87th Battery Royal Field Artillery
Charles Henry Goddard was born in 1894, the son of Charles and Clara Goddard of 44 Park Street, Gloucester.
The exact circumstances of how Charles Goddard incurred his mortal wounds are unclear, but it is possible that they were sustained during actions that he took part in, as part of the 6th Division efforts on the Aisne Heights in September 1915, just days after arriving in France.
Regardless of how or where he was struck, Charles Goddard’s injuries sent him out of the lines and into a succession of casualty clearing stations before being repatriated to Britain and to a Manchester hospital.
Bombardier Charles Henry Goddard died of his wounds on 19 January 1915; he was 21 years of age. He was buried in his home town of Gloucester with full military honours and a company of the 5th Gloucestershire Regiment in attendance – it was possibly the last time during the war that an officer of such low rank was given such an honour in the county.