Name
Benjamin Goodman
1879
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
30/10/1917
39
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
13756
Bedfordshire Regiment
4th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Chipperfield Village Memorial, St Paul's Church Memorial, Chipperfield, Not on the the Hemel Hempstead memorials, Not on the Kings Langley memorials, Not on the Flaunden memorials, We are not aware of any Belsize memorial.
Pre War
Benjamin Goodman was born in 1879, in Flaunden, Herts, the son of George Goodman a Farm Labourer and Emily Goodman (nee Geary). He was one of eleven children, although six died in childhood.
On the 1881 Census the family were living at Hollyberry Hill, Sarratt, Herts where his father was working as an Agricultural Labourer. By the time of the 1891 Census Benjamin, aged 12, was working as a Farm Labourer, as was his brother George and his father. His mother was also listed as a working as a Straw Plaiter and they were living at 113 Cottage, Flaunden, Herts.
In March 1896 aged 17, Benjamin enlisted into the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Militia as a Militiaman for 6 years with the service number 3336. On 27 May 1896, just 70 days later he transferred to the regular army, signing on for 7 years with the colours and 5 years in the army reserve with the service number 5720. He served at home from his enlistment in May 1896, until September 1898, when he left with his Regiment for the East Indies, returning home in January 1904, when he transferred to the army reserve until May 1908. (His service record states he signed on again for the second time on 27 June 1908, for four years). No other details are given.
On 8 October 1904, Benjamin married Annie H Wallington at Holy Cross Church, Sarratt, Herts. She was the daughter of Isaac and Mary Wallington of Flaunden, Herts.
By the time of the 1911 Census the family were living at Bucks Hill Bottom, nr Kings Langley, Herts. Benjamin, aged 32, was working as a Farm Labourer. He and his wife Annie then had three children, George, Gertrude, and Ivy. They later had two more children, Frank born 1911 and Harold born 1914.
Wartime Service
On the outbreak of war Benjamin enlisted in October 1914, at Watford, re-joining the Bedfordshire Regiment, (reg. No. 13756) and arrived in France on 27 December 1914.
He was killed in action on 30 October 1917 during the Second Battle of Passchendaele (The Battle of Ypres). He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing in Belgium. He is one of 87 soldiers from the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, who died on 30th October and are name on the Memorial.
(N.B. Benjamin is listed on the majority of records as serving with the 4th Battalion, however, the 4th were not mobilised for the Western Front until after the disaster on the Somme in July 1916, and did not arrive in France until 25 July 1916. Medal Index cards suggest Benjamin may have, at least initially, served with the 2nd Battalion, which did send a draft of 76 men to France and they joined the Battalion in Pont-de-la-Justice on 3 January 1915. The medal record states that he arrived in France on 27 December 1914.)
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £14 and his mother received his pay owing of £4 0s 7d. His widow received a pension of £1 11s 3d a week for herself and her five children. She later lived at 3, Dunny Lane, Chipperfield, Herts.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne, Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org.
