Second Lieutenant Godfrey Louis Wyatt of the 6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers was born at Fulham, where he was baptised on the 29th of October 1881, the son of Louis and Louisa Wyatt. [Louis was the son of Major General Alexander Henry Louis Wyatt and had served with the 34th and 55th Regiments.]

The 1891 census records the family living in Bury village, Sussex. Louis, aged 49 was a retired officer born at Calais. Louisa, aged 31, born at Handforth, Cheshire. Children recorded were Nellie. Aged 1. Born at Madeira, Portugal, Godfrey, aged 9, born at Shepherds Bush, London as was Gwendoline, aged three months.

He served in the South African War Regimental as a Trooper, service number 680, with the 2nd Imperial Light Horse. His Medal records for the war records that his medals carried the Orange Free State clasp.

The Tonbridge School 1553 to 1910 volume of “Britain, School and University Register”, adds some more detail of the life of Godfrey. He was a day boy at the school between 1896 and 1899, and was the only son of Captain Louis Wyatt. He was in New Zealand, 1899-1900, and served in the South African War, 1900-1, with the Imperial Light Horse. After the war he remained in the country with the South African Constabulary, 1901-4, after which he took up farming in the Transvaal, 1905-6. He then went mining in Venezuela, 1905-10 and at the time of the publication was “now assistant engineer to the Gold Fields, Venezuela, Ltd., (c/o H.B.M. Consul, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.)”.

As hinted above, Godfrey was something of a globe trotter and there are several shipping reports of him sailing to South America, South and West Africa and New Zealand.

Before the First World War Godfrey enlisted into the Lancashire Fusiliers. His Medal Index Card gives his address as Horsted Keynes, Sussex and that his father applied for Godfrey’s medals in August 1920.

Godfrey died on the 23rd of May 1915 at 11 Clearing Hospital, Gallipoli and is buried in the 'Lancashire Landing' Cemetery, south of Helles, close to the southern tip of Gallipoli, in which the 29th Division, of which the Lancashire Fusiliers, played a major part. They landed on the 25th/26th of April 1915 under heavy fire against a well dug in enemy and consequently suffered heavy casualties. Six Victoria Crosses were to be awarded here 'before breakfast'.

There are 1,237 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery, 135 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials commemorate ten casualties who are known to be buried among them. There are also seventeen Greek war graves here.

The Sussex Agricultural Express for the 19th of January 1917 records under the heading “In Memoriam” the placing of a brass plaque in the church to the memory of the late Lt Wyatt in Horsted Keynes (St Giles) Church.

The inscription under the family coat of arms reads “Remember Godfrey Louis Wyatt, 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Lancashire Fusiliers. Born September the 13th 1881; died of wounds in Gallipoli, May 23rd, 1915. Only son of Louis Wyatt, of this parish. May he rest in peace”

His probate records that his estate of £231-7-8d to spinster Gwendoline Audrey Louise Wyatt (his sister).