Portrait of an Unknown Officer of the Royal Fusiliers, MC and Bar

[Guest]

I was determined to solve this one! Looks fairly secure. Martin's Sherlockian techniques key!

Interestingly the same methodology that solved the Paul Chancourt Giradot portrait (OBLI). A methodical approach.

Hats off to you Dr Simon.

What is the source of the obit with the picture?

[Simon_Fielding]

De Ruvigny vol 2 p. 138

[Guest]

Some more ... click Third from last paragraph

Also mentioned in the history of the 47th London Div click. use Ctrl F and type in Goodes .... Page 58 proper page 120 of the pdf file.

The next raid, undertaken by the 15th Battalion, on the night of July 3rd-4th, was less successful. It was remarkable from the fact that the enemy put down a " box barrage," the second of our acquaintance, on the piece of trench attacked. This failed in its object of catching the raiders, but kept them from getting nearer than bombing distance from the trench. During the raid Lieutenant G. L. Goodes' 140th Trench Mortar Battery did notably good work. They fired 750 rounds in half an hour, although two mortars were knocked out and four gunners wounded.

[Guest]

I think Squirrel was the first to mention TMB for the blue bomb... and I note on Alex's pdf Goodes was the only TMB who would fit (the others' MC dates were a misfit).

[charlesmessenger]

Brilliant, Simon! Goodes' battery played a key role in 47 Div's attack on High Wood on 15 September 1916. The initial assault had faltered with heavy casualties. At 1100 there was a renewed bombardment, which included 140 TMB. According to the Div History (p64) it beat 'its previous record in concentrated fire'. The result was that Germans began to surrender and High Wood fell. It is probably for this that Goodes was MID. If he had not been killed it could have been a second bar to his MC.

Charles M

[Simon_Fielding]

The Era Weds 1st Nov 1916 p.8

A source for the portrait?

[squirrel]

At High Wood on 15th September 1916, 140 Trench Mortar Battery fired 750 rounds in to the wood in 15 minutes - 1 round every 1.2 seconds!

Eight 3" inch Stokes mortars, commanded by Captain Geddes, had been dug in and stockpiled 125 rounds by each mortar during the previous night.

That certainly beats the previous 750 rounds in 30 minutes - a brave and efficient Officer indeed.

[Simon_Fielding]

Very good to know his name and portrait are united again.

Goodes has eight family trees on Ancestry - might be some family links to explore.

[Simon_Fielding]

Buried Flatiron Copse; originally interred 57c.s.15.c.9.9

[Guest]

The GWF at its best again.

[HertsHistorian]

Unknown no more!

Absolutely brilliant. Those two photos are pretty conclusive evidence. Fantastic spot Simon and thank you to everyone who has contributed! I was certain that this forum would be able to solve this puzzle. That identification is better than I could have hoped for, particularly that second picture which no doubt inspired the painting.

I had almost discounted Goodes on the basis of another photo alleged to be him, and which I have attached below. Regardless of this, I think Simon’s photos are pretty concrete.

My sincere thanks also to all who have filled in details of his service and involvement in the capture of High Wood. I will write this up and present it to the mess president tomorrow and hopefully now when the portrait is re-hung it will have these details alongside.

To that end, I have found the citation to his bar in the gazette of 14.11.16, but have not be able to find a published citation for the original award. It was announced in the gazette of 03.06.16. As a rule were all MC citations published?

A huge thank you to you all again,

Alex

[helpjpl]

…. I have found the citation to his bar in the gazette of 14.11.16, but have not be able to find a published citation for the original award. It was announced in the gazette of 03.06.16. As a rule were all MC citations published?

Alex

See the 1916 Birthday Honours published in the London Gazette on 3 June 1916. 2nd Lt George Leonard Goodes, 4th Battalion, London Regiment, was one of 708 recipients of the Military Cross:

1916 Birthday Honours - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Awards made as part of the King's Birthday or New Year's honours were made for reasons of meritorious service and do not usually have a citation. See 'A general note' and 'The Military Cross':

The British gallantry and bravery awards of 1914-1918

JP

Edited 5 April , 2016 by helpjpl

[Loader]

Unknown no more!

