Herman James Good (29 November 1887 – 18 April 1969) was a soldier in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. Good received the award for his actions during the Battle of Amiens in August 1918, while fighting around Hangard Wood. Good survived the war and returned to Canada. After his discharge from the military in 1919, Good worked in the lumber industry and then later as a fish and game warden. He died of a stroke in 1969, at the age of 81.

Early life

Good was born on 29 November 1887 in South Bathurst,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada. He was one of fourteen children of Walter and Rebecca Good. He was educated at the local public school and involved in lumber operations in the area.

First World War

On 29 June 1915, Good enlisted in the

(CEF) on 29 June 1915 in Sussex, New Brunswick. He embarked for England in late October 1915. Arriving there the following month, he was posted to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion serving on the Western Front. In April 1916, he transferred to the 13th (Royal Highlanders of Canada) Battalion, 3rd Brigade,

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and ...

. Two months later, he received gunshot wounds to his buttocks which required six weeks of treatment before he could return to his unit. He experienced a bout of shell shock in early October and was in and out of care for the next several weeks. He was back with the 13th Battalion by early 1917. He became an acting lance corporal in mid-1917, following a further period in hospital with the

mumps MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gen ...

, and his rank was made substantive by the end of the year. In May 1918, he was promoted again, to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

. On 8 August 1918, the opening day of the Battle of Amiens, and the beginning of the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

, the 3rd Brigade, accompanied by a battalion of tanks, was at the forefront of the 1st Division's advance. The 13th Battalion had secured Aubercourt village but became held up by machine gun posts in the vicinity of

Hangard Wood Hangard Wood is a locality south of Villers-Bretonneux northern France. It was the site of Hangard village and a battle in World WarI. The battle of Hangard Wood was part of the German offensive Operation Michael, in the Arras– Saint-Quentin– ...

. At the head of his company, Good attacked the machine guns and put them out of action. Later in the day he located a battery of field guns and led a group of men in the capture of them. Good's battalion was able to push on to its objective and consolidate its positions. He was recognised for his deeds of 8 August 1918 by being awarded the Victoria Cross (VC). The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. The citation for Good's VC read: The next month, Good was promoted to

lance sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is a military appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal ...

. He received his VC in a ceremony at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on 29 March 1919. Soon afterwards, Good returned to Canada aboard the RMS ''Olympic''. He was formally discharged from the CEF on 26 April 1919.

Later life

Good resumed his pre-war employment, working in the lumber industry. He later became a fish and game warden, serving in this capacity for 20 years. In his retirement, he lived in Bathurst, where on 13 April 1969 he suffered a stroke. He died five days later. After a funeral service at St George's Church, he was buried with military honours in St Alban's Cemetery in Bathurst. He was survived by two sons; his wife had predeceased him by several years as had a third son. After his death, Good's VC was inherited by one of his sons; Frank Good. It, along with his other war service medals, is now held by the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (CWM) () is a National museums of Canada, national museum on the military history of Canada, country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military hist ...

, which purchased them in December 2013.

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

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External links

Herman James Good's digitized service file

Legion Magazine on Herman James Good
{{DEFAULTSORT:Good, Herman James 1887 births 1969 deaths Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Bathurst, New Brunswick Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada soldiers Canadian military personnel from New Brunswick Canadian military personnel of World War I