Portal:Gibraltar/Selected biography/9



General Sir Alexander John Godley KCB, KCMG (1867-1957) was a First World War general and served as Governor of Gibraltar. He is best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and British XXII Corps, although he was also Commander of the New Zealand Defence Force, and had been in 1910, when he was appointed on the advice of Lord Kitchener. During the Battle of Gallipoli he commanded the New Zealand and Australian Division.

Alexander Godley was born in Chatham, Kent, England, on 4 February 1867, the son of William Godley, a British Army Captain of Irish heritage. He attended Sandhurst Military Academy and, after graduating in 1886, was commissioned in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. He married Louisa Fowler in 1898 before serving in the Boer War. During his time in South Africa, Godley served with the Irish Guards. (more...)