Absolutely brilliant. Those two photos are pretty conclusive evidence. Fantastic spot Simon and thank you to everyone who has contributed! I was certain that this forum would be able to solve this puzzle. That identification is better than I could have hoped for, particularly that second picture which no doubt inspired the painting.

I had almost discounted Goodes on the basis of another photo alleged to be him, and which I have attached below. Regardless of this, I think Simon’s photos are pretty concrete.

My sincere thanks also to all who have filled in details of his service and involvement in the capture of High Wood. I will write this up and present it to the mess president tomorrow and hopefully now when the portrait is re-hung it will have these details alongside.

To that end, I have found the citation to his bar in the gazette of 14.11.16, but have not be able to find a published citation for the original award. It was announced in the gazette of 03.06.16. As a rule were all MC citations published?

A huge thank you to you all again,

A comparison of this photo to the portrait shows the terrible strain of war & the way it has aged him so much. Have seen similar photo of a US officer before going to France in 1918 & after his combat & wounding & he too underwent very noticeable aging. Well done on finding him!

[Simon_Fielding]

Anyone help with the 140 TMB War Diary?

[Simon_Fielding]

"Deaths." Times [London, England] 17 Nov. 1916: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.

[charlie962]

A good example of how patient systematic research pays off, and a lesson in just how difficult it is to match photos.

If I'd taken a little more time to carefully read the information provided I might have been able to contribute something! The only Fusilier history I have is that of the 4th London and I did quickly look at it when the first post was made. But I missed it. Now I look carefully I see the 4 'bar' holders in the appendix and their award dates which immediately rules out 3 of the 4. the remaining man Goodes, who is noted as a Temp Captain, has a write-up on page 80 as follows:

Clearly the TMB link. But I had Bombing Officer in my head and was thinking grenades.Of course if I then searched and found the photo in post 86 I might have said it is not him ! Anyway, lesson learnt and very well done to Simon and Martin G.

Charlie

[A crooked MP]

On 4/6/2016 at 09:30, Simon_Fielding said:

Anyone help with the 140 TMB War Diary?

As far as I know it doesn't exist, and I've been looking pretty hard for it for a number of years. I also have a detailed account of Goodes death and burial as my grandfather was in his TMB and helped dig his grave. Let me know if you want me to post the relevant passages.

[Simon_Fielding]

I think that would be fantastic - post away!

[A crooked MP]

8 minutes ago, Simon_Fielding said:

I think that would be fantastic - post away!

Friday, Oct 6^th, 1916

 

wagon. The limber turned up about half an hour  and then a party of us set out to take the rations up to High Wood. Found our way along with the aid of a torch stumbling into shell holes and jumping trenches but we arrived quite safely. Lots of 8” guns by the wood now. On the way back very nearly stumbled over a couple of stretchers with dead ‘uns in. Didn’t quite however so that was lucky. All turned in when we got back but our rum had been left for us and a very good share too. Then some bully and biscuits for supper and so to bed. Bad news in the morning. Capt. Goodes was out with Fields, Revell, and Macnamara when a 5.9 burst about 10 yards away. Goodes got a piece through the heart, ran about twenty yards to a trench, laid down there and died. Bertie Revell was slightly wounded in the head. All the teams are standing by to go up the line as the attack is coming off tomorrow. Tommy was going to keep me back but I changed with Andrews and am on Jeeves team for the time being so that I can go up. Fed up with staying back here. Found time to write to Mr. Young in the afternoon. Long time since I have written to him. No jobs in the evening so we sat round the fire in the dug-out and talked. Nott the cook talked most. He is an old regular and was in the Lancs. Fus. (Lancashire Fusiliers) and joined the 8^th when war broke out. Proper old swindler and yet one of the best hearted chaps out. Telling us of the way the old regulars used to swindle men like O’Brian of Coventry, and Graves  and so on. Damned funny. Had a very fierce argument with Tipping too over what was a hero. He would have it that sergeant Nottingham was not a hero because he stayed on 

 

 

