Name
Edward George Goodenough (*1)
19 May 1892
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
01/07/1916
24
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
27458
Royal Berkshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 11 D.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, Leverstock Green Village Memorial, Leverstock Green National School Memorial, John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley, We are not aware of any Bennetts End memorial
Pre War
*1 we believe that this man appears as G E Goodenough on the John Dickinson memorial.
Edward George Goodenough (often known as George) was born on 19 May 1892 in Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead, the son of Frank and Eliza Goodenough and baptised at Leverstock Green on 10 July 1892. He was one of seven children, although the eldest, Catherine, died in infancy.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Bennetts End,, Hemel Hempstead, where his father was working as a Brickmaker. They remained living at Bennetts End in 1911 and Edward was working in the Paper Factory. At the outbreak of war he was employed in the Book Department of John Dickinson Ltd., Apsley Mills.
He was a keen sportsman and played for the Leverstock Green football team and the Dickinsons Book Department team.
His mother died in August 1915, aged 51, just a few months after Edward had gone to France.
Wartime Service
Within 3 weeks of the outbreak of war Edward enlisted at the newly opened recruitment centre at Marlowes. He joined the Army Cyclist Corps as Private 387 and was sent for basic training before being sent to France on 24 March 1915.
The following year in May 1916 the cyclist companies were reorganised to form a cyclist battalion for each Corps HQ. which is when Edward was transferred with 76 other cyclists to the 2nd Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales (Royal Berkshire) Regiment in preparation for the Somme Offensive.
Shortly after joining his new unit, he was killed in action on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme and was among almost 300 men from the Regiment who were killed in action. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £8 10s and pay owing of £2 15s 9d. He also received a pension of 5 shillings a week from 6 November 1918. N.B. Although registered as Edward George Goodenough, he is named as George on the village school war memorial and as G E or E G Goodenough on others.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, Barbara Chapman, google.com/site/leverstockgreenwarmemorial, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.hemelheroes.com.
