Major Philip Thomas Godsal, Soldier, gentleman, marksman, historian and inventor of a gun mechanism was born at Plas Fron, Wrexham in 1850, the son of Philip William Godsal, of Iscoyd Park and Charlotte Harriet Garth. He was the grandson of Thomas Garth RN a Napoleonic era naval commander and a great grandson of William Best, 1st Baron Wynford.

Marksmanship

Godsal started his military career in 1869 with the 52nd Light Infantry in Malta and became Inspector of Musketry. He enjoyed a considerable career at Bisley

Bisley

-Places:* Two villages in the United Kingdom:**Bisley, Surrey**Bisley, Gloucestershire*Bisley Ranges is near the Surrey village and is the headquarters of the National Rifle Association, UK -Others:...

, and was chosen to be part of the British team at various international matches including against America in 1882, where Britain won. By 1880 Godsal had left the army and became adjutant of the Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 Volunteers and remained in this post until 1889. Godsal was a famous shot in his day, and his trophies included the Cambridge University Cup which he won after achieving a score of 418, unbroken until 1912 when he was surpassed by his own son. Between him and his son also called Philip Godsal the two of them were on the winning team competing for the Elcho Shield

Elcho Shield

The Elcho Shield is an annual match rifle competition between national teams of eight from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The teams compete at Bisley ranges, Surrey, England, each man firing fifteen shots at 1000, 1100 and 1200 yards. The trophy is a large and distinctive shield made from a...

 eight times.

Weapon Design

Godsals interests were however not limited to shooting, he was also interested in the design of guns, and during the 1880’s when a small bore magazine rifle was sought to replace the Martini-Henry

Martini-Henry

The Martini-Henry was a breech-loading single-shot lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini , with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry...

 Godsal was one of those who submitted a prototype for trial. His submission was late and the authorities had already settled for the Lee-Metford

Lee-Metford

The Lee-Metford rifle was a bolt action British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and ten-round magazine with a seven groove rifled barrel designed by William Ellis Metford...

. Godsal however who had reservations about existing bolt action breech mechanisms continued over the next twenty years to develop rifles based on a travelling block principle, although none of them including an anti tank rifle developed in World War One were adopted by the military.

Historical Works

A keen historian Godsal was the author of several books including; “The Storming of London and the Thames Valley Campaign a Military Study of the Conquest of Britain By the Angles” This book set out to prove that the Teutonic invaders of Britain had seized London after the battle of Crayford before the Britons could prepare their defences and made control of the Thames waterway the main feature of their invasion. This work also hypothesized in part over why the English had chosen St George as their patron saint. Godsal suggested that after the defeat of the Norman Conquest the English, would have consoled themselves with memories of 'bygone days', in Old English, geogeara, and that the name of St George could have been confused with this echo of former glory.

Subsequent works included Woden's, Grim's and Offa's Dykes. (1913)and Mona Badonicus, the battle of Bath (1914)
Later in life Godsal also wrote "The Conquests of Ceawlin, The second Bretwalda", where he charted the arrival of the West Saxons through to the fall of Ceawlin.

Family

In 1879 Godsal married Ellen Henrietta Parke who was daughter of Charles Joseph Parke of Henbury, Dorset

Henbury, Dorset

Henbury is a hamlet in the civil parish of Sturminster Marshall in Dorset, England. It lies on the A31 road.Henbury House is a classical Georgian house built in 1770. In the 19th century the estate was held by the Parke family...

, and grand daughter of Charles Parke, formerly H.B.M Commissioner to the kingdom of Mexico and Deputy Lieutenant

Deputy Lieutenant

In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....

 of Dorset. She was also a niece of General William Parke

William Parke

General Sir William Parke was born on 17 May 1822 in London in England. He was the son of Charles Parke, a land owner, formerly H.B.M Commissioner to the kingdom of Mexico and Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset and Letitia Alcock, the sister of Thomas Alcock ....

 and an aunt of Lieutenant Wilfred Parke

Wilfred Parke

Lieutenant Wilfred Parke RN was a British airman and became the first aviator to recover from an accidental spin.-Family:Parkes's father was Alfred Watlington Parke, the Rector of Uplyme and his mother was Hilda Fort...

 the first aviator to recover from an accidental spin

Spin (flight)

In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...

, in 1912. They had 8 children including Commander Alfred E Godsal, DSO RN who commanded HMS Vindictive (1897)

HMS Vindictive (1897)

HMS Vindictive was a British protected cruiser of the Arrogant class built at Chatham Dockyard. She was launched on 9 December 1897 and completed in 1899....

 at the Second Ostend Raid

Second Ostend Raid

The Second Ostend Raid was the latter of two failed attempts made during the spring of 1918 by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy to block the channels accessing the Belgian port of Ostend as a part of their conflict with the German Empire during World War I...

 and was killed in the action in 1918. Two of their other children, Walter Hugh Godsal DSO, MC, (Durham Light Infantry) and Margaret, died during the First World War; those surviving included a daughter Dorothy Grace Godsal who married Major Richard Peacock Birchenough a nephew of Sir Henry Birchenough

Henry Birchenough

Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, GCMG was an English businessman and public servant.-Early life and education:...

 and grandson of Richard Peacock

Richard Peacock

Richard Peacock was an English engineer, one of the founders of locomotive manufacturer Beyer-Peacock.-Early life and education:...

 MP the locomotive manufacturer. His eldest son Captain Philip Godsal MC escaped from a prisoner of war camp in Germany during the war and made his way back safely to Britain and subsequently married Violet Mary Browning.

Other

Godsal was a magistrate and was appointed High Sheriff of Flintshire

High Sheriff of Flintshire

This is a list of High Sheriffs of Flintshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere...

in 1901.

Philip Thomas Godsal died in 1925

Books and Pamphlets

• The Great Rifle Problem: How to Make a Breech Mechanism For Small Arms- Publisher Eton: R Ingelton Drake, London: Simpkin Marshall & Co 1890.
• The Storming of London and the Thames Valley Campaign a Military Study of the Conquest of Britain By the Angles - Publisher, Harrison & Sons. 1908
• Woden's, Grim's and Offa's Dykes 1913
• Mona Badonicus, the battle of Bath 1914
• Conquests of Ceawlin, The second Bretwalda- Publisher, John Murray, 1924