Alexander Godley
Sir Alexander John Godley | |
---|---|
I Anzac Corps (1916) New Zealand and Australian Division (1915) New Zealand Expeditionary Force (1914–19) New Zealand Military Forces (1910–14) | |
Battles/wars | Second Boer War
First World War
|
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Mentioned in dispatches (10) |
Relations | Sir John Fowler (brother-in-law) |
Other work | Governor of Gibraltar (1928–32) |
Born in Gillingham, Kent, in England, Godley joined the British Army in 1886. He fought in the Boer War and afterwards served in a number of staff positions in England. In 1910 he went to New Zealand as Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces. Promoted to temporary major general, he reorganised the country's military establishment. Following the outbreak of the First World War, the New Zealand government appointed him as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which he led for the duration of the war.
During the Gallipoli campaign, Godley commanded the composite New Zealand and Australian Division, before taking over command of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps for the final stages of the campaign. Promoted to lieutenant general, he was given command of II Anzac Corps in 1916. He led the corps for most of its service on the Western Front. Regarded as a cold and aloof commander, his popularity was further dented in October 1917 when he insisted on continuing an offensive in the Ypres salient when weather and ground conditions were not favourable. His corps suffered heavy losses in the ensuing battle. In 1918, II Anzac Corps was renamed XXII Corps and he led it for the remainder of the war.
After the war, Godley spent time in occupied Germany as commander of the
Early life
Alexander Godley was born at
The family moved to
Unable to continue at Haileybury, Godley attended United Services College, in Devon, as a boarder. At one time, his roommate was Rudyard Kipling. After several years, and well prepared, he passed the entrance examinations for Sandhurst and duly entered the college as a gentleman cadet in 1885.[6] On graduation, ranked 81st out of 156 cadets, he was commissioned into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers the following year as a lieutenant. His maternal uncle, Spencer Bird, was an officer in the regiment's 1st Battalion, and ensured Godley joined his unit.[7]
Initially stationed at Mullingar in Ireland, Godley's military duties were not onerous and there was plenty of time for sport.[8] An enthusiastic horseman, Godley engaged in hunting and polo, at which he became extremely proficient.[9] He later played in the first international polo match between England and Argentina at the Hurlingham Club in Buenos Aires.[10] Life as an officer in the British Army could be expensive and his living costs exceeded his basic salary.[8] In February 1889, he became the battalion adjutant, and this position saw a useful increase in his salary.[11] From 1890, Godley served in a number of posts around Ireland, including the Royal Dublin Fusiliers recruiting depot at Naas, in County Kildare. Here, to supplement his pay, he trained polo ponies. He also met Louisa Fowler, his future wife, the elder sister of Sir John Sharman Fowler.[12][13]
In 1894, Godley took an instructors course for mounted infantry at Aldershot. In March 1896, by which time he had reached the rank of captain, he ended nearly ten years of service with the Dublin Fusiliers and returned to Aldershot as adjutant of the Mounted Infantry School there.[14] Later that year he was selected for service in Mashonaland, to help suppress a rebellion in the British South Africa Company's territories in Rhodesia. After serving with the Special Service Battalion of the Mounted Infantry, he returned to England the following year and was promoted brevet major.[15] Again based at Naas, he resumed his acquaintance with Louisa Fowler,[16] and the couple married on 17 September 1898.[17]
Boer War
In 1898 Godley attended
Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces
Godley was a colonel and serving on the staff of
Promoted to temporary major general, Godley, together with fourteen British Army officers seconded to the New Zealand Military Forces, was tasked with reorganising and instilling professionalism in the military establishment of the country. Compulsory military training had recently been introduced by the government but with little thought as to its implementation. In refining the New Zealand Military Forces, Godley drew heavily on the recommendations of Lord Kitchener, who had visited New Zealand earlier in the year on an inspection tour.[9]
Godley established the
By 1914 the Territorial Force had some 30,000 men involved in divisional level training camps; two years previously, the manpower and logistical constraints of the force was such that only battalion level camps could be achieved.
