Description
Queen’s South Africa, 2 bars, Rhodesia, Relief of Mafeking, Sapper George William Goddard, D Troop, Southern Rhodesia Volunteers, a rare clasp.
Officially impressed: “172 Spr G.W. Goddard S. Rhod: Vols:”
Confirmed on the medal roll, which notes the medal was “Issued to Bulawayo, 6th March 1903”
The Sappers of the “Engineer Troop” of the Southern Rhodesia Volunteers were mostly made up from skilled Railway Workers and other technically minded individuals.
After the disbandment of the Southern Rhodesia Volunteers, General Plumer made the following statement on their services following the Relief of Mafeking, from his “Evidence of Colonel Plumer Before the War Commission” recorded in “The Colonials in South Africa” by John Stirling:
General Plumer remarked: “In connection with engineer services I should like to record the excellent work done by the engineer troop of the South Rhodesian Volunteers who came and repaired the railway. They were all railway employees, and it was owing to their work that the railway from Bulawayo, on which so much depended, was so rapidly repaired”. They also manned the armoured trains.
George William Goddard, from Kingsclere Hampshire to South Africa and Rhodesia.
George William Goddard, had been born in Kingsclere, Hampshire, England, on 7th May 1871
The son of William Thomas Goddard and Fanny Goddard.
He is first shown on the 1871 Census as a Newborn, but had yet to be named, so was entered only as “Infant” Goddard.
His father was an Innkeeper who ran “The Anchor Inn” at Market Place, in Kingsclere, which he ran for many years
He had first travelled to South Africa to work as a Clerk on the “Greek” from Southampton on 22nd August 1896.
After leaving the regiment, he took his chance to marry, on 25th July 1901 at “Observatory” in Salt River, of “The Cape” to Alice Maude Dowell.
He was a Clerk for the Cape Government Railways living in Bulawayo.
He lived until the age of 80, when he died in Wynberg, Transvaal, on 5th August 1951.
Noted as a Railway Pensioner and “Retired Accountant, South African Railways and Harbours.”
His address when cremated was noted as “Kingsclere”, Tiverton Road, Plumstead, Cape Town.
It appears he had his house named after his childhood home town before moving to South Africa/Rhodesia.
