Background
"Steve" Godfrey was the son of Nellie and Christopher Godfrey.
"Steve" Godfrey was the son of Nellie and Christopher Godfrey.
He spent the remainder of his career in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was building his own airplane when World War I began. He jumped at the chance to volunteer for the Royal Flying Corps.
He was told he would be accepted if he could pay for his own flight training.
As he was unable to do this, he enlisted, originally in the 11th Mounted Rifles CEF in January 1915, then in the 1st Pioneer Battalion CEF of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He arrived in England in November 1915.
While there, he tried to take flying lessons, but his Commanding Officer would not allow him the time off from his duties. He shipped off to France, and served in the trenches until mid-1916.
He finally arranged a transfer to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation as an aerial observer.
He then finally got his chance at pilot"s training. Once he received his wings, he was assigned to 40 Squadron to fly a Nieuport. On 28 May 1917, he shared another "out of control" victory over an Albatros Doctorate.III while teaming with William Arthur Bond.
Then, still using Nieuport 17 serial number B1684, between 1 June and 14 August 1917, he ran off a string of eleven wins—nine versus Albatros Doctorate.III fighters and two against two-seater reconnaissance machines.
A summary of his victories shows he destroyed four enemy planes and drove down ten out of control. This sufficed for a Military Cross. He was then withdrawn to Home Establishment to serve in 44 and 78 Squadrons until April 1918.
He then returned home to serve with the Canadian Training Brigade, which he did through war"s education In September 1926, American aviator James Dalzell McKee and Squadron Leader Godfrey flew from Montreal to Vancouver over nine days, pioneering transport-Canada aviation.
By the beginning of World World War II, he was serving at the Imperial Defence College as a Group Captain.
Godfrey ran as the Company-operative Commonwealth Federation"s candidate in the February 1945 Grey North by-election against General Andrew McNaughton who had been appointed Minister of Defence the previous November and was contesting the by-election for the Liberal Party of Canada. While Godfrey placed third, General McNaughton was upset in the by-election by the Progressive Conservative candidate with Godfrey, whose vote total was less than the difference between McNaughton and the Conservative candidate, acting as spoiler.