Goodale, Walter Henry.

Born at Farcet 14 August 1894.
Enlisted 4th August 1914 Lord Strathcona's Horse,
15th Canadian Res. Battalion, R.A.F.
Rank: Lieutenant.
Service: Western Front, France
Killed in action with enemy aircraft when return- ing from a bombing raid. Buried with his observer (Lt Prentice American Air Force) in St June cemetery, Alsace Lorraine.

A short history

Trio to Lieut. W.H.GOODALE R.A.F. with memorial plaque, Canadian memorial cross and log book that indicates that his last flight was on 1st August 1918.

He was on a bombing mission in a DH9 aeroplane D2960 of 104 Squadron Their target had been Karthaus but this was found to be covered in mist when they reached it, so Trèves railway workshops were bombed instead. The formation was attacked over Trèves and again over Boulay aerodrome. B formation met 24 enemy aircraft, Fokker DV11's of Jasta 67 one of these, piloted by UntOff. Hans Heinrich Marwede, shot him down over Wieingen. His aeroplane was seen to descend behind enemy lines with the petrol tank shot through. He was reported missing subsequently killed in action along with his Observer 2/Lt. Prentice of the U.S.A.S.

With the group is a Canadian memorial cross engraved to Lieut. W.H.GOODALE. : Two crosses could be awarded, one to the wife, if he were married and one to the mother. The one with this group is the one given to the wife; the Goodale family have the one awarded to the mother.
I recently visited Goodale family and they were kind enough to show it to me along with his father's, Cecil's, Military Cross group. The fact that he was with the Canadians is borne out by his 14/15 Star which is to Tpr. W.H.GOODALE Lord Strathcona's Horse. At the time of his service with the RAF he is shown as on attachment from the 46/Can Inf. He was a native of Wadena Sask. and Peterborough, England.

Also I have two photograph albums the first one showing him early in 1914 in a uniform of Lord Strathcona's Horse through to his officer training and joining the Royal Air Force and the other contains postcards that he sent to his wife, sent from France showing where he was at various times in his service. Some of the cards have clearly been censored as some of the cards have had the place name either inked out or in some cases scratched out.

He and his two brothers, Cecil and Reginald, emigrated from Peterborough at some time prior to the First World War. The fourth brother stayed on in Peterborough to carry on farming there. The brothers are mentioned in newspaper cuttings from Peterborough at the time of Walter Goodale going missing. There are fantastic photographs of not only the three brothers but postcard size photographs of all the men of Peakirk village that served in the First World War in the village hall. He was buried initially in St June cemetery in Alsace Lorraine but eventually with the CWGC at Chambieres in France.

In one album I have photographs of nurses and a V.A.D. Unit at Royston in Hertfordshire where his wife worked as a nurse. The Goodale home at that time was St Edmondsbury; she stayed on in Britain after his death.

Letters from the front.

(Offsite links to - Canadian Great War Project website)
Goodale - A case of telepathy ... Coincidence and shell fire.
Goodale - bad beer can be good ... Surviving the babtism of fire.
Glasgow - Bayonet charge at Festubert

Thanks to Bob Randall's search on the internet for information on Lt W Goodale, Lord Strathcona's Horse, attached R.A.F. I visited the family in the Peterborough area and from the information they and I had, this article appeared in the "Village Tribune". This magazine covers the parishes of St. Andrew; Northborough; St. Pega; Peakirk; St. Benedict; Glinton; St. Botolph; Helpston; St. Peter; Maxey and St. Stephen, Etton.