Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Godfrey was the son of Walter GODFREY & Caroline HARRIS and was born on the 7th of November 1894 in Jervois Road, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand.
His registered birth name was Alfred GODFREY.

His parents were married on the 30th of August 1882 in Kensington, Middlesex, England.

His father was the son of John GODFREY & Charlotte Sarah COLE and was born on the 22nd of November 1857 in Bethnal Green, England.
His mother was the daughter of John HARRIS & Ann DYER and was born on the 27th of April 1858 in Hanover Square, Middlesex, England.

Godfrey’s 3 elder siblings were born in England and then in the early 1890’s his parents moved to New Zealand where his father was a bookseller.

Godfrey was the youngest child born into the family of 4 children.

Godfrey’s mother died of Puerpural Fever 11 days after giving birth to Godfrey and his father buried her in the Purewa Cemetery.
His father then brought the family to South Australia where they took up residence with Caroline’s younger sister and her husband; Bertram & Louisa PEAGAM at “St Heliers”, Cheltenham Street, Malvern.

Godfrey was only 20 months old when his father died on the 23rd of September 1896 in the “Kalyra Sanatorium”, Belair, and Bertram & Louisa buried him in the Mitcham General Cemetery.

Godfrey and his brother Walter remained with Bertram & Louisa as they had no children.
They had had a stillborn daughter 2 months after Godfrey was born and Louisa was 2 months pregnant when Godfrey’s father died.

Bertram and Louisa had married on the 15th of November 1893 in the Archer Street Wesleyan Church, North Adelaide, SA.
Bertram was the son of John James Reeves PEAGAM & Eliza ANDREWS and was born on the 29th of December 1863 in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.

Bertram was a draper and had immigrated to South Australia on the 1st of September 1889 on board the Lusitania.
Louisa was a nurse and was affectionately known as Nurse Bessie.

As Godfrey was only an infant, Bertram and Louisa adopted him and changed his name to Godfrey Alfred PEAGAM.

Bertram was a well known singer and a member of the Adelaide Orpheus Society.
He supported Signor Foli, the world renown English basso in Adelaide with Miss Ada Jemima Crossley, contralto.
He was also a member of the YMCA Quartet and an accomplished soloist.

Godfrey was 8 years old when Bertram died on the 2nd of June 1903 in the Adelaide Hospital and they buried in the Mitcham General Cemetery; Section A, Plot 7.

The Peagam family then moved to 68 Park Terrace, Wayville and whilst at school Godfrey attended the Senior Cadets and when he aged out he transferred to the 79th Infantry at Torrens.

He attended the Muirden College and in May 1911 Godfrey passed his Junior Clerkships Civil Service examination.
He gained employment as a clerk with South Australian Railways at the Islington Workshop and was engaged under Mr. F. M. Russell, the Locomotive Inspector.

On the 1st of July 1914 he joined the 31st Army Service Corps.

At the age of 19, Godfrey enlisted into the AIF on the 26th of August 1914 in Morphettville and was allotted the service number 848 and posted to the 1st Divisional Train, 4th Company ASC (Army Service Corps).

On the 1st of September 1914 a farewell was held for Godfrey in the office of the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Islington Works.
Godfrey was presented with an inscribed wristlet watch and gold chain from his fellow-officers, coupled with a personal gift of a set of safety razors.
Some 60 members of the clerical staff were present, and after enthusiastic cheers for the King and the singing of "He's a Jolly Good Fellow”, Godfrey fittingly responded.

Godfrey embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A7 Medic on the 20th of October 1914 and disembarked on the 13th of December in Alexandria.

His brother Reginald enlisted into the 10th Battalion on the 22nd of April 1915 (2484) and 3 days later Godfrey was anchored off of Kaba Tepe.
Reginald embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A61 Kanowna on the 23rd of June 1915.

Godfrey went on to serve in several Supply Units and after more than 4 years overseas he was granted permission to return to Australia at his request and expense and he embarked from Liverpool on board the Orduna on the 9th of November 1918.
He sailed to America where he enjoyed a few weeks touring before he embarked on the Ventura at San Francisco on 3rd of December.

Godfrey disembarked in Adelaide on the Christmas Day 1918 and was discharged from the AIF on the 22nd of February 1919.

Whilst he was overseas his mother purchased a home at 19 Green Hill Road, Dulwich and Godfrey moved back home and regained his employment with the South Australian Railways.

On the 18th of September 1919 Godfrey was the Secretary of the Returned Army Service Corps and Motor Transport Corps Men when they held their inaugural meeting in the Cheer Up Hut. At the meeting it was decided to form a regimental club, to be known as the "Army Service Corps Club" and Godfrey was elected as Secretary and Treasurer.