From 1912, Godley began putting plans in place for the rapid deployment of a
First World War
The New Zealand government authorised the formation of the NZEF for service in the war in support of Great Britain, with Godley, having relinquished his position as commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces to Major General
Gallipoli
Prior to the start of the
Although an extremely competent administrator, there were reservations within the New Zealand government following Godley's appointment as commander of the division. Allen, although publicly supportive of Godley, privately believed an alternative commander should be found after the division completed its training.[15] Godley was a distant and remote divisional commander, not popular with most soldiers of his command.[23] He also favoured the professional officers of the NZEF, most of whom were seconded from the British Army, over those drawn from the Territorial Force.[24]
On the day of the landing at Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, Godley came ashore on Gallipoli at midday. Consulting with Major General William Bridges that afternoon, Godley was of the view that the Allied forces, dealing with stiffer than expected resistance, should be evacuated ahead of an expected attack by Turkish forces the next morning.[25] Although Bridges agreed with Godley, the commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Sir Ian Hamilton, ordered them to hold fast.[26]
Godley continued as divisional commander for most of the campaign at Gallipoli.[9] Of tall stature, he made constant tours of the front line amidst jokes that the communication trenches needed to be dug deeply to allow for his height. On one visit to Quinn's Post on 7 May, he personally directed troop deployments to counter a potential Turkish counterattack.[27] Despite his inspections, his reputation amongst the rank and file of the division did not improve. Nor was his co-ordination of offensive operations sound; during the August offensive, his lack of oversight allowed one of his brigade commanders, Brigadier General Francis Johnston, a British Army officer on secondment to the NZEF, to vacillate over deployment of reinforcements. On the morning of 8 August, the Wellington Infantry Battalion was in tenuous possession of Chunuk Bair but required support to consolidate its position. Johnston did not order his reinforcements forward until later that day. Crucial momentum was lost and Chunuk Bair was later recaptured by the Turks.[9] In September Godley complained to General Maxwell in Egypt that too few of the recovered sick or wounded casualties from Gallipoli were being returned from Egypt, and he replied that "the appetite of the Dardanelles for men has been phenomenal and wicked" [28]
When Birdwood took over command of the newly formed Dardanelles Army, Godley became commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps for the final stages of the Gallipoli campaign[9] and was promoted to temporary lieutenant general on 25 November 1915.[29] With his appointment as corps commander, he also effectively took over responsibility for the administration of the AIF.[30] The same month it was decided to evacuate the Allied forces from Gallipoli.[31] Although much of the detailed planning for the evacuation was left to his chief of staff, Brigadier General Brudenell White, Godley closely inspected the plans before giving his approval.[32] The evacuation was successfully carried out on the nights of 19 and 20 December, with Godley departing on the first night.[33] Following the withdrawal, he was made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his services at Gallipoli,[34] on the recommendation of General Sir Charles Monro, who had replaced Hamilton as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.[35]
Reforming in Egypt
The NZEF and the AIF had returned to Egypt following their withdrawal from Gallipoli. The number of reinforcements from both New Zealand and Australia were more than enough to bring the existing ANZAC divisions back up to strength, and in January 1916 Godley proposed forming new divisions from the surplus reinforcements.[30] These were the New Zealand Division[36] and the Australian 4th and 5th Divisions.[37] The new formations, together with the existing divisions, formed the I ANZAC Corps (the renamed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) and II ANZAC Corps.[38]
Godley was named as commander of I ANZAC Corps which included the original AIF divisions, the 1st and 2nd Divisions, and the newly formed New Zealand Division. These divisions were engaged in defensive duties along the Suez Canal. However, following the German attack at Verdun in February, it was decided that the planned move of I ANZAC Corps to the Western Front be expedited.[39] Birdwood was to take the corps to France, and on 28 March 1916, he exchanged commands with Godley, who took over II ANZAC Corps.[40]
Western Front
Godley's II ANZAC Corps consisted of the Australian 4th and 5th Divisions along with the ANZAC Mounted Division, and it took over the defensive duties of the I ANZAC Corps.
