Thomas Edward Woodruff, husband of C Woodruff of Chorley, Lancashire, enlisted into the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) before volunteering for airborne forces.Private Woodruff qualified as a military parachutist on course 21/22 in August 1942 and was posted to 10 Platoon, T Company (Coy), the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (1 Para Bn) and went to North Africa on Operation Torch.

Lance Corporal Woodruff was killed, aged 28 years old, during a counter-attack by German forces on Djebel Mansour on 5 February 1943.

L/Cpl Woodruff has no known grave but is commemorated on the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial at the Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery, Tunisia.