Basil Woods joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914, going overseas with the Main Body. He fought in Gallipoli with the Auckland Mounted Rifles, where he was wounded in August 1915 and invalided to England. On discharge from hospital in July 1916 Basil was granted a commission in the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division which was serving in Russia.

With this unit he fought in Galacia and Rumania, during 1916-17 and was decorated for gallantry by the Russians.

After withdrawal from the Russians the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division was transferred as a unit to the Army. As a Captain, later acting Major in the Motor Machine Gun Corps Basil saw action against the Turks in Mesopotamia and Persia (now Iraq). After the war he was a member of the special garrison in Persia until 1920.

During World War Two he went overseas with the First Echelon of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1940, seeing action in North Africa, Greece before being invalided to New Zealand in late 1941.

Served alongside Hanna - served in Russia and awarded Russian medals - reported as serving in the RNVR in September 1918 - it is understood that the RNAS men were transferred to the British Army with the merging of the RNAS/RFC & wound up serving with the British Motor Machine Gun Corps in Iraq 1918-1919 AWMM