No.5226, Private, Clifford George GODDARD
Aged 21
|
Clifford George Goddard was born in Honington (Thetford Q3-1895 4B:391), son of Charles Edward and Ellen Hannah GODDARD (née BIRD). 1901 census...Aged 5, he was at Mill Road, Honington with his father Edward GODDARD [38] horsekeeper born Fakenham, Suffolk; his mother Ellen [34] born Brettenham; brothers Charles [10] born Sapiston and Hugh [7] born Honington. 1911 census...Aged 15, a farm labourer, he was at Honington with his parents; brothers Charles Edward and Percy Hugh (both farm labourers) and Basil Ernest [8] and sister Daisy Joyce [5] both born in Honington.
The pension card has the family home still at Mill Road, Honington.
|
|
Enlisted in Honington.
The battalion were at Montauban Ridge..there is a great amount of detail in the war diary here http://qrrarchive.websds.net/PDF/ESD0081916001.pdf, but in summary they actually had permission to kick footballs into no man's land ahead of them "provided proper formation and distance were kept". They reached their objective just after noon and dug in along the Mametz Road. The Bury Free Press of 12th August 1916 reported :- HONINGTON MAN FALLS IN ACTION Mr. and Mrs. Edward Goddard, of Mill Road, Honington, have received notification of the death of their son, Prvt.Clifford Goddard, who was killed in action on July 1st. He had been 11 months in France,having enlisted soon after the outbreak of the war, and had only just returned to the front from his first leave. He was well known and very highly respected by all who knew him.Mr.and Mrs Goddard also have their second son, Prvt Percy Goddard, of the same Regiment,now lying in King George Hospital, London, very seriously wounded, and much sympathy is felt for the parents in their troubles. CWGC records 140 killed, 8 buried in Carnoy, 32 in Dantzig Alley, 1 in Delville Wood and 98 have no known grave and are named on the Thiepval memorial. This action, the darkest day in British Army history saw over 60,000 casualties of which 20,000 were dead. The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval carries the names of over 72,000 men who have no known grave
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
