Percy William Woods was born in Sydney on 8 November 1885. After leaving school he worked as a decorator and was also commissioned as a lieutenant in the senior cadets of the Citizens' Forces. The 28-year-old enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force on 27 August 1914 and, having been allotted to the 3rd Infantry Battalion, departed Sydney on HMAT Euripides on 20 October 1914.

Woods took part in the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915. In a letter to a friend he wrote of the battle of Lone Pine, in which he had participated, and recalled the details of the attack. He was Mentioned in Despatches for his actions at Lone Pine and for his bravery and devotion to duty throughout the entire Gallipoli campaign. After the evacuation in December Woods was transferred to the newly formed 55th Infantry Battalion, with which he would serve for the remained of the war and would temporarily command.

Woods continued to distinguish himself on the Western Front. By June 1917, the man who had left Australia with the rank of sergeant was a lieutenant colonel. By the end of the war, Woods had been Mentioned in Despatches four times, had been awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Fromelles in 1916, and had received the Distinguished Service Order with Bar for his actions at Doignies in 1917 and Peronne in 1918 respectively.

In October 1918, Woods returned for Australia and in February the following year was discharged from the AIF. He died of cerebrovascular disease in Sydney on 5 January 1937, survived by his wife, Annie.