Difference between revisions of "William Edmund Goodenough"

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Admiral Sir William Goodenough as Rear-Admiral in the Second Battle Squadron.
Photo: Imperial War Museum.

Admiral SIR William Edmund Goodenough, G.C.B., M.V.O., Royal Navy (2 June, 1867 – 30 January, 1945) was an officer in the Royal Navy. he is chiefly remembered for his service in command of light cruisers during the First World War.

Early Life & Career

Great War

At the beginning of the war, in the action in the Heligoland Bight on 28 August, 1914, Goodenough with six light cruisers under him took a large part in the fighting including sinking the light cruiser Mainz. He was next in action during the German raid on Scarborough in December, 1914, when in low visibility he got to within 3,000 yards of a German light cruiser, part of a large force, when a misunderstanding over a signal to other ships caused him to break off his contact. This cost the opportunity for the British to engage the enemy fleet, and Goodenough received a great deal of blame for this, perhaps unfairly. His position was only saved by Jellicoe and Churchill.

Things went somewhat better six weeks later, when in attempting a similar undertaking the German battle cruisers were caught off the Dogger Bank on 24 January, 1915, and only escaped at the cost of severe damage and the loss of the Blücher. In the following May, on the advent of some new light cruisers to the Grand Fleet, Goodenough's squadron was renamed the Second Light Cruiser Squadron. In command of it and with his broad pennant still in the Southampton, he took part in the Battle of Jutland, and was commended in despatches for his tenacity in maintaining touch with and reporting the movements of enemy heavy ships. His bravery and persistence in the action has been held up as a "model for scouting admirals."^[1] It was from the Southampton that the presence of the German battle fleet, coming up to support the action begun an hour earlier, was first reported to Jellicoe and Beatty. The squadron became heavily engaged in a night action with German light forces, in the course of which the Southampton sustained very heavy damage and casualties but sank the German light cruiser Frauenlob.

In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June, 1916, Goodenough was appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.).^[2] He was promoted to Flag Rank soon after Jutland, and in December of that year transferred to the Orion as Rear-Admiral of the Second Battle Squadron until the end of the war. Promoted K.C.B. at the new year, 1919, in May he became Admiral-Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard, and a year later was made Commander-in-Chief, Africa station, being promoted to Vice-Admiral in July, 1920.

In August, 1922 Goodenough returned home and, after a short period in command of the Reserve Fleet, in March, 1924 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief at the Nore for a term of three years, being promoted Admiral in May, 1925. He was appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V on 6 October, 1929. On 23 May, 1930, he was placed on the Retired List.^[3]

For his war service Goodenough was appointed to the order of St Vladimir, third class with swords, and the order of the Rising Sun of Japan, second class, and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre (bronze palm). After retirement he revived the great interest he had taken in the Royal Geographical Society. His maternal grandfather had several times been president and his great-grandfather, William Richard Hamilton, was one of the founders. Goodenough was a fellow of the society from 1897, a member of its council in 1924–7 and 1939–42, vice-president in 1933–9 and from 1943, and president in 1930–33. In this role he was said to be "always ready to defend the cause of primitive peoples exposed to contact with more advanced civilization" (Clerk, 79), and he was a supporter of the Melanesian mission and the Fairbridge farm schools. The society prospered under his presidency and it was said that among "the many great names in our records there is none who has a greater claim to be held in lasting and loving memory" (Clerk, 79). Goodenough was also chairman of the British Sailors' Society, on whose behalf he addressed letters to The Times, urging the need for improving the conditions of the merchant service, and he represented the corporation of London on the Port of London Authority.

Goodenough was throughout his navy career a highly competent and distinguished seaman, "a superb tactician" (Marder, 1.408) who was also "more talkative than most of his kind … full of enthusiasm" (ibid., 2.13), and he received great respect from both the officers and men in the vessels he commanded. Towards the end of his career he began to express a great deal of criticism of the administration of the Admiralty. But when in 1925, on the death of the Second Sea Lord, Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, he was invited by W. C. Bridgeman to take his place on the board, Goodenough declined this opportunity to redress some of the faults he had perceived. Goodenough died at his home, Parson's Pightle, Coulsdon, Surrey, on 30 January, 1945.

Footnotes

Bibliography

Service Record