THE recently released military service records of five million medal holders include those of East Grinstead’s Sidney Godley, the first private soldier to win a Victoria Cross in WWI.

Sidney was born in 1889 at North End, to painter and decorator Frank Godley and his wife Avis. When he was just six Avis died, and Sidney was sent to live with relatives in Willesden, North London, before moving to Sidcup. After leaving school he worked at an ironmonger’s in Kilburn, where he acquired the skills that led him to describe himself later in life as a plumber.

But in 1909 the 20-year-old joined the army, becoming No. 13814 in The Royal Fusiliers. The fusiliers were among the first soldiers to embark for France after the declaration of war in 1914, and Sidney arrived at Mons in Belgium with the rest of the 4th Battalion on August 22, to find the French struggling to hold back the German advance.

The next morning the British Expeditionary Force moved into defensive positions along the Mons-Conde canal under the command of General Douglas Haig. Sidney himself formed part of the machine gun section defending Nimy bridge where he was assigned to help supply ammunition for the guns.

But his battalion suffered severe losses, and eventually the troops were ordered to retreat to the River Marne in the hope that they could stop the German advance on Paris there. Sidney, already badly wounded, was asked to take over a machine gun to cover his comrades, which he did, knowing that even if he survived the slaughter he would certainly be taken prisoner by the advancing enemy.

He single-handedly held the bridge for two hours, giving his comrades the chance to complete their withdrawal. And when he finally ran out of ammunition he had the presence of mind to break up his gun and hurl the pieces into the canal to stop it being captured by the Germans.

Despite being shot in the head and back, he then crawled off the bridge to the main road where he was helped to a first aid post by two Belgium civilians: and it was there, as his wounds were being dressed, that he was taken prisoner. Initial reports of the incident listed him as killed in action but in fact he was sent to Berlin where surgeons removed the bullets from his head and back, and covered his wounds with skin grafts.

Sidney was later transferred to a POW camp at Doberitz where he was eventually informed by the American Ambassador that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour awarded to British soldiers “for valour”. His citation reads: “In defence of the railway bridge at Nimy, 23 August 1914.”

It was reported in the East Grinstead Observer of 26 February, 1916 that “Pte. S F Godley, who won the VC but is now a prisoner of war in Germany, had the ‘honour’ of being invited to dine with German officers on Christmas Day because they understand the VC in England was equal to the Iron Cross in Germany.”

Private Godley returned home in December 1918 and received his medal from King George V at Buckingham Palace on February 15, 1919. On August 2 that same year he married Ellen Norman and the couple had at least one son, named Stanley. In 1921, Sidney became school caretaker at Cranbrook school, a post he held until his retirement in 1951.

For the remainder of his life he enjoyed attending events commemorating the war or held in honour of ‘The Old Contemptibles’, occasionally dressing up as Old Bill, the cartoon ‘British Tommy’ created by Bruce Bairnsfather.

Bairnsfather always maintained that Old Bill was an amalgam of solders but with his walrus moustache, pipe and army uniform Godley bore a striking resemblance to him. Godley made seven return visits to Mons, the last one in 1939, and eventually retired to Debden in Essex, where he died on 29 June, 1957, aged 67.

The Royal Fusiliers provided a bearer party to honour him and fired a volley over his grave. On 23 August, 1998, a Blue Plaque was erected on the wall outside East Court to record Private Sidney Godley VC’s association with East Grinstead.

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