Sidney Frank Godley
Encyclopedia
Sidney Frank Godley VC
(14 August 1889 – 29 June 1957) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces. He was the first private
soldier awarded the VC in World War I.
Born on 14 August 1889 in East Grinstead
, West Sussex
, the nephew of George Godley
, a Metropolitan Police
officer involved in the 1888 hunt for Jack the Ripper
, Sidney Godley was 25 years old, and a private
in the 4th Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, British Army
during the Battle of Mons
in the First World War when he performed an act for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
On 23 August 1914, at Mons
, Belgium
, Nimy Bridge, Maurice James Dease
and Sidney Godley offered to defend the Nimy Bridge while the rest of the British and French armies retreated for a better defence in inland France. When Lieutenant Dease had been mortally wounded and killed, Private Godley held the bridge single-handed for two hours under very heavy fire and was wounded twice. Shrapnel entered his back when an explosion near him went off, and he was shot in the head. Despite the pain, he carried on his duty of defending his countrymen while they escaped. His gallant action covered the retreat of his comrades, but he was eventually taken prisoner. His final act was to dismantle the gun and throw the pieces into the canal. He attempted to crawl to safety, but advancing German soldiers caught him and took him to a prisoner of war camp. His wounds were treated, but he remained in camp until the Armistice
. Originally it was thought that he had been killed, but some time later it was found that he was a prisoner of war in a camp called Delotz.
It was in the camp that he was informed that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross.
He received the actual medal from the King, at Buckingham Palace, in 1919.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(14 August 1889 – 29 June 1957) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces. He was the first private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
soldier awarded the VC in World War I.
Born on 14 August 1889 in East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, the nephew of George Godley
George Godley
George Albert Godley was a police officer of the Metropolitan Police who was involved in the hunt for Jack the Ripper in 1888....
, a Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
officer involved in the 1888 hunt for Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
, Sidney Godley was 25 years old, and a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
in the 4th Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Battle of Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
in the First World War when he performed an act for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
On 23 August 1914, at Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Nimy Bridge, Maurice James Dease
Maurice James Dease
Maurice James Dease VC was a British Army officer during the First World War. He was one of the first British officer battle casualties of the war and the first posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross in that war....
and Sidney Godley offered to defend the Nimy Bridge while the rest of the British and French armies retreated for a better defence in inland France. When Lieutenant Dease had been mortally wounded and killed, Private Godley held the bridge single-handed for two hours under very heavy fire and was wounded twice. Shrapnel entered his back when an explosion near him went off, and he was shot in the head. Despite the pain, he carried on his duty of defending his countrymen while they escaped. His gallant action covered the retreat of his comrades, but he was eventually taken prisoner. His final act was to dismantle the gun and throw the pieces into the canal. He attempted to crawl to safety, but advancing German soldiers caught him and took him to a prisoner of war camp. His wounds were treated, but he remained in camp until the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
. Originally it was thought that he had been killed, but some time later it was found that he was a prisoner of war in a camp called Delotz.
It was in the camp that he was informed that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross.
He received the actual medal from the King, at Buckingham Palace, in 1919.
Memorials
- East Grinstead Town Council mounted a Blue Plaque on their offices
- LoughtonLoughtonLoughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
Town Council placed a Blue Plaque at 164 Torrington Drive to commemorate its famous former resident - in 1976 a new housing estate in BexleyBexleyBexley is an South East London]] in the London Borough of Bexley, London, England. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road, Watling Street...
, Greater London, was named after him - In 1992 Tower Hamlets Council named a block of flats "Sidney Godley VC House"