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22839 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Charles Goody (registered at birth as Charles James) was born in Sudbury in 1885, one of eight children and the eldest son of Robert (Charles Robert) and Mary Goody (née Amey). Charles like his father was a railway booking clerk and the family lived in Cross Street, before later moving to 22 Station Road. In 1901 Charles and his younger brother Ernest were living with their grandparents at the Spread Eagle pub in Cross Street where his grandfather James was the licensee. By 1911 Charles was boarding with the Cook family at 19 Glebe Road, Chelmsford where he was still an employee of the railway.
Charles enlisted in Sudbury and served with the Suffolk Regiment. It is not known when he joined his battalion in France but by 1916 the battalion formed part of 76th Brigade, 3rd Division. In the summer of 1916 the Division saw action in the opening phases of the Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November) at the battles of Albert (1 – 13 July), Bazentin (14 – 17 July) and Delville Wood (15 July – 3 September). Charles served alongside other Sudbury men including four who would also lose their lives fighting on the Somme; Alex Farrance, George Parker, Percy Partridge and Gilbert Smith.
On 20 July 1916 the battalion launched an attack alongside the 10th Royal Welsh Fusiliers to regain Delville Wood. At 3.35am the battalion advanced but the two leading companies were almost entirely wiped out. Charles was listed as ‘missing’ in the Suffolk and Essex Free Press in August 1916. He was officially listed as killed in action on 20 July 1916. There is no known grave and he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.
Charles was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid at the Thiepval Memorial in April 2006 and April 2009.
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