The Birth of an Empire - WoodGroup

Youve just logged into your computer, but have you ever wondered how exactly did you get here?. 

This is WoodGroup History Week and were here to celebrate what it took to create the great company we now all work for. Were going to take you back, and tell you the story of what it took to get you looking at the screen you are now. 

The start:-

In 1904, boat builder and trawler skipper William Wood moved his young family of 10 children to Aberdeen fro the far north of Scot;land in search of work. Fish werent always caught by nets in those day, many were caught by one by one on lines. Most fishermen had missing fingers as brutal nylon lines, made Britain most dangerous job, more dangerous. Williams dream was to move into the safer and more lucrative trawler Industry which was emerging. Each day as William walked to work, his path would take him past an old abandoned fishing trawler laying in it side decaying and abandoned in the old harbour in Torry near Aberdeen. William knew he had the skills to rebuilt it, he just needed to identify who owned it. He did so and made an offer to buy it, with an offer of finance fro his friend Alex Davidson  The pair paid a significant sum of £103 for vessel. After 18 months non stop work, almost single handedly by William. the vessel it was complete and ready to send to Hall Russells shipyard in Aberdeen for the very first sea trial. It was the first Vessel in Britain to have battery operated internal and external lighting. On that first sea trial out of hall Russel that day, was a 2 year old baby boy, sat on his father Williams knee. It was 3rd March 1912 and the vessel was launched as the Shandwick and the Company Wood & Davidson was born. 

The 2 year old baby boy on the sea trial that day was John Wood. - Sir Ian Wood's father.