A scarce Edwardian era 'China River Gunboat Service' & Great War campaign and long service group of 4: Chief Petty Officer William Godley, Royal Navy, late China River Gunboat, H.M.S. Teal

- 1914-15 Star (160669 W. Godley. P.O., R.N.)
- British War Medal. Silver issue (160669 W. Godley. C.P.O. R.N.)
- Interallied Victory Medals (160669 W. Godley. C.P.O. R.N.)
- Naval LS&GC Medal. EVII issue (160669 William Godley P.O., H.M.S. Teal.)

William Godley, was a native of St. Georges, Middlesex, England, where he was born on, 21 February 1876. Immediately prior to joining the Royal Navy, William had been a boy on the Training Ship 'Exmouth'. William joined the Royal Navy on, 26 May 1891, as a Boy Second Class. He was advanced Petty Officer First Class on 19 November 1902. The 'plum posting' of his Naval career took place prior to the Great War, when he served overseas on the China Station in the Far East (where the Naval Headquarters of the China Fleet, were head-quartered at Hong Kong Colony) where he served aboard the River Gunboat H.M.S. Teal, where his ship had a busy time patrolling the Yangtze River, in the period 18 March 1910 to 12 April 1912 - importantly his service there encompassed the entire period of the historic 1911 Revolution. William was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on the China Station, on, 4 April 1911, at which time he received a very rare pre-war issue medal named to H.M.S. Teal. Subsequent to the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, Petty Officer Godley, served aboard H.M.S. Africa thru to, 8 September 1916, William was advanced to Chief Petty Officer on, 1 August 1917. Chief Petty Officer Godley was shore demobilised on 19 February 1919

The 1911 Revolution: Also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a decade of agitation, revolts, and uprisings, and is credited with lasting between 10 October 1911 to 12 February 1912

H.M.S. Teal: Was one of the first generation of 'Yangtze River Gunboats'. H.M.S. Teal and her sister H.M.S. Moorhen, which were slightly larger versions of their immediate predecessors H.M.S. Woodcock and H.M.S. Woodlark. They served on the middle and upper river between 1901 and 1931. These were not large vessels, displacing only 85 tons. They were armed with two 6-pounder guns and four single machine guns, and had a draught of 2 feet. These vessels had few modern comforts, originally with no electrical power and for “comfort” nothing more elaborate than canvas screens around earth closets. However, these deficiencies were made good by 1908. The patent for their design was bought by the U.S. government and later used for their gunboats U.S.S. Palos and U.S.S. Monocacy

Sold together with a hard-copy photocopied 'Service Sheet'

Condition: The silver medals toned, about EF

Code: 23941