William Benzie Goodall

The River Tweed runs through Coldstream in Berwickshire, with traffic crossing by The Border Bridge.  Immediately at the north end of the bridge stands Bridge House.  Originally built to exact tolls on traffic crossing the bridge, it enjoyed a second life after tolls were abolished in 1826, with 'runaway weddings' from England taking place at Bridge House until the practice was abolished in 1856.  It was in some respects the eastern equivalent of Gretna Green.

Just over 60 years later and in far more respectable circumstances, William Benzie Goodall was born here on 3rd April 1913 to Thomas Mackenzie Goodall, a golf greenkeeper and Mary (nee Benzie).  They had been married in Edinburgh six years previously.

William was the third of five sons, Robert Goodall (1907), Thomas Mackenzie Goodall junior (1909), David Benzie Goodall (1911, died before 1st birthday), James (1920).

The next glimpse of William we have is the 1921 Census.  He lived at Mugdock Bank (this is the name on the Census record so must have referred to specific houses).  The area is immediately north of Mugdock Reservoir at Milngavie but south of the road to Mugdock Village:

William is aged eight; his father is a garden labourer, possibly at Mugdock Lodge and/or Craigmaddie House.

The next glimpse we have is 17 years later as William (aged 25) was married on 19th July 1938 to Mary Shearer (aged 24).  He was living with his parents at 47 Ferguson Avenue, Milngavie (by Oakburn Park); his occupation was 'motor van driver'.  Mary lived at 84 Drymen Road with her parents; her occupation was clerk.  The marriage was registered at 162 Buchanan Street, the ground floor of which is occupied today by a branch of Greggs (by Buchanan Galleries):

They had two children, Margaret Stoddart Goodall (born 1939) and William Benzie Goodall (born 1940).

Records are frustratingly absent at present (an FOI request has been submitted) but at some point he joined the armed forces (probably several years before 1944) and by the autumn of 1944 he was a Serjeant in the 15th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.  This regiment was in Italy, fighting its way north with the 8th Army.  While progress was being made it was slow, expensive in lives lost and dispiriting.

At the start of 1st September 1944, William was at Urbiano, a beautiful small town in central Italy (although whether the wartime reality quite matched the 'tourist board' image is not recorded - I chose this photo because it gives an idea of the terrain the soldiers were fighting through, always another range of hills).  

In the morning, the regiment helped to breakup a German attack near the River Foglia.  They then advanced across that river and stopped further up the hillside towards Mondaino.  T battery went first at 11am, followed by the rest of the regiment around 2pm and they began to engage targets now out of range of the heavier guns further back.

The 15 Field Regiment could advance in this way because they were equipped with Sextons, self-propelled guns - essentially the highly effective 25-pounder gun mounted on a tank chassis, and hence capable of going across all terrains:

This photo was taken near Mondiano on 6th September and could be from 15 Field Regiment.

The guns continued to fire in support of the infantry through the afternoon.  At 6.30pm three mortar bombs landed near Regimental HQ killing four (two signallers attached and two gunners including Williams who had been batman to 2ic for five years).  Captain JH Bennett, Royal Army Medical Corps, was injured himself but continued to treat others.

The regiment was now firing to support the 2/6^th Battalions of the Queens who were being attacked, and then to support a British attack.  The Germans shelled the area intermittently.  Then at 10.30pm B Troop Command Post took a direct hit.  R Battery commander reported Lieutenant GW Moles (GPO) and three number 1s (the men in charge of each gun crew, Sgt Rennie, Sgt Goodall, L/Sgt Webber), another NCO and one gunner were killed, two sergeants and one signaller seriously wounded.  Captain AP Inglis was slightly wounded.

William is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Gradara:

The inscription selected, presumably by his wife reads "He lives for ever/ In our Hearts/ Beloved and unforgotten".

CWGC records his wife as living at 84 Drymen Road, Bearsden, her parents' address.  (Locals will recognise this as the sandstone flats with shops underneath opposite the junction with Station Road.)

I believe his children both married - Mrs Margaret Henderson may have lived in Killearn, and Mr Robert Goodall and his wife Catherine may have lived in Helensburgh.

For completeness, the other 15 Field Regiment men who died that day were:

1. in the mortaring of Regimental HQ:

One man is named in the diary as "Williams E" who had been batman to the second-in-commend for nearly five years. This would be Lance Bombardier Ernest Sidney Williams from Wednesbury in Staffordshire, a married man of 36

From a CWGC list of war dead in Italy for this date one signaller was specifically attached to 15 FR, Signalman Harold Albon, 28, from Willesden

The other signaller was probably Signalman Herbert Fawcett, 29, from Warley in Yorkshire - two signallers other than Albon are buried in Gradara (where all those who died in these two incidents are buried) but one was specifically attached to another unit, leaving Fawcett.

Another gunner was killed, see below.

2. in the shelling of B Troop, R Battery:

Lieutenant Charles Mole, 31, a solicitor from Berkshire

Serjeant Stewart Rennie, 25 from Dalry in Ayrshire

Serjeant William Goodall, 31

Lance Serjeant Frederick Webber, 24 from Nadder Water by Exeter

Lance Bombardier Frank Goody, 24 from Birmingham

Another gunner died as well

The two gunners who died were Francis Tugwell and Arthur Beech. 23, from Barnsley, but in which of the two events I do not know.  All are buried with William Goodall at Gradara.