Godley's rank of lieutenant general was made substantive in September 1916 and he continued to lead II ANZAC Corps while the I ANZAC Corps was engaged in the Battle of the Somme. In October, the New Zealand Division, blooded on the Somme, joined II ANZAC Corps along with the 3rd Australian Division, previously based in England.[45] The corps, attached to the Second Army, performed well in its first major engagement, the Battle of Messines. Writing to Allen after the battle, Godley regarded the capture of Messines as "... the greatest success of the war so far, all of it achieved with much lighter casualties than those incurred on the Somme."[46] Despite this success, in August, Godley's poor standing amongst the NZEF was publicly raised by a member of the New Zealand Parliament who had visited the front earlier in the year.[47]
While serving on the Western Front, Godley continued to fulfil his role as the commander of the NZEF along with his corps command. By September 1917, as reinforcements from New Zealand continued to arrive on the Western Front to replace the casualties lost in the major battles of the previous two years, Allen, still the Minister of Defence, was concerned by the drain on New Zealand's manpower. Allen considered that Australia and Canada were not making their proper contributions to the war effort. Godley pointed out that the Australian divisions had seen more action than the New Zealanders.[48]
The II ANZAC Corps played an important role in the
Despite this and at Godley's urging, a further attack was planned for 12 October, this time using the New Zealand Division and the 3rd Australian Division.[52] By now the ground was a sea of mud and a lack of preparation on the part of Godley's corps headquarters hampered the preliminary movements of the attacking divisions and supporting artillery. Godley's plans for the attack were overly ambitious and beyond the scale of previous operations that had been mounted earlier in the month in better weather and ground conditions and with more time to prepare.[53]
The
Notwithstanding Godley's efforts to placate him, Allen again raised his concerns over the extent of New Zealand's contributions to the war relative to Australia's and sought further explanation for the New Zealand losses of 12 October. Allen was also beginning to query the quality of British generalship. Godley raised the prospect of being replaced as commander of the NZEF and proposed Major General Andrew Russell, the commander of the New Zealand Division, as his successor. Godley remained the commander of the NZEF until its disbandment in late 1919.[57]
In January 1918, II ANZAC Corps had its Australian contingent transferred and it was renamed XXII Corps.[9] Two months later, the New Zealand Division was transferred to VII Corps.[58] Godley's corps was now composed largely of British divisions with a small contingent of New Zealand corps units. After being involved in the defence of the Allied positions during the German spring offensive of late March, it then participated, under French command, in the Second Battle of the Marne in July.[59] Godley was temporary commander of III Corps in the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin during the early phase of the Hundred Days Offensive in August 1918 before returning to command of XXII Corps.[15]
By the close of the war, Godley had been mentioned in dispatches ten times.[2][15] He also received a number of foreign decorations as a result of his war service. After an award of the French Croix de Guerre,[60] he was appointed in 1918 to the French Legion of Honour as a Grand Officier,[61] having previously been made a Croix de Commandeur in 1917.[62] He was also awarded the Serbian Great Officer Cross of the Order of the White Eagle (with Swords) in October 1916,[63] the Belgian Order of the Crown in 1917[64] and the Belgian Croix de guerre in 1918.[65]
Postwar career
After the war, Godley became commander of
In August 1928, Godley was appointed to the governorship of Gibraltar, a position in which he remained until his retirement in 1933. Godley was considered the ablest of the immediate post war governors although he made a misjudgement in interfering in the politics of the Royal Calpe Hunt. The King had to intercede after Godley removed the master of the hunt creating large divisions that were not repaired until his successor took charge.[66]
He always held his New Zealand soldiers in high esteem, even if that respect was not reciprocated, and made tours of New Zealand in 1934 and 1935.[2] When made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in January 1928,[67] he included in his coat of arms an image of a New Zealand infantryman.[2] In late 1936, Godley was considered a possible candidate for the governorship of New South Wales[68] but was ultimately not appointed to the position. In his retirement Godley wrote a number of professional articles and his memoirs, Life of an Irish Soldier, were published in 1939. He later wrote and published British Military History in South America.[2]
In late June 1939, Godley's wife Louisa died in England of a cerebral thrombosis.[69] The couple were childless. She had lived in New Zealand during Godley's term as Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces, and had also accompanied him to Egypt during the war. While in Egypt, she had been mentioned in despatches for her work in setting up and running a hospital in Alexandria for New Zealand soldiers.[15] A wreath was sent for the funeral by the New Zealand government on behalf of its citizens.[70]
Following the outbreak of the
Death
Alexander Godley died at the age of 90 in a rest home at
Publications
- Godley, Alexander John, Sir (1939). Life of an Irish Soldier: Reminiscences of General Sir Alexander Godley. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company. )
- Godley, Alexander, Sir (1943). British Military History in South America. London: Feilden Publications. )
Notes
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 11.
- ^ An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 12.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, pp. 13–14.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 15.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 16.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 18.
- ^ a b Kinloch 2018, pp. 22–23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j McGibbon 2000, pp. 201–203.
- ^ Laffaye 2012, p. 37.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 25.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 26.
- ^ "Obituary: Lieut.-Gen. Sir John Fowler". The Times. 21 September 1939. p. 10.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Groves, Ray. "Godley, Alexander John". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 38.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 40.
- ^ McGibbon 1991, pp. 194–196.
- ^ a b McGibbon 1991, pp. 202–203.
