William Edmund Goodenough

Admiral Sir William E. Goodenough, 1919.
Photograph: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR William Edmund Goodenough, G.C.B., M.V.O. F.R.G.S., R.N. (2 June, 1867 – 30 January, 1945) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He is chiefly remembered for his service in command of light cruisers during the First World War.

Early Life & Career

William Edmund Goodenough was born in Portsmouth on 2 June, 1867, the son of Captain James G. Goodenough, R.N. and Victoria Henrietta Hamilton. While serving as Commodore on the Australian Station his father died on 20 August, 1875, after being wounded by natives on the island of Santa Cruz in the Solomon Islands. On 15 January, 1880, he joined the training ship Britannia at Dartmouth. He left on 23 December, 1881, with two months' time out of a possible twelve towards being rated as a Midshipman. He was appointed to the cruiser Northampton on the North America and West Indies Station on 10 January, 1882.

Goodenough was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 23 August, 1889.

He was promoted to the rank of Commander with seniority of 30 June, 1900.

Goodenough was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1905, upon the retirement of Lord Walter Kerr as First Sea Lord.

He was appointed in command of the battleship Albemarle on 25 August, 1907.

Goodenough was appointed in command of the battleship Vengeance on 12 September, 1908.

He served as captain of Duncan from December 1908 until August of 1910.

He was appointed in command of the armoured cruiser Cochrane on 3 January, 1911.

On 5 July 1913, Goodenough was appointed in command of the light cruiser Southampton as she was transferring to the First Light Cruiser Squadron, a command he'd retain until the end of 1916.

Great War

He commanded the Second Light Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland from the bridge of his flagship, the light cruiser Southampton.

In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June, 1916, Goodenough was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.). He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 10 June, 1916.

Goodenough was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 1 January, 1919. He struck his flag as Rear-Admiral in the Second Battle Squadron on 31 March, and on 1 May he was appointed Admiral Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard. On 26 May, 1920, he ceased duty at Chatham and on the same day was appointed Commander-in-Chief on the Africa Station. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 31 July.

Goodenough struck his flag as Command in Chief, Africa Station on 2 August, 1922 and embarked on S.S. Windsor Castle to return to England two days later. On 3 October, 1923, he was appointed Vice-Admiral Commanding the Reserve Fleet, which command he held until 4 March, 1924. The following day he was appointed Commander-in-Chief at the Nore. He was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 8 May, 1925, vice Gough-Calthorpe. Following the death of the Second Sea Lord, Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, on 2 April, he was apparently offered the position but declined it according to Sir Vincent W. Baddeley, at the time First Principal Assistant Secretary to the Board of Admiralty. Goodenough handed over command at the Nore on 16 May, 1927.

On 23 May, 1930, he was placed on the Retired List.

He died on 30 January, 1945.

See Also

• Second L.C.S. (Royal Navy) at the Battle of Jutland

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir William Goodenough" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 31 January, 1945. Issue 50055, col C, p. 7.
• Goodenough, Admiral Sir William (1943). A Rough Record. London: Hutchinson & Co..

Papers

• Papers in the possession of the Imperial War Museum.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/88.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/42.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Lawrence de W. Satow	Captain of H.M.S. Espiegle 1 May, 1905	Succeeded by Trevylyan Dacres Willes Napier
Preceded by New Command	Captain of Royal Naval College, Dartmouth 1 May, 1905 – 20 Aug, 1907	Succeeded by Trevylyan D. W. Napier
Preceded by Charles H. Cross	Captain of Training Ship H.M.S. Britannia 1 May, 1905 – 20 Aug, 1907	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Robert F. Scott	Captain of H.M.S. Albemarle 25 Aug, 1907 – 25 Aug, 1908	Succeeded by Henry W. Grant
Preceded by Charles E. Anson	Captain of H.M.S. Vengeance 12 Sep, 1908 – 27 Nov, 1908	Succeeded by Bentinck J. D. Yelverton
Preceded by Arthur W. Ewart	Captain of H.M.S. Duncan 27 Nov, 1908 – 9 Aug, 1910	Succeeded by Frederick L. Field
Preceded by Cecil S. Hickley	Captain of H.M.S. Cochrane 3 Jan, 1911 – 10 Aug, 1912	Succeeded by William G. E. Ruck-Keene
Preceded by Dudley R. S. de Chair	Captain of H.M.S. Colossus 10 Aug, 1912 – 5 Jul, 1913	Succeeded by George W. Smith
Preceded by Arthur A. M. Duff	Captain of H.M.S. Southampton 5 Jul, 1913 – c. 6 Jun, 1916	Succeeded by Edward A. Rushton
Preceded by New Command	Commodore 2nd Class Commanding, First Light Cruiser Squadron 5 Jul, 1913 – Feb, 1915	Succeeded by Edwyn S. Alexander-Sinclair as Rear-Admiral Commanding, First Light Cruiser Squadron
Preceded by Trevylyan D. W. Napier	Commodore Second Class Commanding, Second Light Cruiser Squadron 8 Feb, 1915 – 5 Dec, 1916	Succeeded by Cecil F. Lambert as Commodore First Class Commanding, Second Light Cruiser Squadron
Preceded by Edward A. Rushton	Captain of H.M.S. Southampton 21 Jun, 1916 – c. 5 Nov, 1916	Succeeded by William E. Goodenough
Preceded by Mortimer L'E. Silver	Captain of H.M.A.S. Melbourne 5 Nov, 1916 – c. 17 Nov, 1916	Succeeded by Edward A. Rushton
Preceded by William E. Goodenough	Captain of H.M.S. Southampton 18 Nov, 1916 – 5 Dec, 1916	Succeeded by Halton S. Lecky
Preceded by Arthur C. Leveson	Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Second Battle Squadron 5 Dec, 1916 – 31 Mar, 1919	Succeeded by Sir Douglas R. L. Nicholson
Preceded by Arthur D. Ricardo	Admiral Superintendent, Chatham Dockyard 1 May, 1919 – 26 May, 1920	Succeeded by Lewis Clinton-Baker
Preceded by The Hon. Edward S. Fitzherbert as Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station and West Africa Station	Commander-in-Chief, Africa Station 18 Jun, 1920 – 2 Aug, 1922	Succeeded by Sir Rudolf W. Bentinck
Preceded by Sir Douglas R. L. Nicholson	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Reserve Fleet ? – 4 Mar, 1924	Succeeded by The Hon. Sir Victor A. Stanley
Preceded by Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas	Commander-in-Chief at the Nore 5 Mar, 1924	Succeeded by Sir Edwyn S. Alexander-Sinclair
Court Appointments
Preceded by Sir Richard F. Phillimore	First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp 6 Oct, 1929 – 23 May, 1930	Succeeded by Sir Edwyn S. Alexander-Sinclair