Bandon War Memorial Committee

The Good Family

James and Elizabeth Good  (nee Bradfield) of Ballylangley, Bandon had four sons, three of whom served during World War 1. Robert the eldest of the family served with the Royal Navy whilst the two youngest James and William served in the army with the Royal Munster Fusiliers and The Connaught Rangers respectively. Their father worked in the nearby Allman’s distillery and whilst the family were quiet young their mother died. An uncle and aunt Robert and Sarah Bradfield were farming just outside the town at Callatrim and it was from here that the younger family members were to commence their schooling at the schoolhouse situated At Kilbrogan Street.

Robert having received a scholarship to St Canices collage in Kilkenny following which he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a cadet and was to serve throughout the duration of the war. James firstly enlisted in the Royal Irish Constabulary in August 1911 and subsequently in the Royal Munster Fusiliers on 25^th May 1916 he was killed near Peronne on the Somme on 14^th February 1917 having attained the rank of sergeant.

William having left school at an early age to work in a local bakery / confectionery undertaking deliveries in the local hinterland. Bandon being a garrison town, with constant parades and recruiting, the lure of the cavalry was too much of a draw, so he enlisted in the South Irish Horse, which was an army reserve corp. in March 1911. At the outbreak of war was mobilised on 5^th August 1914 to join on permanent service at the rank of corporal. Both the South and North Irish Horse formed a composite regiment of the BEF. First overseas posting was on 17^th August 1914. By December of that year he had been promoted to the rank of Lance Sergeant. Writing home to his brother Jack in the autumn of 1914 did not think that the war would last long, how wrong was he to be. Further promotion to the rank of sergeant was to follow in April of 1915 and in November 1916 he was posted to No 2 Officer Cadet Battalion Training College, Cambridge, England and discharged in March 1917 having been appointed to a commission as 2^nd Lieut. The Connaught Rangers and posted to the 5^th Battalion attached to the 1^st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 87^th Brigade, 29^th Division. He was promoted to Lieutenant in July 1917.

When the ‘Big Push’ came in November 1917 he saw himself involved in the Battle of Cambrai. His exploits on 20^th November were to earn him the Military Cross. Being a road bowler in his youth, he used his loft and underarm style to good effect to hurl a grenade into a German machine-gun nest, which was slaughtering his comrades. Others had tried the conventional way and failed. He was wounded on this occasion and hospitalised with shoulder and ankle injuries and was unable to give an account of his encounter for some time afterwards. He later set about detailing a full report and at the end of the war relinquished his commission in September 1919.

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