Saturday, Oct 7^th, 1916

 

the battery instead of going back to the company and getting at them with a bayonet.. More rum and turned in about 10.0. Been bombarding pretty heavily during the night an the guns carried on all morning. The battalions went over about dinner time. Latest orders we have now is that two teams from here will have to go up from High Wood to the new line and two teams from here will have to go as far as the wood to take their place. Nat’s , Liam, and Bill’s team are going up so through changing teams so as to go up I miss going up. Rather funny.. Nothing much happened during the day but I got talking to a couple of Derbyites – old married men – of the 15^th  (as in Derby Act used for conscription by age, occupation and marital status). They are attached to the dug-out party. Proper old women they are too. So very much afraid of getting wet and getting chills and they coddle themselves no end. Pity we had to fetch these married men out to fight. Went along to ammunition dump in the evening to detonate some bombs.Officer in charge knew nothing about them of course and we put the wind up him terribly.  A detonator stuck and refused to go into the shell so I said “Chuck me over that detonator Jerry I want to hammer this detonator in”. “Coming over”, then ‘bang, bang, bang,- of course hadn’t touched the thing with the hammer but out rushed the officer. “Oh do be careful with these horrible things”, and we went on slinging boxes about  and said “Alright sir”. Went back to dug-out soon after dark. News through about 

Sunday, Oct 8^th, 1916

 

the stunt. It appears that the 15^th got their objective but the 7^th and 8^th didn’t. They all got cut up badly. During the last day or two the German troops that were broken and demoralised have been relieved by new fresh troops and they put up a good fight. So we have lost another chance of smashing through. They managed to get Goodes body down on the light railway last night and when they heard that he was here most of the battery rushed off to see him. I didn’t. I don’t like such morbid curiosity and I prefer to think of him as he was when I last saw him alive – a fine big man –not as just  a piece of dead meat . However I went over to help dig his grave and couldn’t help seeing him then. The funeral was for 2.0 but the confounded parson didn’t turn up until 3.0. This war is making me very callous and selfish. All the time we were waiting I was thinking of the dinner getting cold. It was miserable waiting. A cold wind and a drizzle of icy rain and just away on the right about 30 yds. were six 4.7 guns making a terrible row. I got an awful head through it and  a chill and felt very rotten for the rest of the day. In fact when I had to go for a message in the evening I could scarcely walk and staggered about all over the shop. I was jolly glad to turn in but couldn’t sleep for the dirt and the vermin and so on. The brigade is being relieved tonight though so we shall be going back

[Simon_Fielding]

Really evocative - thank you. 

[charlie962]

What a wonderfully detailed diary extract. Many thanks for sharing.

[charlesmessenger]

Very many thanks for sharing that moving diary extract. It gives an indication of how well respected Capt Goode was. I will be at High Wood on 15 September and will have a copy of his portrait with me.

 

Charles M 

[HertsHistorian]

All,

 

I tried to post here on 6 October, the centenary of Captain Goodes's death, but frustratingly the forum crashed that evening and I couldn't get it to work on any browser. I thought here an appropriate place as any to commemorate him, being that it was your efforts that gave his face a name once again! 

 

I am very pleased to say that party as a result, his portrait is hung back on the wall with a very prominent position in the entrance hall to the mess. I am working on either having a plaque attached to the frame, or providing a short framed account of his life, actions at High Wood, and death.

 

 

Crooked, huge thanks to you for supplying that diary extract, it certainly gives an insight into the man and the realities of life at the front at that time.

 

Fortunately, this summer when conducting a recce for a battlefield tour for my troops next year, I was able to visit High Wood, the area near Eaucourt l’Abbaye and the Butte as well as visiting Flatiron Copse to pay my respects at his grave. His epitaph reads:

 

“Always Fearless, Merry and Bright, A Fine Soldier and Officer”

 

Thank you all again.

 

Alex

 

 

Edited 3 November , 2016 by HertsHistorian

[Neale1961]

Thanks for the up-date, Alex. Great to see the portrait up on the wall.

 

 

 

 

[A crooked MP]

If you want me to dig out any more mentions of Capt Goode in the diaries I would be quite happy to do so.

Edited 3 November , 2016 by A crooked MP
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