Henry Arthur Goddard

Australian general

Henry Arthur Goddard, (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.

Henry Arthur Goddard was born in West Hackney, Middlesex, England on 13 December 1869, the son of an insurance clerk. Goddard migrated to Australia in 1890 and settled in Brisbane. He appears to have worked as a clerk but then started an importing business, which involved extensive travel overseas. He experimented with growing malt barley on the Darling Downs. He was also consul for Paraguay from 1906 to 1915. As a young man in England, Goddard had been involved in the militia, serving with the Essex Rifle Volunteers. Despite the move to Australia, he remained interested in the military and in November 1899 he was commissioned into the Queensland Defence Force, His travels abroad allowed him to observe military manoeuvres in Europe and keep up to date with defence matters. By 1913 he was commander of the Moreton Regiment. Worn out after its efforts at Passchendaele, the 35th Battalion spent the remainder of 1917 and the early part of 1918 in a quiet sector. During the German spring offensive that commenced in late March, the 9th Brigade was moved forward to reinforce the defences in front of Villers Bretonneux. He was also awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

Goddard was repatriated to Australia in January 1920 and was discharged from the AIF a few months later. On return to civilian life, he took up residence in Sydney and resumed his importing business, in which he was joined by his son Horace. He remained involved in the militia, commanding the 14th Infantry Brigade from 1921 to 1926. He was also honorary colonel of the 17th Infantry Battalion, which he had commanded at Gallipoli, and served as president of the Imperial Service Club for a number of years. He was placed on the retired list in 1931 with the rank of brigadier general. In his later years, he was commercial representative of The Times in Australia. He died at the Concord Repatriation Hospital in Sydney on 24 October 1955, survived by his wife Elizabeth, who he had married in 1897, and two of the couple's three children. His remains were cremated.