 Wood was born in Geelong, Victoria, the son of Alfred Wood (1867–1941) and Janet (nee Wemyss; 1866–1959), who were Salvation Army officers.He was educated in Sydney and initially qualified as a barrister in Victoria.Converting to Methodism, Wood was ordained a Methodist minister in 1924 and his new bride, medical doctor Olive (nee O'Reilly) left immediately to a missionary appointment in the Kingdom of Tonga, where he was known as "Haloti 'Uti" (Harold Wood) and she "'Olife" (Olive).