Edmond Goff

EDMUND GOFF

Rank: Private

Service No: 415

Units Served: 6th Reinforcement of 12th Machine Gun Company
                       5th Machine Gun Company
                       13th Machine Gun Company

Personal Details: Edmund Goff was born in August 1891 in Kentisbeare, Devonshire, England. His father was John Goff,  with his mother being Annie, he also had four brothers Charles, Henry, Arthur and Harold and two sisters Bessie and Rose Ellen. He was a bakery worker by trade. He boarded the ship Roscommon at the age of 22 receiving ticket number 173, but in the ship registers he is said to be a farm laborer although he never worked as one, even after arriving in Australia at the port, Brisbane on the 27th August 1912. Upon arriving he boarded with a Mrs Reed in Sachs Street Cairns, until the time of enlisting for the war.

Enlistment Details: Enlisted as a volunteer at Townsville on the 13th May 1916

Details about his role in the war: He left Melbourne, Victoria, on HMAT,A17, “Port Lincoln” on the 20th October 1916 at the age of 25, before being transferred on the 5th December 1916 on to the Ulysses at Sierra Leone.  He disembarked at Devonport on the 28th December 1916. On the 31st December he was marched in from oversees to Perham Downs. On the 13th February 1917 he was transferred to the 5th Divisional Machine Gun Company proceeded to France. On the 26th April 1917 he reinforced the 13th Machine Gun Company. On the 7th June 1917 the 13th MCG took part in the attack on Messines Ridge.

Death: On the 18th July at Ploegsteert the 13 MCG Co. were relieved by the 1st New Zealand Machine Gun Coy. The relief was complete by 2pm. They arrived at Transport lines at English Farm at 4pm. There was only one casualty, and that was Edmund Goff. He was declared Killed In Action on 18/07/1917. He was 27 years old.

Memorial Details: Mud Corner British cemetery, Warneton, Belgium (Plot 11, Row B, Grave N.2)

Interesting Details: Edmund’s Memorial Scroll and medals were sent to his father in England after his death.