Christopher Godman, known to his family as Chris, was born in early 1890 in Chipperfield near Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, the youngest child of George Godman and Charlotte Whitney who already had a large family. Chris had five brothers and sisters who were: Alice Mary, George William, William George, Alice Kate, Ruth, Leonard, Edward James and James. The oldest girl Alice Mary died in 1874 aged three and Christopher’s brother, Edward James, fought and died in the Great War on 15th September 1918.

When Christopher was born the family lived at Chapelcroft in Chipperfield and his father George, worked as a farm labourer on a nearby farm. There was a sixteen-year age gap between Christopher and his two oldest brothers who were both in full time employment when he was born. George was a Royal Marine and sixteen-year-old William was a servant in a large home in nearby Kings Langley.

By 1901, eleven-year-old Chris was at school and his father worked as a Carter and with horses on a farm. His sister Ruth and brother Leonard had left home by this time, she worked as a Domestic Servant in Hemel Hempstead, he had joined the Royal Navy. The family had moved home but remained in Chipperfield and lived at the quaintly named ‘Old Kennels Cottages’

Chris finished his education at Apsley Boys School leaving on the 17th February 1902 to start work with John Dickinson and Co as an “Envelope Packer”. He was still at Dickinsons by the time of the next census in 1911 and was living with his parents and two of his brothers at 11 Rucklers Green, Kings Langley close to Shendish Manor.

On the outbreak of war Chris enlisted with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (KRR), attesting at Watford in January 1915 after receiving permission from his employer to join the colours. He was posted to 3rd Battalion KRR which had returned from India in November 1914 and gone to France in December as part of the 80th Brigade in the 27th Division. Chris completed his basic training over the next three months initially at Magdalen Hill Camp near Winchester and then at Sheerness with the 5/6th (Reserve) Battalion.

He was sent to France in May 1915 and landed at Le Havre on the 25th of the month before proceeding to join with ‘C’ Company 3rd Battalion KRR near Ypres. He arrived just after the Second Battle of Ypres had concluded and for the next four months the KRR were in reserve in the Armentieres area and suffered relatively light casualties (less that forty-five Killed, Missing or Wounded). Sickness was a much greater concern and during this period over 500 men reported sick for one reason or another, not unusual in the difficult conditions in the billets and the trenches.

The routine of rest in billets, relieving other units in the trenches and general trench work continued into October 1915. The Battalion War Diary recorded events at the start of the month; "3rd October Enemy very troublesome with Minenwerfers and Rifle Grenades especially opposite our C Company in the subsection GARENNES. We had 3 men killed and two wounded. Got our howitzers to retaliate by shelling the GARENNE CARPEZAT."

Chris was one of the men killed on Sunday, 3rd October 1915 and just over a week later his sweetheart, Miss Lane, received a letter from Rifleman E. Chattwood which described how Chris had been killed. His parents also received notification in a letter from his Company C.O. expressing sympathy and describing Chris as “a brave boy and a good soldier” who was popular with his comrades. These were both published in the following week’s edition of the Hemel Gazette.

Chris had been a bell ringer at his local parish church, All Saints, Kings Langley, and on the 30th April 1917 he was remembered in a special memorial service along with fourteen other men from the village who had fallen. A detailed report of the church service appeared in the following week’s Hemel Hempstead Gazette on the 5th May 1917.

He is commemorated on the Kings Langley war memorial as well as the John Dickinson and Co. Limited war memorial in Apsley End.

Christopher is Remembered with Honour at the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, Picardie, France, Pier and Face 13 A and B.

He was 25 years old when he died.

Chris was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.