GB 0099 KCLMA Godley - GODLEY, Gen Sir Alexander John (1867-1957)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0099 KCLMA Godley

Title

GODLEY, Gen Sir Alexander John (1867-1957)

Date(s)

  • Created 1901-1954 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

1 box or 0.01 cubic metre

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born 1867; educated Royal Naval School, New Cross, London, Haileybury College, Hertfordshire, United Services College, Westward Ho!, Devon, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Surrey; Lt, 1 Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Mullingar, Ireland, 1886; Adjutant, 1 Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1889-1890; two year tour of duty at depot of Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Naas, Ireland, 1891-1893; Mounted Infantry Course, Aldershot, 1894; Adjutant, Mounted Infantry, Aldershot, 1895; Capt, 1895; Adjutant, SpecialService Mounted Infantry Bn, Mashonaland Field Force, during Mashonaland Campaign, Southern Rhodesia, and command of a mounted column, 1896-1897; Brevet Maj, 1897; attended Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1898-1899; Adjutant, Special Service Mounted Infantry Regt (Protectorate Regt), during the Second Boer War, South Africa, 1899-1901; commander western defences at the Siege ofMafeking, 1899-1900; Brevet Lt Col, 1900; transferred to Irish Guards, 1900; Staff Officer to Lt Col Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell and Lt Col Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer; Brevet Lt Col and commanded Rhodesian Mounted Bde, 1900-1901; Maj, 1901; invalided back to England, 1901; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (commanding Mounted Infantry), Aldershot Command, 1901-1903; Commandant, School of Mounted Infantry, Longmoor Camp, Aldershot Command, 1903-1906; Brevet Col, 1905; Col, 1906; Assistant Adjutant General and General Staff Officer, Grade 1, 2 Div, Aldershot Command, 1906-1910; temporary Maj Gen and General Officer Commanding, New Zealand Forces, 1910-1914; served World War One, 1914-1918; Commander, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919; Maj Gen, 1914; Commander, New Zealand and Australian Div, Egypt and Gallipoli, 1914-1915; temporary Lt Gen, 1915-1918; Commander, ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), Gallipoli and Egypt, 1915-1916; Commander, 2 ANZAC (Australianand New Zealand Army Corps), later renamed British 22 Corps, Egypt and Western Front, 1916-1919; temporary Commander, 3 Corps, BEF (British Expeditionary Force),1918; Lt Gen, 1918; Commander, 4 Corps, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Mar 1919; Commander, 2 Corps, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Jul-Dec 1919; Military Secretary to Secretary of State for War, 1920-1922; Commander in Chief, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), 1922-1924; Gen, 1923; on Military Committee of Experts in connection with the Inter-Allied Conference on the Dawes Report, 1924; General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Command, 1924-1928; Aide de Camp General to HM King George V, 1925-1929; Governor and Commander in Chief of Gibraltar, 1928-1933; Col Royal Ulster Rifles, 1922-1937; retired, 1933; Chairman Royal Empire Society; Governor Haileybury College and Imperial Service College; commanded platoon in the Home Guard, 1939-1944; died 1957. Publications: Life of an Irish Soldier (John Murray, London, 1939); The Home Guard Training Manual (John Murray, Pilot Press, London, 1940), edited by John Langdon-Davies and revised by Godley.

Archival history

GB 0099 KCLMA Godley Created 1901-1954 Collection (fonds) 1 box or 0.01 cubic metre

