Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria including the collection to Naval Artificers formed by JH Deacon

Pair: Lieutenant (Pilot) G. A. Goodman, No. 66 Squadron, Royal Air Force, and Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, killed in aerial combat on 28 October 1918 in Italy

British War and Victory Medals (Lieut., R.A.F.) both with official corrections; together with memorial plaque (Gilbert Anthony Goodman); and a contemporary glazed oak display frame, with R.A.F. enamelled wings to top, this originally made to house the medals, but now lacking its backing board; and a photostat copy of a memorial volume, entitled ‘Gilbert Anthony Goodman, A Memorial Sketch By His Father 1895-1918’, printed for private circulation, 1920, 32pp, this being an excellent account of Goodman’s life, dealing almost entirely with his military service, and including excerpts from letters home, nearly extremely fine and a scarce casualty for the Italian campaign (3) £400-450

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars.

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Gilbert Anthony Goodman was killed in action whilst flying a Sopwith Camel, on an offensive patrol in Italy. He is buried in Tezze British Cemetery, Italy.

The following is extracted from The Times newspaper, 11 November 1918: ‘Lieutenant Gilbert Anthony Goodman, 10th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, attached Royal Air Force, who is reported to have been killed, was the only son of Mr and Mrs A. W. Goodman of The Cloisters, Temple, Kent. Born in 1895, he was educated at Westminster, and shortly after the war broke out he enlisted in the U.P.S. Brigade, from which he exchanged into the Inns of Court O.T.C. He was gazetted to a commission in December 1914, and shortly after ordered to the Front in France, where he took part in several engagements. Owing to being mistaken for another officer of a similar name he was erroneously reported by the War Office as being killed in action, and a brief notice of his career appeared in The Times of 20 April 1917. Happily three days afterwards this was duly corrected, and Lieutenant Goodman had the singular experience later of reading his own obituary notice. Some few weeks later he received a serious flesh wound in the thigh while leading his men in a gallant, and the unsuccessful assault on Greenland Hill, the plans for which he was understood carefully to have prepared. Being invalided home to England, he remained in various hospitals and convalescent homes until his recovery, and last spring he decided to join the Royal Air Force, and was gazetted on July 12th to a permanent Lieutenancy in the army, with seniority from September 1915. After receiving the usual course in training for the Air Service and receiving his wings as a pilot he was suddenly ordered to the Italian Front, and left on September the 11th last for an unknown destination.’

The following is extracted from The Times newspaper, 19 November 1918: ‘... His C.O. writes: “He was last seen fighting two enemy machines alone over an enemy aerodrome, and before the remainder of his patrol could get to his assistance, he was seen to be in difficulties, and go down to the ground. The two enemy machines were both engaged by another of our machines which came up shortly afterwards and both were destroyed by our machine. We all feel his loss very much indeed, as he was a splendid fellow, and was liked very much by both his officers and men, he had done excellent work in his squadron, especially during the push, when he was responsible for doing a large amount of damage to enemy troops and transport. It was an extremely stout effort leaving his patrol to attack singly two enemy machines, and if it had not been for an unlucky shot, I am sure he would have had two enemy machines to his credit...”