Name
Christopher Godman
1890
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/10/1915
25
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Rifleman
R/9497
King's Royal Rifle Corps
3rd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 13 A and 13 B.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary's Church Memorial, Apsley End,
John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley,
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial,
Kings Langley Village Memorial,
Not on the Chipperfield memorials
Pre War
Christopher Godman (known as Chris) was born in Chipperfield, near Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, in 1890, the son of George and Charlotte Godman and one of 9 children. Sadly the oldest child, Alice Mary, died in 1874 aged 3.
On the 1891 Census, the family were living at Chapel Croft, Chipperfield, Kings Langley, Herts, where his father was working as a Farm Labourer. They remained in Kings Langley in 1901 but had moved to Old Kennels Cottages. His father was a Farm Carter working with horses and Chris was listed as a School Boy. He finished his education at Apsley Boys School on 17 February 1902 to start work with John Dickinson & Co., paper manufacturers, at Apsley Mills.
By the time of the 1911 Census the family had moved to Rucklers Green, Kings Langley and Chris, aged 21, was working as an Envelope Packer (at John Dickinson & Co). He was one of three sons still living at home with their parents,
Wartime Service
Christopher enlisted at Watford in January 1915 and served as a Rifleman with the 3rd Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, with the service number R/9497. He completed his basic 3 month training initially at Magdalen Hill Camp near Winchester and then at Sheerness, Kent with the 5/6th (Reserve) Battalion.
He served in France from 25 May 1915, landing at Le Havre before joining with C Company, 3rd battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps near Ypres, arriving just after the 2nd Battle of Ypres had ended. They were in reserve for four months in the Armentieres area.
The Battalion War Diary records that on 3 October 1915 the enemy were very troublesome with Minenwerfers and Rifle Grenades, especially opposite C Company in the subsection Garennes. Chris was one of the three men killed in action when a grenade landed in the middle of them, another two were wounded. The local newspaper quoted the circumstances of his death from a letter received by his sweetheart Miss Lane, written by Rifleman Chattwood. His parents also received a letter from his company C.O. describing Chris as "a brave boy and a good soldier"
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing in France.
He had been a bell ringer at his local church, All Saints, Kings Langley and was remembered in a special memorial service on 30 April 1917, along with fourteen other men from the village who had died.
Additional Information
His mother received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £3 7s 11d.
Brother to Edward James Godman, 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, who died at the Military Hospital in Colchester, Essex, on 15 September 1918, aged 34, either from wounds received in action or disease, and whose name is also on the Hemel Hempstead & Kings Langley Memorials.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne, Brenda Palmer
www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org, www.hemelheroes.com