Born 1867; educated Royal Naval School, New Cross, London, Haileybury College, Hertfordshire, United Services College, Westward Ho!, Devon, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Surrey; Lt, 1 Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Mullingar, Ireland, 1886; Adjutant, 1 Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1889-1890; two year tour of duty at depot of Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Naas, Ireland, 1891-1893; Mounted Infantry Course, Aldershot, 1894; Adjutant, Mounted Infantry, Aldershot, 1895; Capt, 1895; Adjutant, SpecialService Mounted Infantry Bn, Mashonaland Field Force, during Mashonaland Campaign, Southern Rhodesia, and command of a mounted column, 1896-1897; Brevet Maj, 1897; attended Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1898-1899; Adjutant, Special Service Mounted Infantry Regt (Protectorate Regt), during the Second Boer War, South Africa, 1899-1901; commander western defences at the Siege ofMafeking, 1899-1900; Brevet Lt Col, 1900; transferred to Irish Guards, 1900; Staff Officer to Lt Col Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell and Lt Col Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer; Brevet Lt Col and commanded Rhodesian Mounted Bde, 1900-1901; Maj, 1901; invalided back to England, 1901; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (commanding Mounted Infantry), Aldershot Command, 1901-1903; Commandant, School of Mounted Infantry, Longmoor Camp, Aldershot Command, 1903-1906; Brevet Col, 1905; Col, 1906; Assistant Adjutant General and General Staff Officer, Grade 1, 2 Div, Aldershot Command, 1906-1910; temporary Maj Gen and General Officer Commanding, New Zealand Forces, 1910-1914; served World War One, 1914-1918; Commander, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919; Maj Gen, 1914; Commander, New Zealand and Australian Div, Egypt and Gallipoli, 1914-1915; temporary Lt Gen, 1915-1918; Commander, ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), Gallipoli and Egypt, 1915-1916; Commander, 2 ANZAC (Australianand New Zealand Army Corps), later renamed British 22 Corps, Egypt and Western Front, 1916-1919; temporary Commander, 3 Corps, BEF (British Expeditionary Force),1918; Lt Gen, 1918; Commander, 4 Corps, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Mar 1919; Commander, 2 Corps, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Jul-Dec 1919; Military Secretary to Secretary of State for War, 1920-1922; Commander in Chief, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), 1922-1924; Gen, 1923; on Military Committee of Experts in connection with the Inter-Allied Conference on the Dawes Report, 1924; General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Command, 1924-1928; Aide de Camp General to HM King George V, 1925-1929; Governor and Commander in Chief of Gibraltar, 1928-1933; Col Royal Ulster Rifles, 1922-1937; retired, 1933; Chairman Royal Empire Society; Governor Haileybury College and Imperial Service College; commanded platoon in the Home Guard, 1939-1944; died 1957. Publications: Life of an Irish Soldier (John Murray, London, 1939); The Home Guard Training Manual (John Murray, Pilot Press, London, 1940), edited by John Langdon-Davies and revised by Godley.

Acquired by the Centre in 1986, 1988 and 1990.

Correspondence with Col Sir Clive Wigram, Assistant Private Secretary to HM King George V, 1911-1933, including detailed descriptions of operations in Gallipoli and on the Western Front during World War One. Correspondence concerning a visit by Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, to Cologne, Germany, in 1922. Letters to Godley from various military friends and acquaintances, 1901-1954, including FM William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes; FM Frederick Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan; AF Sir John Michael de Robeck, 1st Bt; Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton; Lt Gen Sir Frederick Stanley Maude; Gen Sir John Maxwell; Gen Sir Archibald (James) Murray; FM Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1stViscount Plumer of Messines; and FM Sir William (Robert) Robertson, 1st Bt. Two unpublished volumes of letters from Godley to his wife, Louisa Marion Godley, Lady Godley, sent during active service on the Western Front, 1916-1918. Biographical information relating to Godley and his family, namely a copy of his memoirs, Life of an Irish Soldier (John Murray, London, 1939), a copy of his obituary in The Times, 1957, and photocopied extracts from New Zealand encyclopedias relating to Godley and his uncle, John Robert Godley.

The collection is arranged in sections as above. Section 1, the correspondence with Wigram, is available only on microfilm. There is a microfilm copy of the correspondence concerning Northcliffe (Section 2), and the majority of the letters from military friends (Section 3).

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centrefor Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.
English

Detailed catalogue available on-line at http://www/kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/top.htm,and also in hard copy in the Centre's reading room.

The correspondence between Godley and Col Sir Clive Wigram is held at the National Archives of New Zealand, Wellington, and may be consulted on microfilm at the Centre.

The National Archives of New Zealand hold microfilm copies of the correspondence between Godley and Alfred Charles Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, 1922, and the first accession of general correspondence from military friends and acquaintances, 1901-1954

Papers of Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton include correspondence with Godley, 1916-1918,notably concerning the recommendation of officers who served in Gallipoli for rewards and decorations, Godley's statement to the Dardanelles Commission and the progress of 22 Corps on the Western Front; a copy of Godley's evidence given to the Dardanelles Commission, Feb 1917, mainly concerning the events of the Battle of Sari Blair, Gallipoli, 6 Aug, 1915; general correspondence,1919-1932. Papers of Maj Gen Sir Frederick (Barton) Maurice include letters from Godley to Gen Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson of Trent, relating to operations at Gallipoli, 1915 (Ref GB99 KCLMA Maurice). Diary, 1896, at the National Archives of Zimbabwe, Harare; correspondence relating to the Curragh Incident, 1914, at the Imperial War Museum, London; correspondence with Maj Gen Sir Edward Louis Spears at the Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge University; correspondence with Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount of Stoke D'Abernon, British Ambassador at Berlin, 1923-1926,in the British Library Manuscript Collections, London.

