Captain John Robinson Woods was born in Toronto on 20 March 1892, the son of Sir James William Woods and Euphemia Duff Douglas. He attended Church St Public School, Upper Canada College and the University College where he received his B.A. (Commerce and Finance) in 1914, and was a member of Alpha Delta Phi.

He had two brothers and two sisters. One brother Captain W.B. Woods also served at the front with the 3rd Battalion.

John Woods was overseas when the war broke out and returned to Canada and served with The Queen’s Own Rifles militia unit for 5 months before he enlisted.

Woods was still a student when he enlisted as a Lieutenant with the 35th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force on 7 September 1916. He was transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles and fought at Ypres, the Somme and Vimy Ridge. On 21 April 1917 Woods was promoted to Captain. He was mentioned in the despatches of General Sir Douglas Haig on 28 December 1917 (London Gazette #30448.) He assigned $10 a month of his pay to his mother.

Captain Woods was killed in action when a shell struck the support trench he was in on 24 October 1917 during the battle of Passchendaele, aged 25. He is buried in White House Cemetery, grave reference I. C. 18.