GODSON, Edward [of Ossington]
Private, South Staffordshire Rgt.
By George Harper
Private Edward Godson served in the South Staffordshire Regiment. He was the son of Walter and Sarah Godson of Ossington. His civilian occupation was that of gardener and for 3 years he was employed at Ossington Hall before becoming Head Gardener for Colonel Darwin at Elston Hall. The Farndon connection came about through his marriage to Florence, a Farndon resident. He died as a result of wounds received from shellfire on September 15th 1917, aged 32, and is buried in Vlamertinghe military cemetery in Belgium. He is remembered not only on the Farndon memorial but also in Elston and Ossington. As was the case with all relatives of dead soldiers, Florence had the privilege of composing a brief epitaph for the gravestone. Her chosen inscription on her husband’s gravestone reads “Till the day break. Flo”. Florence returned to Farndon and lies buried in the same grave as her sister Cassandra and father Francis Cree in Farndon Cemetery and she is an illustration of another of the tragedies of war – she died in 1974 aged 92 and so spent the last 57 years of her life as a widow.
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