Ancestor Details
Ancestor's Name: George Henry Goodall
Ancestor's date of birth: 16/03/1872
Ancestor's date of death: 30/07/1942
Cause of Death: age related
Service and Life Before the Boer War: Born in 1872, George was one of twelve brothers and sisters. The parents were Walter and Alice Petite Goodall, descendants of pioneers who arrived in South Australia in 1839. A man of pleasant outgoing personality, Mr Goodall was a blacksmith and farrier by trade. Qualities which stand out in his early life are his ability to break and ride any horse and the respect in which his workmanship was held. He was especially recognised as a colt shoeing smith. When "Harkaway" a large black stallion was imported at a high figure, the horse proved unmanageable. Subsequently George purchased the animal very reasonably, shod it and rode it to the parades of the Mounted Rifles- He worked for G A Willsmore's carrying business in the early 1900's. The firm had about eighty horses.
George Goodall served for eight years in the South Australian Garrison Artillery, becoming an NCO with a gun layers badge until resigning. He joined the Mounted Rifle in 1898 and was a member of five winning teams in jumping at Jamestown, SA. His early promotions are as follows:
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MILITARY FORCES (SAMF)
GENERAL ORDER (GO) 2/99 JANUARY 3,1899
Promotions - NC Officers 7th Mounted Rifles No.l Company (Adelaide Division) to be Corporal Shoeing Smith, No. 517 Shoeing Smith GH Goodall GO 5/99 JUNE 2, 1899 7/Mounted Rifles No.l squadron, Adelaide Troops to be Farrier Sergeant, No. 517 Shoeing Smith Corporal GH Goodall (Reserve)Service Number: 26
Colony or State of enlistment: SA, Place of Enlistment: Adelaide
Unit: 2nd South Australian Mounted Rifles
Rank attained in Boer War: SGT, Date Effective: 02/06/1899
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): LT, Date Effective: 09/01/1919
Murray Page: 349
Contingent: Second South Australian
Ship: SS Surrey, Date of Sailing: 21/01/1900
Memorial details: Adelaide Boer War Memorial (made in his image)
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with five clasps, Coronation Medal 1902, Colonial Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct medal 1910.
Personal Characteristics: George the farrier is recalled as a strongly built man. He and his assistant had fine voices and would sing popular songs while working.
Reasons to go and fight: A serving soldier.
Details of service in war: Service: March 1900 - October 1900 or March 1901 in northwest Cape Colony, Free State, and east Transvaal; joined to first SA contingent April-October 1900, most of contingent then becoming part of Australian Mounted Infantry Brigade c. November 1900-March 1901; H. H. Morant was a non-commissioned officer in the contingent The first South Australian contingent for the war in South Africa having been raised and despatched, GO No.l HQ Staff Office Adelaide, 13 January 1900, gives instructions for raising a Mounted Unit for war service. Among other appointments is a list of men from whom the Contingent would be selected. G H Goodall was appointed Farrier Sergeant with the Regimental Number of 26.
The Second Contingent left Adelaide on the transport Surrey, 26 January 1900 and disembarked at Cape Town 25 February 1900. The men encamped al Maitland then proceeded to De Aar, Britstown and Prieska under the command of Colonel Adye, then returned to De Aar and entrained for Norval's Point, marching thence to Bloemfontein where the squadron united with the First South Australian Contingent to form the South Australian Mounted Rifles. This unit joined the Fourth Corps of the First Mounted Infantry Brigade commanded by Major-General ETH Hutton.
The Fourth Corps took part in fighting in Karee-Brandfort, marched to Johannesburg as the advanced guard to XI Division, participated in the taking of Johannesburg and were first into the fort, followed by the capture of Pretoria and the battle of Diamond Hill. The South Australians camped at Donker Hoek and Rhenosier Fontein from 13 June to 28 July, then engaged in a series of marches to Komati Poort where they took part in a review in honour of the King of Portugal's birthday, returning then by train to Pretoria in the 9lh of October.
From the Observer, Farrier Major George H Goodall of the Second Contingent has sent a letter to his parents from which we publish the following extracts:-
"Donkeyhoek, June 28. A lot of Australians live at Johannesburg, and if ever I settle in South Africa it will be there. There is so much go there and plenty of money about. Blacksmiths get from 20 shillings to 25s a day and board is about 30s a week. They are offering Australians every chance of getting good Government jobs and have invited applications for any billets they like to apply for. South Africa is a fine place, but give me dear old South Australia. I suppose you have heard of my promotion; it has come out in general orders now from headquarters, and it is an Imperial appointment, thus making it worth all the more. The position I now hold is Farrier Major to the 4th Mounted Regiment, which includes the Yorks, Warwicks, Comwalls and Shropshires (Imperial regulars), Victorians, South Australians and the Tasmanians. We are under Colonel Henry and the 4th Mounted Infantry Regiment holds the reputation of being the crack of the brigade. The South Austs have got off very luckily, as we had only three men wounded in the march from Bloemfontein to Pretoria. We were scouting or fanning the advance guard, thus being the leading unit in the column.
