Background
The second son of Lieutenant Colonel A. G. Godwin-Austen, late the 24th and 89th, Reade Godwin-Austen was born in Frensham, Farnham, Surrey, on 17 April 1889.
The second son of Lieutenant Colonel A. G. Godwin-Austen, late the 24th and 89th, Reade Godwin-Austen was born in Frensham, Farnham, Surrey, on 17 April 1889.
He was educated at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate and, later, at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst to pursue a military career, thereby following both his father and great-grandfather.
Godwin-Austen was rushed from Palestine to British Somaliland in early Aug 1940 to oppose the Italian invasion. Facing overwhelming combat superiority, he ordered a general withdrawal on 14 Aug 1940 and evacuated the garrison to Aden.
Maj Gen Godwin-Austen then led the 12th African Div in Kenya and Abyssinia under Alan Cunnigham. In the fall of 1941, with John Harding as BGS, he took command of the 8th Army’s 13th Corps in the western desert. With Freyberg’s 2d NZ and Messervy's 4th Indian Divs, both crack units, and the 1st Army Tank Bde, he had a major role in stopping Rommel’s first offensive, holding Tobruk, and driving Axis forces back to El Agheila. Meanwhile Auchinleck had replaced Cunningham as 8th Army commander with Ritchie, whose leadership fell apart when Rommel renewed his offensive on 21 Jan 1942. After protesting Ritchie's meddling, Godwin-Austen resigned in Feb 1942. Ritchie was soon sacked, but he had cost the 8th Army “an able, strong general and a much loved man”. Succeeded by Gott, Sir Alfred became vice- QMG at the War Office, then was principal administrative officer at Army HQ in India.
Quotes from others about the person
When Rommel counterattacked in January 1942 the Allies were forced to retreat in some confusion. Godwin-Austen, seeing that one of his divisions, 4th Indian Infantry Division was under threat, after consulting with Cunningham's successor, Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie, ordered them to withdraw. However, Ritchie changed his mind and issued a countermand directly to the division's commander, Major General Francis Tuker. Feeling that Ritchie had by this action displayed a lack of confidence in him, he tendered his resignation to Auchinleck, which was reluctantly accepted. Tuker was later to write
His going was the latest of many misjudgments which had started to shake confidence in the leadership. We lost the wrong man.