By 1922 he was a Lieutenant in the ASC (Militia) and in May 1926 when his brother Reginald married Winifred E HARRIS in the Pirie Street Methodist Church, Godfrey was best man.
In 1929 Godfrey tried to join the RAAF in a commission roll but was declined due to his age, so returned to the ASC.

In May 1932 Godfrey and his fellow officers entertained Vice-Admiral Nobujiro Imamura and his fleet and was personally thanked by Vice-Admiral Imamura.
Godfrey was also the supply officer for ASC Senior Cadets and sponsored the Peagam Cadet Trophy.

Godfrey then joined the RANVR (Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve) in 1933 and on the 1st of January 1934 he was appointed Paymaster Sub-Lieutenant and was appointed to HMAS Canberra in October for training for 2 weeks.

In April 1937 he was appointed to HMAS Yarra for 4 weeks and on the 30th of June 1937 he was promoted to Paymaster Lieutenant.
On the 4th of April 1939 he was appointed to HMAS Hobart for 10 days of training and whilst he was there he received to Volunteers Officer Decoration.
In the same year he was appointed Secretary of the Pt Adelaide Division of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve.
In September Godfrey was appointed to HMAS Cerberus IV at Western Point as Base Staff until the 1st of August 1940 when he was appointed to HMAS Torrens Naval Depot in Pt Adelaide.

At some time Godfrey left from Townsville for Milne Bay where he investigated a transport situation.

His mother died in on the 6th of October 1943 and he buried her in the Mitcham General Cemetery with Bertram.
On the 31st of December 1945 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and reappointed to training base HMAS Lonsdale in Melbourne.

From 1946 – 1947 he was the Secretary of the SA Naval Officers Club and on the 15th of November 1946 he was made ADC (Aide-de-camp) to the Governor of South Australia.
In July 1947 he was appointed Secretary to Commander Burwood of HMAS Lonsdale (Melbourne Naval Training Centre) in Melbourne and on the 23rd of January 1948 he was transferred to HMAS Torrens, Naval Depot in Pt Adelaide.

Godfrey was reappointed to ADC and re-elected to Secretary and auditor of the SA Naval Officers Club.
On the 7th of November 1952 he was transferred to toe NARVR retired list.
He continued his appointment as Secretary of the SA Naval Officers Club and lived at 273 Greenhill Road, Dulwich.

On the 6th of August 1977 Godfrey collapsed in James Place, Adelaide and was admitted into the Myrtle Bank Soldiers Home.
Here remained here and was permanently admitted on the 24th of October 1977.

Godfrey died on the 15th of February 1982 in the Myrtle Bank Soldiers Home and was buried on the 13th of December 1984 in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Lower V82.

It is possible that he donated his body to science considering he wasn’t buried for nearly 3 years after his death and he was buried with 4 other people on the same day and in a grave that already had a burial in it.

Military

At the age of 19, Godfrey enlisted into the AIF on the 26th of August 1914 in Morphettville and was allotted the service number 848 and posted to the 1st Divisional Train, 4th Company ASC (Army Service Corps).
He listed his mother, of 68 Park Terrace, Wayville, as his next of kin.

Godfrey embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A7 Medic on the 20th of October 1914 and arrived in Fremantle 5 days later to pick up members of the 11th Battalion.
They embarked from Fremantle on the 31st of October and anchored fro 2 days at Gage Roads before joining the first convoy at sea on the 3rd of November.
On their voyage to Colombo the Cruiser HMAS Sydney attacked and beached the German Cruiser Emden near the Cocos Islands on the 9th of November.

Six days later they arrived at Colombo and anchored for 2 days before sailing on the 17th for Aden.
Aden was reached on the 25th and they anchored overnight and the following morning they sailed for Port Said.
Two days later they received orders that they were to complete their training in Cairo so they then reached Suez on the 2nd of December and entered the Canal the following afternoon.

They spent 5 days anchored at Port Said and on arrival at Alexandria they were anchored in the harbour for 2 days before they disembarked on the 13th of December and entrained to Cairo and Mena Camp.

They spent Christmas 1914 here in training and loading ships and 3 months later they entrained to Alexandria and embarked on board HMT Malda on the 2nd of March 1915.
The following afternoon they sailed for Lemnos Island, arriving in Mudros Harbour 3 days later.
They practiced disembarking from the ship, but remained on board. On the 13th of April they began unloading 155 horses and had to sling them into barges, which took 2 days.

