No.16650, Private, Walter GOOD
Aged 21
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Walter James Good was born in Chippenham in 1894 (Newmarket Q3-1894 3B:501) son of James and Mary Ann GOOD (née BYLES).
1901 census... Aged 6, he was living at Lower Park Gate, Chippenham with his father James GOOD [36], a gamekeeper, born in Orford, Suffolk; his mother Mary Ann [36] born in Farnham, Suffolk, and sister Alice [11], born in Gedgrave, Suffolk. 1911 census... Aged 16, he was a gamekeeper with his father and living with his parents at High Park, Chippenham. They are still recorded there on the pension card |
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He enlisted in Newmarket. He was killed on the first day of the Somme, together with almost 20,000 other British soldiers, the worst day in British military history. Lt Col Murphy's book " The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927" tells us that the 34 Division, 101st Brigade was as yet untried. At 5 am the 11th Suffolks moved off from Becourt wood towards its jumping off place. At 7.28 a mine of 80,000 lbs of ammonal (Lochnagar) was fired to the left of 101st Brigade and two minutes later the assault began. The 11th Suffolks followed the 10th Lincolns at the left rear of the Brigade. It quickly became apparent that the enemy in La Boiselle were in great strength, resisting the allied advance and maintaining tremendous machine gun fire on the Brigade from the very moment of leaving the trenches. Men were dropping likes flies, spinning around in the hail of bullets. The lines of men soon became bands of three or four. By eight o'clock the battle was effectively over for the battalion. The dead and wounded lay out there during the day, thinning out as the German positions were reached. A few had reached the enemy lines but were stopped there. Of the 691 casualties recorded for the 11th Suffolk that day, 199 were killed. 46 have identified graves, but 153 are named on the Thiepval Memorial. Also killed with him was Cecil Moss from Chippenham. see here. The Bury Free Press of 12th August 1915 reported:- CHIPPENHAM MEN AMONGST THE KILLED the list of killed on July 21st,in the Great Advance. These young men,who joined the Suffolks in November 1914, bore exemplary characters. Prvt Good was the only son of Mr.James Good, head gamekeeper in the Chippenham Estate.L-Corpl Cecil Moss was the youngest son of Mr. Alfred Moss of New Row, Chippenham. L-Corpl Moss's brother Sydney was also wounded at the same time and is in hospital.He has two older brothers serving in France. A memorial service was conducted at Chippenham Church on Sunday evening by the Vicar, and was attended by a large congregation. The deaths bring the total up to five out of this small village. Amongst the other soldiers who have been wounded are L-Corpl Raymond Woods, who has recovered so far as to rejoin at the Regimental Depot at Bury St.Edmunds, Prvts Ernest Fuller, Fred Farrington and George Smalley. Prvt W.Adams was wounded in the hand by a splinter of a shell, and is at home for a short time. Three other Chippenham men have received such injuries on active service as to necessitate their being discharged, namely Prvt Fred Drake*, James Adams and Herbert Cole * Fred Drake was to contract TB and die later after discharge, but was not initially on CWGC record. This was rectified in 1915, it remains (2018) to erect a headstone in Chippenham graveyard. |
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