John Henry Godfrey

John Henry Godfrey
John Henry Godfrey
	Godfrey as a Rear Admiral during World War II
Born	10 July 1888; Handsworth
Died	29 August 1970 (aged 82); Eastbourne
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Kent; HMS Suffolk; HMS Repulse; Royal Indian Navy
Battles/wars	First World War; Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath

Admiral John Henry Godfrey CB (10 July 1888 – 29 August 1970) was an officer of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy, specialising in navigation. Ian Fleming is said to have based James Bond's boss, "M", on Godfrey.

Life and career

Godfrey was born in Handsworth in 1888. He was the son of Godfrey Henry Godfrey, he was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham; Bradfield College;[1] and HMS Britannia. In 1921 he married Bertha Margaret,[2] daughter of Donald Hope; they had three daughters.[3]

During the First World War, Godfrey served on HMS Euryalus in the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915, and was present at the re-occupation of Sollum, during the bombardment of Smyrna, and in the Red Sea operations in support of the Arab forces. From 1916 to 1919 he was on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, and then from 1921 to 1931 he was Deputy Director at the Royal Naval Staff College.

From 1931 to 1933 he commanded the ships HMS Kent and HMS Suffolk on the China Station, before serving as Deputy Director, Plans Division at the Admiralty from 1933 to 1935. He commanded the battle-cruiser HMS Repulse from 1936 to 1939, then served as Director of Naval Intelligence from 1939 to 1942.[4] From 1943 to 1946 he was Flag Officer Commanding Royal Indian Navy. He was commanding the Royal Indian Navy during the Royal Indian Navy mutiny and went on air with his order to "Submit or perish".

Godfrey was made Captain in 1928, Rear-Admiral in 1939, Vice-Admiral in 1942 and Admiral on the retired list in 1945. As well as being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1939, he was also awarded the Order of the Nile of Egypt and made a Chevalier of the French Legion d'Honneur.[1]

After his retirement, Godfrey was Chairman of the Chelsea Hospital Management Committee from 1949 to 1960, and was a sometime member of the Board of Governors of Queen Charlotte's Hospital and the Chelsea Hospital for Women, and of the Council of King Edward's Hospital Fund for London and Roedean School. He founded the Centre for Spastic Children, Chelsea. Ian Fleming—who served under Godfrey in Naval Intelligence during World War II—based M,[5] the fictional head of MI6 and James Bond's superior, on him; Godfrey complained that Fleming "turned me into that unsavoury character, M".[6]

In 1966 and 1967 Godfrey gave his memoirs to Churchill College, Cambridge. These contain many unpublished sources and are based in part on an official history of the Naval Intelligence Division which he had written at the end of the war. Godfrey died in Eastbourne in 1970.

Principal source

Who Was Who

References

"The Papers of Admiral John Henry Godfrey". Janus. Cambridge University. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
"The Ladies who Secretly won the War". Written by Margy Kinmonth, about her grandmother, mother and grandfather Admiral Godfrey, who all worked secretly at Bletchley Park during WW2. Article features never before published personal correspondence, bundles of handwritten letters, private diaries and family photos. 19 July 2011.
"Obituary of Kathleen Kinmonth Warren". The Times. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
"Secret Admiral". Illustrated talk about Admiral Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence 1939 to 1941, by Margy Kinmonth, at the Celebrating Bletchley Park two-day Festival, at Firle Place on March 20th 2016. The talk featured previously unseen material unearthed in the preparation of the biography film "Secret Admiral” directed by Margy Kinmonth. Other speakers included Sir Dermot Turning (Alan Turing’s nephew) and Baroness Trumpington.
"Very Special Admiral". Illustrated talk by Margy Kinmonth, about her grandfather Admiral Godfrey, immortalised as “M” in the James Bond books written by Ian Fleming, his wartime assistant. The event was held at Wilmington, Folkington and Milton Street Village Club, Sussex on 6 March 2016, in the village where Godfrey lived from 1948 to 1980. The talk featured readings from his unpublished memoirs, previously unseen family photos, along with official wartime portraits by Cecil Beaton and society photographer Dorothy Wilding. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
Macintyre, Ben (5 April 2008). "Was Ian Fleming the real 007?". The Times. Retrieved 8 March 2011.

Military offices
Preceded by James Troup	Director of Naval Intelligence 1939–1942	Succeeded by Edmund Rushbrooke
Preceded by Sir Herbert Fitzherbert	Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy 1943–1946	Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Miles

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[janus-1] "The Papers of Admiral John Henry Godfrey". Janus. Cambridge University. Retrieved 31 October 2012.

[2] "The Ladies who Secretly won the War". Written by Margy Kinmonth, about her grandmother, mother and grandfather Admiral Godfrey, who all worked secretly at Bletchley Park during WW2. Article features never before published personal correspondence, bundles of handwritten letters, private diaries and family photos. 19 July 2011.

[3] "Obituary of Kathleen Kinmonth Warren". The Times. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

[4] "Secret Admiral". Illustrated talk about Admiral Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence 1939 to 1941, by Margy Kinmonth, at the Celebrating Bletchley Park two-day Festival, at Firle Place on March 20th 2016. The talk featured previously unseen material unearthed in the preparation of the biography film "Secret Admiral” directed by Margy Kinmonth. Other speakers included Sir Dermot Turning (Alan Turing’s nephew) and Baroness Trumpington.

[5] "Very Special Admiral". Illustrated talk by Margy Kinmonth, about her grandfather Admiral Godfrey, immortalised as “M” in the James Bond books written by Ian Fleming, his wartime assistant. The event was held at Wilmington, Folkington and Milton Street Village Club, Sussex on 6 March 2016, in the village where Godfrey lived from 1948 to 1980. The talk featured readings from his unpublished memoirs, previously unseen family photos, along with official wartime portraits by Cecil Beaton and society photographer Dorothy Wilding. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

[6] Macintyre, Ben (5 April 2008). "Was Ian Fleming the real 007?". The Times. Retrieved 8 March 2011.