On the 24th of March and settled in Mudros Camp and began organising supplies.
On the 6th of April they embarked on board HMT Nizam and remained in the harbour where they took on launching pontoons from the Minnewaska.
At 12:40pm on the 24th of April they weighed anchor and sailed to Purnea Bay, arriving at 5pm. They weighed anchor again at 11:30pm and sailed for Kaba Tepe, arriving at 4:25am on the morning of the 25th they watched the infantry land on the peninsula amongst gunfire.

Godfrey and his Company remained on the Nizam watching the fighting unfold until 7:15pm when they were ordered to turn and proceed to Imbros. They arrived and anchored at Imbros at 8:15pm and remained on board where they pulled alongside the Suffolk on the morning of the 27th and took on 10 tonne of hay.
At 11:25am they sailed for Kaba Tepe arriving just after noon and received a heavy shell a few feet in front of their bow, as a welcome.
They lifted anchor and moved on further where they took on 33 wounded soldiers by mistake. The following evening they transferred the wounded onto the HS Galeka and began to unload the rations and the mules onto the peninsula.

As they were a logistic support and supply unit they duties involved the distribution of ammunition, food, water and equipment.

On the 12th of May they proceeded on a 2 day voyage back to Alexandria to disembark the horses. After this was completed they marched to Mex Camp and were placed in charged of the 3rd Brigade.

On the 10th of June Godfrey was attached as a temporary orderly to Colonel Jeremy Taylor MARSH, commanding officer of the 1st Australian Divisional Train, at the 17th General Hospital in Alexandria.
Colonel Marsh had been admitted into the hospital 3 days earlier after straining his back at Gallipoli.

When Colonel Marsh was discharged from hospital on the 23rd of June Godfrey embarked back to Gallipoli with him and was promoted to Temporary Corporal on the 3rd of August.
Colonel Marsh was transferred back to Alexandria on inspection duties on the 3rd of November and Godfrey remained at Gallipoli.

On the 19th of December he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and on the 23rd of December he finally left the peninsula for Mudros Harbour on board HMT Caledonia.
The following day they sailed for Alexandria and after spending Christmas 1915 on board the ship they arriving at Alexandria on the 27th of December and entrained to Zeitoun Camp.
On the 4th of December they entrained to Tel-el-Kebir and on the 25th of January they moved to Serapeum where they were allotted a front of 11 miles parallel to the Suez Canal and engaged in guarding the line of entrenchments.

On the reorganisation of the 1st Divisional Train Godfrey was transferred to the newly formed 17th Depot Unit of Supply in Tel-el-Kebir on the 7th of March.
The following day he was transferred to the 23rd Depot Unit of Supply which was attached to the 5th Australian Division.
They entrained to the Ferry Post on the 31st of March and took of the supply of rations and water duty from the New Zealand Mounted Supply Section.

On the 30th of May Godfrey was transferred to the 22nd Depot Unit of Supply with the rank of Warrant Officer I.
They proceeded to Moascar on the 3rd of June and 12 days later they entrained to Alexandria and embarked on SS Horarato, with the 30th Battalion, for Marseilles.
Arriving in Marseilles on the 23rd they disembarked the following day and entrained to Rouen, a journey of 3 days.

They attended an instruction school and were then given the supply depot at St Wandrille, near Caudebec-en-Caux, to work.
Christmas 1916 was spent here and on the 9th of January 1917 Godfrey was granted 2 weeks leave to England before rejoining his unit.

On the 29th of April Godfrey was detached to duty with the 1st Repair Shop MTASC (Motor Transport Army Service Corps) in Paris for 4 weeks before rejoining his unit.
He was then attached to the attached to 18th AASC Company on the 4th of July for 2 months before being transferred to 25th Depot Unit of Supply at No.3 Base Supply Depot in Boulogne on the 15th of September.
Godfrey spent Christmas 1917 here and was granted 2 weeks leave to Antibes on the 29th of December.

On the 7th of August Godfrey was selected and detached for training as a Flying Officer (pilot) in England.
Unfortunately after attending the training he was classified medically unfit to be a pilot and proceeded back to France and rejoined his unit on the 10th of September.

A few weeks later, on the 28th of September, Godfrey was temporarily detached to the AIF Headquarters in England, for transport duty to Australia.
Godfrey was granted permission to return to Australia at his request and expense and he embarked from Liverpool on board the Orduna on the 9th of November 1918.
He sailed to America where he enjoyed a few weeks touring before he embarked on the Ventura at San Francisco on 3rd of December.

Godfrey disembarked in Adelaide on the Christmas Day 1918 and was discharged from the AIF on the 22nd of February 1919.

He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.