Nov 1998. Armed forces Asia and the Pacific Birdwood , William Riddell , 1865-1951 , 1st Baron Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes , Field Marshal x Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes , 1st Baron British Army Cologne Europe Gallipoli Gallipoli peninsula Germany Godley , Louisa Marion Godley , d 1939 , wife of General Sir Alexander John Godley Godley , Sir , Alexander John , 1867-1957 , Knight , General Hamilton , Sir , Ian Standish Monteith , 1853-1947 , Knight , General Harmsworth , Alfred Charles William , 1865-1922 , 1st Viscount Northcliffe , newspaper proprietor x Northcliffe , 1st Viscount International conflicts International relations Lambart , Frederick Rudolph , 1865-1947 , 10th Earl of Cavan , Field Marshal x Cavan , 10th Earl of Maude , Sir , Frederick Stanley , 1864-1917 , Knight , Lieutenant General Maxwell , Sir , John Grenfell , 1859-1929 , Knight , General Middle East Military organizations Murray , Sir , Archibald James , 1860-1945 , Knight , General New Zealand Oceania Organizations Plumer , Herbert Charles Onslow , 1857-1932 , 1st Viscount Plumer of Messines and Bilton , Field Marshal x Plumer of Messines , 1st Viscount Robeck , Sir , John Michael , de , 1862-1928 , 1st Baronet , Admiral of the Fleet x de Robeck , Sir , John Michael Robertson , Sir , William Robert , 1860-1933 , 1st Baronet , Field Marshal State security Turkey War Western Europe Wigram , Clive , 1873-1960 , 1st Baron Wigram of Clewer , Colonel , Private Secretary to King George V x Wigram of Clewer , 1st Baron World War One (1914-1918) World wars (events) Wars (events)

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Acquired by the Centre in 1986, 1988 and 1990.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Correspondence with Col Sir Clive Wigram, Assistant Private Secretary to HM King George V, 1911-1933, including detailed descriptions of operations in Gallipoli and on the Western Front during World War One. Correspondence concerning a visit by Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, to Cologne, Germany, in 1922. Letters to Godley from various military friends and acquaintances, 1901-1954, including FM William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes; FM Frederick Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan; AF Sir John Michael de Robeck, 1st Bt; Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton; Lt Gen Sir Frederick Stanley Maude; Gen Sir John Maxwell; Gen Sir Archibald (James) Murray; FM Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1stViscount Plumer of Messines; and FM Sir William (Robert) Robertson, 1st Bt. Two unpublished volumes of letters from Godley to his wife, Louisa Marion Godley, Lady Godley, sent during active service on the Western Front, 1916-1918. Biographical information relating to Godley and his family, namely a copy of his memoirs, Life of an Irish Soldier (John Murray, London, 1939), a copy of his obituary in The Times, 1957, and photocopied extracts from New Zealand encyclopedias relating to Godley and his uncle, John Robert Godley.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The collection is arranged in sections as above. Section 1, the correspondence with Wigram, is available only on microfilm. There is a microfilm copy of the correspondence concerning Northcliffe (Section 2), and the majority of the letters from military friends (Section 3).

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centrefor Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Papers of Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton include correspondence with Godley, 1916-1918,notably concerning the recommendation of officers who served in Gallipoli for rewards and decorations, Godley's statement to the Dardanelles Commission and the progress of 22 Corps on the Western Front; a copy of Godley's evidence given to the Dardanelles Commission, Feb 1917, mainly concerning the events of the Battle of Sari Blair, Gallipoli, 6 Aug, 1915; general correspondence,1919-1932. Papers of Maj Gen Sir Frederick (Barton) Maurice include letters from Godley to Gen Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson of Trent, relating to operations at Gallipoli, 1915 (Ref GB99 KCLMA Maurice). Diary, 1896, at the National Archives of Zimbabwe, Harare; correspondence relating to the Curragh Incident, 1914, at the Imperial War Museum, London; correspondence with Maj Gen Sir Edward Louis Spears at the Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge University; correspondence with Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount of Stoke D'Abernon, British Ambassador at Berlin, 1923-1926,in the British Library Manuscript Collections, London.

Finding aids

Detailed catalogue available on-line at http://www/kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/top.htm,and also in hard copy in the Centre's reading room.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

The National Archives of New Zealand hold microfilm copies of the correspondence between Godley and Alfred Charles Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, 1922, and the first accession of general correspondence from military friends and acquaintances, 1901-1954

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area