Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Henry Goodman, known as Harry was born at 7, Carnation Street, Oakenshaw, near Bradford, May 7th 1898 and baptised June 23rd at Holy Trinity Church. One of 6 children of whom only 5 survived he was the eldest of 5 brothers. His father Ashton Hamilton Goodman, native of Northamptonshire, born 1870 at Kettering, having migrated further north married at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Bradford, December 24th 1996 to Susannah Lack, born 1873 at Upwell, Lincolnshire.
At the time of Harry’s birth his father was working as a checker at Oakenshaw railway station, by 1871 he had moved his family to 47, Lowson Street, Whitton where he was employed by Carlton Iron Works as a labourer at the coke ovens. To subsidise the family income, he and his wife had by 1911 taken in 2 boarders, Christopher Robson and Dan Morley, 22 and 24 years of age respectively, both employed at the blast furnace. Harry was now 12 years old and along with Lewis (8), Arthur (6) and Walter (4) was a scholar, Frank the youngest was only 10 months old.
When war broke out with Germany in August 1914 Harry was 17 years old, he enlisted in 1915, when he came of age, at Ferryhill and as Henry Goodman was assigned as Private 73363 to the 1st/5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry a Territorial Force battalion with is HQ at Stockton.
The main body of the Regiment departed for the Western Front April 18th 1915, after training at Ravensworth and Gateshead Private Goodman departed with his Battalion to France as of January 1916 joining his Regiment in the trenches of the Ypres salient as part of the 150th Brigade, 50th Northumberland Division. They remained on the Ypres salient, at Armentieres and Kemmel until August 1916 when they were moved south from Belgium to the battlefields of the Somme, France. During September they suffered heavy attacks on the Prue Trench north of High Wood.
During 1917 they were back in France in the Arras sector during the Arras Offensive April 9th-May 15th remaining in the sector until returning to the mud filled trenches of the Ypres salient during the 3rd Battle of Ypres better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.
March 21st 1918 the Germans undertook a shattering bombardment of gas, high explosives and shrapnel shells on the Somme front line trenches. The 1st/5th Battalion which had recently been transferred to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division was thrown with little preparation into the fighting in a desperate attempt to halt the German advance but was driven back sustaining heavy casualties.
Private 73363 Henry Goodman Durham Light Infantry was killed in action May 8th 1918 in the Aisne and Marne sector. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 3894 names of British servicemen inscribed on the Soisson Memorial, Aisne, France commemorating those who fell in the Aisne and Marne sector from May to August 1918 and who have no known grave. Private Goodman was 19 years old and single.
His father received all monies due to him and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at 47, Lowson Street, Carlton Iron Works, County Durham.
Ashton Hamilton Goodman died in 78 years in 1949 registered at Durham South Eastern, County Durham, details of Susannah Goodman nee Lack unknown.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Henry Goodman is remembered at Stillington on S137.01 and S137.02 and at Stockton on S138.35
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 112
