 Woof was born into a mining family, although his great-grandfather had been a cabin boy on Nelson's "HMS Victory".He was educated at a Durham County school, and left school to start work on his 14th birthday in Chopwell Colliery where he became a coal face worker, and also an officer of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for 15 years, serving as treasurer of his local NUM branch from 1943.He was also a member of Durham County Council from 1947 to 1956.