Story:
Fred Richard Godden was born on 10th April 1899 at Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, the son of William George Godden and Susanna Godden (née Whitmarsh).  By 1901 he had moved with his parents to Bradford Peverell, Dorset, where he spent most of his early life.  He enlisted on 6th February 1917 but was not mobilized until 7th May 1917 when he joined the 34th/35th Training Reserve Battalion as a Private (Service No. 8/55876).  He was later attached to the Somerset Light Infantry (Training Reserve) (Service No. 40987).  He was posted to France and Flanders on 3 Apr 1918 and transferred to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on 9 Apr 1918 (Service No. 38951).  He received shrapnel wounds in the hand and chest at Arras, France, on 23rd August 1918 and was hospitalized both in the field and at the Spring Hill Hospital and the St. Lukes War Hospital, both in Halifax, Yorkshire.  He was awarded the Military Medal.  Regrettably he was eventually discharged on 8th February 1919 being no longer physically fit for service and received a life pension as well as the Silver War Badge No. B.170848.   In addition he also recived the Victory and British War Medals.    His marriage to Florence Parsons was registered in Dorchester, Dorset, during 1922.  There are no known children of the marriage.   By the time of the 1939 Register he was living at 342 High Street, Yeovil, Somerset, working as a road rolling machine driver.  He died on 6th October 1993 in Sutton, Surrey, at the age of 94 years.