The Reverend Twyneham Heron Encombe Woods was rector of East Worlington Parish between 1937 and 1942.
His life and career prior to becoming a parish rector might be described as interesting and unusual for an ordained minister.
He was born on 5th April 1884 in Bournemouth and his father was a lodging house keeper.
His early career was in the army serving with the 7th Dragoon Guards in India, working in the clerical services, until his retirement from the forces in 1935. By the time of his retirement, he had risen to the rank of Major.
On 26th October 1920 he married Gertrude Annie Brown at All Souls, Langham Place, Regent Street, Westminster, England.
They had four children. Gwendolen Elsie, Mary Evangeline, Ruth Olive, Trevor Hugh. There is no evidence to show that any of the children lived in East Worlington.
Twyneham was ordained as a deacon 1935 and confirmed as a priest a year later in 1936.
He served as chaplain to the Campaigners which has its headquarters London, until he was appointed by Sir Hugh Stucley to the vacant benefice of East and West Worlington on 20th July 1937 to succeed the late Rev. C. J. Hodgson who died in March of that year. He was therefore rector of the parish when war broke out in 1939. He resided in East Worlington Rectory and while there it is recorded that an Austrian and two Czechoslovakia refugees were resident at the same address.
In East Worlington he was an active member of the community including joining the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) where he was Head Warden.
Western Times – Friday 06 September 1940: The Home Guards attended church parade Sunday. …..service was conducted by the Rev. Major T. Wood, Rector of East Worlington. After the service the Home Guards marched past for the major’s inspection.
In addition to regular church services and parishioner pastoral duties Twyneham conducted wedding services, organised community activities and contributed to fund raising events. For example: as publicised in Western Times 8th March 1940 ‘Worlington parishioners greatly enjoyed a sacred concert arranged the Rector, the Rev. T. H. E. Woods.’ The concert included a ‘recitation of the Old Soldier, and the children gave excellent rendering of ‘In heart there rings melody’.’
An example of his support for fundraising was recorded in the Western Times, Friday 17 November 1939, ‘The special preacher was the Rev. Major T. H. E. Woods, Rector Worlington. The offertory was behalf of Earl Haig*s Fund.’
Though his time in East Worlington did not go without its challenges. The North Devon Journal – Thursday 04 April 1940 ran an article: ‘Rev. T. H. E. Woods, rector of Worlington North Devon, was fined by South Molton County Magistrates on Thursday for driving a motor car without a driving licence on February 21.’.
He left East Worlington in July 1942 when he returned to his birth town of Bournemouth serving as vicar at Winterbourne Christ Church.
He clearly had strong views about the sanctuary of Sunday and was quoted in the press in 1948 as saying, “Children get cinema-minded to the exclusion of spiritual matters. They won’t give a fig for anything spiritual. God help the nation and the Empire if they are allowed to go to Sunday cinemas.”
Twyneham died on 21st Feb 1952 aged 67 and was buried in Vicarsford Cemetery, Forgan, Fife, Scotland