The Boers made a determined stand at Pretoria, but our artillery proved too good for them so they had to clear out after losing about two hundred men. My poor old faithful charger died at Boxberg, and his death I regretted much, as he was quite a friend to me. Since then I have had four others which I have lost, including one I had shot under me at Johannesburg. The poor horses have had a terribly rough time. When we got to Germiston, which is about four miles from Johannesburg, they wanted a patrol of one officer, three sergeants and fifty men, and being short of sergeants, they asked me to go and I went. They said we were only to see if the waterworks were safe; but no sooner had we got a mile from the camp than bullets came all around us, and they kept up the business until we got there. We got a position on a kopje and returned the complement by giving them lead. While we were at it we noticed some of them running towards the town. Our officer called for volunteers to chase them and try and take them prisoners. I was asked to go with them, so off we galloped, and succeeded in catching ten men, all fully armed, and four horses. Eight men and I galloped right into Johannesburg, we being the first British soldiers to enter the town. During the day our party shot ten Boers and took ten prisoners, one wagon loaded with ammunition and one light van, for which we were highly complimented by our commanding officer. We are now bivouacked twenty miles from Pretoria, which is far healthier than being in the town, where there is so much fever."
Part of the Second Contingent left for Australia with the First Contingent on the 3 November 1900. The remainder were attached to the Mounted Infantry Brigade and saw further service in the east and north-east of Transvaal until March 1901.
The squadron embarked at Cape Town on the Tongariro and landed in Sydney on 1 May 1901. Twenty-three South Australians left for Adelaide, while Major Reade CB and the remainder proceeded overland to Melbourne for the Commonwealth celebrations. Major Reade and the men arrived in Adelaide on Monday 13 May 1901. The Contingent was granted a bonus of thirty days pay by the State Government and was disbanded on 15 May 1901.
Service and life after the Boer War: He was part of the 1902 Coronation Contingent during which time he became involved in the Boer War memorial project for the North Adelaide statue
"Colonel Cameron, the commanding officer of the Australian Corps, sent Mr Goodall to Captain Jones, and thereupon consulted him about the accoutrements worn by South Australian soldiers during the South African War and about the attitude likely to be adopted by a trooper when surprised by the enemy. He then persuaded Mr Goodall to sit for him for half a day during which he made a clay model of Mr Goodall's head."
A comparison of a photograph of Mr Goodall, taken in 1902 with the statue itself certainly indicates a strong facial likeness.
"Mr Goodall made it clear that he did not pose on horseback, and that the model was confined to his head. He also insisted that he was not selected for this purpose on account of any outstanding merit on his part as a soldier during the South African War."
The sculptor, Adrian Jones MVO is responsible for many noted works including the Quadriga on Wellington Arch, Piccadilly, London and the Cavalry Memorial for WW1 in Hyde Park.
Following the return of George to South Australia, Captain Jones sent him a painting of King Edward's racehorse "Persimmon".
George's career in the Light Horse must have continued successfully as shown by the Commonwealth Gazette No. 50, 6 August 1910, p. 1368. Under Awards of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal is found:
16th Australian Light Horse Regiment (South Australian Mounted Rifles) No. 517 Warrant Officer G H Goodall, Regimental Sergeant Major.During World War One he remained on home service with his Light Horse unit as RSM.
The Commonwealth Gazette, No. 3 Thursday 9 January 1919, p. 30, also MO 19 11/1/19 give the following:
"4th Military District, 3rd Light Horse (South Australian Mounted Rifles) Warrant Officer George Henry Goodall to be transferred to the retired list with the honorary rank of Lieutenant and with permission to retain such rank and wear the prescribed uniform."George was a member of the RSL 1918-1919. On 30 July 1942 George Goodall passed away at his Challa Gardens residence, aged 70 years.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Jack Goodall, Klemzig SA
Relationship to Ancestor: NephewName of Descendant: Heath Benjamin Richter, Salisbury East SA
Relationship to Ancestor: Great, great nephew
