The 1914/15 Star Trio issued to 2/2567 William Storrie Goodley, who served with the NZ Field Artillery throughout the entire period of operations of the NZ Division on the Western Front.

 

William Goodley was born 3rd October 1894 at Palmerston, Otago, son of Alexander and Jane Goodley (née Clarke). His birth middle named was initially spelled Storey but seems to have become Storrie. William was raised and educated at Shag Point, where his father owned a grocery store, before moving to Arrowtown and then to Rosylyn, Dunedin. Alexander was well known in the grocery business, eventually becoming President of the New Zealand Master Grocers Federation.  William went into this profession before the Great War intervened.

 

William Goodley enlisted the 8th Reinforcements, NZ Field Artillery. He served on the Western Front virtually continuosly from April 1916 through to the end of the war, with the exception of a short period of hospitalisation and leave to the UK. Whilst briefly accepting promotion  to bombardier, William seems to have preferred to remain as a gunner, taking voluntary reduction in rank on two occasions. After he war he returned to Dunedin, where he operated a grocery business, and resided in Roslyn until his death in 1967.

 

The trio is correctly impressed 2/2567 GNR. W. S. GOODLEY. N.Z.E.F. and comes with William's fibre dog tag and RSA badge, impressed with his service number - a practice generally only carried out by the Dunedin RSA, with other associations engraving their badges. With the group are two 9ct gold fobs owned by William's father, Alexander Goodley: The Justices Association Of Otago N.Z., uniface fob badge in gold and enamel (9ct, 6.66g, 24mm), no maker, scroll and ring top suspension, reverse inscribed 'Alex.Goodley/21-6-1897.', in case; Master Grocers Federation New Zealand, uniface fob badge in gold and enamel (9ct, 12.39g, 31.5mm), by W.J.D (William J.Dunlop, Christchurch), ring top suspension, reverse inscribed 'A.Goodley/1927-28.'

 

The gold value in these two fobs alone is around NZ$950 at current prices.

Service file held at Archives New Zealand