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prosthetics. He made light of his own disability, saying he was not a hero because he lost both legs and that his war service was ‘undistinguished’. He also quipped that he only survived because the device that injured him was assembled by anti-Nazi Czech munitions workers.
Leaving the Commons in 1979, he was elevated to the Lords as Baron Holderness, of Bishop Wilton in the County of Humberside. As an active member of the upper chamber, he campaigned tirelessly for disabled people both in the UK and for injured veterans of the conflict in former Yugoslavia. During his maiden speech, he prophesied that the recent Soviet invasion of Afghanistan would backfire as their forces were ill-equipped for a long campaign. Richard Wood died on 11th August 2002.
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