In Memory of SAMUEL GOODALL Corporal R/10384 3rd Battalion King's Own Rifle Corps Who Died of Wounds on Thursday, 8th March 1917 Age 32 Buried Grave 1754 Milra British Cemetery, Kalamaria, Greece Commemorated in Perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission & Remembered with Honour

Milra British Cemetery, Kalamaria, Greece1

Samuel Goodall was born in Carlton, Notts in 1886², the youngest of seven children of Henry (b. c1845 Ash, Hampshire) and Anna Goodall (b. c1849, Ash, Hampshire, née Appleford³). Henry and his family moved to Sneinton, Nottingham in about 1872 and Carlton, Notts in about 1880. In 1891 he and his wife and family were living at Standhill Road, Carlton with Henry working as a fitter.⁴.

In 1905, Samuel married Mary Ellen Sneath (b. 1884, Nottingham), and set up home at 79 Shaw Street, Ilkeston with Samuel working as a stationary engine man at a brickworks ⁵. A son, Samuel, was born in 1909 and another, Anthony, in 1910⁶.

Samuel is believed to have enlisted with the Kings Own Rifle Corps in February 1915 ⁷ and was attached to its 3rd Battalion. The battalion had left for France in December 1914 and, as part of 80th Brigade, 27th Division, saw action at St Eloi and in The Second Battle of Ypres. Samuel would have joined them in France, later in 1915, after his initial training. In November 1915 they were ordered to Salonika and sailed from Marseilles on the 18th, arriving on the 5th of December, reinforcing a combined Franco-British force which had landed at Salonika (now called Thessalonika) in October to assist the Serbs against Bulgarian aggression. Although the force arrived too late to prevent the defeat of the Serbs. it was retained there to counter further Bulgarian aggression. In the pause that followed, in the early months of 1916, the British units, later joined by French, Italians and Russians, dug-in to prepare for further attacks, with a major trench system reinforced by vast amounts of barbed wire. A Bulgarian attempt to invade Greece in July was repulsed near Lake Doiran and, early in October, in co-operation with her allies on other parts of the front, the British began operations on the River Struma towards Serres. The campaign was successful with the capture of the Rupell Pass and advances to within a few miles of Serres.

It seems probably that Samuel, who had been promoted to Corporal at some time earlier, was wounded during these battles towards the end of 1916 and taken to a military hospital in Thessalonika where he died on 8th March 1917⁹. He was buried in or, more likely, his original burial was moved to, the nearby Mikra British Cemetery.

Mikra British Cemetery is situated in the Municipality of Kalamaria in the city of Thessaloniki just off Konstantinou Karamanlis Street between the army camp of Ntalipi pronounced Dalipi) and the Kalamaria Greek Communal Cemetery. The town was the base of the British Salonika Force and it contained, from time to time, eighteen general and stationary hospitals. The cemetery was opened in April 1917, remaining in use until 1920. It was greatly enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from a number of burial grounds in the area. It now contains 1,810 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, as well as 147 war graves of other nationalities¹⁰.

He was awarded the British & Victory medals¹¹.

Mary Ellen Goodall, his widow and their two children moved to live at 30 Windsor Street, Beeston, either during or shortly after the war. She was living there when Samuel's Army financial effects of £7 3s 4d were paid to her and their children on 22 June 1917 and when she received his War Gratuity of £10 on 27 October 1919¹². She remained a widow, living at the same Windsor Street address until her death in 1969, aged 85¹³.

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Footnotes
¹The photograph of Milra British Cemetery is from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. (http://www.cwgc.org)
²His birth was recorded in Carlton Registration District in Q1/1886 Ref 7b 254, He was baptised at St Matthias, Sneinton, Nottingham on 29 February 1886.
³Their marriage is recorded in Whitchurch Registration District, Hampshire in Q4/1866 (Ref 2c 403)
⁴1891 Census, Piece 2678 Folio 47. Samuel was aged 5. His siblings are Charles (b. c1868), Henry William (b. c1871), Elizabeth (b. 1873), Ann (b. c1875), John (b. 1881), Arthur (b. 1888). There was also Frank (b. 1883)
⁵1911 Census, Piece 20418 RD429 SD2 ED27 Sched 233. Their marriage is recorded in Nottingham Registration District in Q2/1905 (Ref 7b 677)
⁶Samuel was born on 7 May 1909 and was registered in Basford Registration District in Q2/1909 (Ref 7b 323). Anthony was born on 28 Dec 1910 and was registered in Basford Registration District in Q2/1911 (Ref 7b 237)
⁷As Corporal Goodall's Service Record has not survived, his likely enlistment date has been calculated based on the amount of his Service Gratuity.
⁸Details of the Battalion's early movements are from the War Memories Project website (http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=6476).
This account of the Salonika campaign is based on that on the Long, Long Trail website (www.1914-1918.net/salonika.htm)
⁹There is a mention of 'Northumberland Field Ambulance, Stavros' on his record in the Army Registers- of Soldiers' Effects. Its case and operations book survives and is held by the Royal Medical Society. This has not been seen by the author of this page.
¹⁰This description of Milra British Cemetery is based on that included on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
¹¹Samuel's medal awards are recorded on his Medal Card, available on ancestry.com. Unfortunately, no embarkation date is recorded on the card
¹²Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929, available on ancestry.com.
¹³Her death was registered in Basford Registration District (of which Beeston was part) in Q4/1969 (Ref 3c 895

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