- ^ "No. 28842". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 June 1914. p. 4878.
- ^ McGibbon 1991, pp. 239–241.
- ^ Bean 1981, pp. 118–119.
- ^ Harper 2007, p. 36.
- ^ Carlyon 2001, pp. 374–375.
- ^ Bean 1981, pp. 456–457.
- ^ Bean 1981, pp. 460–461.
- ^ Stanley 2005, pp. 40–42.
- ^ Crawford & Buck 2020, pp. 83, 111.
- ^ "No. 29437". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 January 1916. p. 552.
- ^ a b Bean 1941b, pp. 32–33.
- ^ Bean 1941a, p. 853.
- ^ Bean 1941a, p. 856.
- ^ Bean 1941a, p. 878.
- ^ "No. 29507". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 March 1916. p. 2872.
- ^ "No. 29541". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 April 1916. pp. 3777–3786.
- ^ Bean 1941b, p. 36.
- ^ Bean 1941b, pp. 41–42.
- ^ Bean 1941b, p. 39.
- ^ Bean 1941b, p. 62.
- ^ Bean 1941b, pp. 66–67.
- ^ Bean 1941b, p. 68.
- ^ Bean 1941b, pp. 298–299.
- ^ Bean 1941b, p. 305.
- ^ Bean 1941b, p. 306.
- ^ a b Bean 1941c, p. 560.
- ^ Vennell 2011, p. 156.
- ^ Vennell 2011, p. 161.
- ^ Vennell 2011, pp. 163–164.
- ^ Vennell 2011, p. 167.
- ^ Harper 2007, pp. 63–64.
- ^ Harper 2007, pp. 66–67.
- ^ Harper 2007, p. 69.
- ^ Harper 2007, p. 76.
- ^ Harper 2007, p. 90.
- ^ Macdonald 2013, p. 235.
- ^ Harper 2007, pp. 90, 101–102.
- ^ Vennell 2011, pp. 184–186.
- ^ Stewart 1921, p. 338.
- ^ Stewart 1921, pp. 377–379.
- ^ "No. 31514". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 August 1917. p. 10608.
- ^ Brewer, M. (March 2010). "New Zealand and the Legion d'honneur: Officiers, Commandeurs and Dignites". The Volunteers: The Journal of the New Zealand Military Historical Society. 35 (3): 131–147.
- ^ "No. 30184". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1917. p. 7091.
- ^ "No. 29945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 February 1917. p. 1606.
- ^ "No. 30202". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1917. p. 7590.
- ^ "No. 30568". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 March 1918. p. 3096.
- ^ Jackson 1990, p. 268.
- ^ "No. 33343". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 January 1928. p. 3.
- ^ "Sir A. Godley may become Governor of NSW". Evening Post. 6 January 1937.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 223.
- ^ "Lady Godley Dead. Wife of NZ Commander". Auckland Star. 1 July 1939.
- ^ "General Godley: Services offered to New Zealand". Evening Post. 6 September 1939.
- ^ Kinloch 2018, p. 225.
- ^ a b Kinloch 2018, p. 227.
- ^ "Death Notice". The Times. 8 March 1957.
- ^ "Funeral". The Times. 11 March 1957.
- ^ "Memorial Service". The Times. 21 March 1957.
References
- OCLC 215091780.
- Bean, Charles (1941b). The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916. OCLC 220897873.
- Bean, Charles (1941c). The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1917. OCLC 215762427.
- Bean, Charles (1981). The Story of ANZAC. ISBN 0-7022-1585-6.
- ISBN 0-7329-1089-7.
- Crawford, John; Buck, Matthew (2020). Phenomenal and Wicked: Attrition and Reinforcements in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Defence Force. ISBN 978-0-478-34812-5.
- ISBN 978-1-86950-579-0.
- ISBN 0948466146.
- Kinloch, Terry (2018). Godley: The Man Behind the Myth. Auckland, New Zealand: Exisle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-77559-363-8.
- Laffaye, Horace A. (2012). Polo in Britain: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-6511-8.
- Macdonald, Andrew (2013). Passchendaele: The Anatomy of a Tragedy. Auckland, New Zealand: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-1-77554-030-4.
- ISBN 0-477-00026-6.
- ISBN 0-19-558376-0.
- ISBN 978-1-74114-332-4.
- OCLC 2276057.
- Vennell, Jock (2011). The Forgotten General: New Zealand's World War I Commander Major-General Sir Andrew Russell. Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-877505-07-2.