Samuel's Story.
Samuel Goodier, was one of three sons of Thomas and Mary Goodier of 25 Oakwood Lane Barnton. He was employed at the Brunner Mond & Co works in Winnington and is commemorated on their memorial. He enlisted in Northwich with his older brother George, and it has been reported that as the recruitment band marched through the village of Barnton, the two brothers ran out of the house and joined the other eager recruits following he band. Sam was given Reg No 17047 and his brother 17048, both joined the 11th Cheshires. The brothers arrived in France on 25th September 1915 and Sam wrote his parents a letter on 1st July 1916
“We are billeted just behind the firing line and are now expecting to go up to the trenches any time now, but don’t worry as we are trusting that we shall pull through again with a bit of luck. On the 3rd July the 11th Cheshires were involved with the 25th Divsion in 75th Brigade attacking Thiepval from the direction of Authuille. Due to the late changing of orders and communciations being down, the battalion went forward with little artillery support . They walked into murdurous machine gun fire. On the morning of the 4th , very few men where left, of the 20 officiers and 657 men who went into the attack, on a roll call on the 6th , 6 officiers and 50 men remained.
We know how Sam died because his brother George wrote the following letter home dated 5th July 1916.
“Dear father and mother, it is most painful for me to have to write you this time and tell you that our Sam has been killed, having met his death on Monday July 3rd. He was hit with shrapnel through the heart. Please don’t worry about me, as I will be OK, trusting my life to gods protection. “
Sam has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and also the Brunner Mond Memorial
George survived the war and was demobbed in March 1919.
The middle son, John had joined up on 31st August 1914, Reg No 13155, 10th Cheshires. He wrote to his parents on June 2nd 1916,
”I have got two wounds in my left leg, and fracture. I hope you will not worry about it as i shall pull through. Three shells dropped in the same place, and i could not move when I got to the dressing station. They actually dropped another on the dressing station, so I had a narrow escape, I am going through a lot of pain, but I reckon I shall have to put up with that “.
John was not to rejoin the conflict, being placed in the 3rd Cheshires, then being discharged in July 1917 and given a silver wound badge.
The information regarding the letters and the picture of Sam where obtained from the Northwich Guardian.
John eventully lost his leg and returned to Barnton to live out the rest of his life. However, the story passed down to his relatives was that John was actually 24 hrs in no mans land before being treated. he obviously wouldn't relay this to his parents.
Compiled By Graeme Ainsworth.
Northwich Guardian. 14 July 1916.