Henry Arthur Goddard | |
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![]() Lieutenant Colonel Henry Goddard in April 1918 | |
Born | West Hackney, Middlesex, England | 13 December 1869
Died | 24 October 1955 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 85)
Allegiance | Australia |
Service/ | Australian Army |
Years of service | 1899–1931 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Commands | 14th Brigade (1921–26) 9th Brigade (1918–19) 35th Battalion (1916–18) 17th Battalion (1915–16) 25th Battalion (1915) 7th Infantry (Moreton) Regiment (1913–14) |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches (3) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) |
Other work | Commercial representative of The Times in Australia |
Henry Arthur Goddard, CMG, DSO (13 December 1869 – 24 October 1955) was an Australian Army colonel and temporary brigadier general in the First World War.
Born in England, Goddard immigrated to Australia in 1890. He started an importing business and also became involved in the militia, being commissioned into the Queensland Defence Force in 1899. Following the outbreak of the First World War, he joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) after being in charge of the defences of Brisbane, where he lived. He commanded an infantry battalion during the Gallipoli Campaign. He suffered health issues and was repatriated to Australia but recovered and was soon serving as commander of the 35th Battalion on the Western Front. He led it through major engagements at Messines, Broodseinde and Passchendaele. During the German spring offensive of 1918 he temporarily commanded the 9th Brigade at the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux and Second Battle of Morlancourt. He became the brigade's permanent commander in late-May 1918, leading it through to the end of the war. After the war, he returned to the militia, retiring as a brigadier general in 1931. He died in Sydney in 1955.