Ordained ministry Woods was ordained a
deacon of the Church of England in 1938 and a priest in 1939. He was Assistant Secretary of the
Student Christian Movement between 1937 and 1942. His first clerical position was as curate at
St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, London 1938–1939, and at
Hoddesdon 1939–1942.
Military service Woods served in the
British Army during
World War II from 1942 to 1946. On 26 September 1942, he was
commissioned into the
Royal Army Chaplains' Department as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent to
captain). In November 1945, he was
mentioned in dispatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy".
Post-war After the war, he was given his first benefice as Vicar of
South Wigston,
Leicester, in 1946, then in 1951 went to
Malaya as Archdeacon of Singapore and Vicar of St Andrew's Cathedral. In 1958 he returned to England to become
Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rector of
Tankersley. In 1962, he was appointed
Dean of Windsor and Domestic Chaplain to
Elizabeth II and played an influential part in the education of
Charles, Prince of Wales. It was his recommendation to send Charles to
Trinity College, Cambridge, his own old college. While at Windsor, he also served as Registrar of the
Most Noble Order of the Garter. In 1970, he became
Bishop of Worcester and was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, an honour in the personal gift of the sovereign. He retired effective 31 October 1981. Other positions Woods held include: •
Prelate of the Order of St Michael and St George • Secretary of the Anglican-Methodist Commission for Unity, 1965–1974 • Member of Council of the
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, from 1968 • Member of the Public Schools Commission, 1968–1970 • Governor of
Haileybury and Imperial Service College •
Visitor of
Malvern College, 1970–1981 • President and Chairman of Council of
Queen's College, Birmingham, 1970–1985 • Chairman of the Windsor Festival Company, 1969–1971 • Chairman of the Churches Television Centre, 1969–79 • Director of
Christian Aid, 1969 ==Later life and death==