, Surrey, around 1890, the son of Alfred and Elizabeth Woodgate. His father worked as a domestic gardener, and the family home was at Capel Manor Gardens in Horsmonden, Kent. Roland followed the same trade, and by 1915 the electoral roll recorded him living at Hall Place Gardens.
When war broke out he enlisted at Tonbridge on 4 September 1914, signing on for three years of service with the colours. He joined the 2nd Battalion of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) as a Private, service number G/1852, and was also recorded under the numbers GF/1852 and GS/1852. His service took him to Belgium and France, where in October 1916 he was wounded by a gunshot to the right leg.
In May 1917 he embarked for Basra and took part in the Mesopotamian Expedition. He was admitted to the Royal George Hospital Ferdina suffering from influenza, and died there on 24 October 1918, aged 28. He was buried in the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery in Iraq.
Roland is remembered on the Leigh War Memorial. This profile was written by the village's local history society and was last updated on 3 November 2007.