John Henry Godfrey
| John Henry Godfrey | |
|---|---|
Godfrey as a Rear Admiral during World War II
|
|
| Born | 10 July 1888 Handsworth |
| Died |
29 August 1970 (aged 82) Eastbourne |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Kent HMS Suffolk HMS Repulse Royal Indian Navy |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral John Henry Godfrey CB (10 July 1888 – 29 August 1970) was an officer of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy, specialising in navigation. Ian Fleming is said to have based James Bond's boss, "M", on Godfrey.
Godfrey was born in Handsworth in 1888. He was the son of Godfrey Henry Godfrey, he was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, Bradfield College, and HMS Britannia. In 1921 he married Bertha Margaret, daughter of Donald Hope; they had three daughters.
During the First World War, Godfrey served on HMS Euryalus in the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915, and was present at the re-occupation of Sollum, during the bombardment of Smyrna, and in the Red Sea operations in support of the Arab forces. From 1916 to 1919 he was on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, and then from 1921 to 1931 he was Deputy Director at the Royal Naval Staff College.
From 1931 to 1933 he commanded the ships HMS Kent and HMS Suffolk on the China Station, before serving as Deputy Director, Plans Division at the Admiralty from 1933 to 1935. He commanded the battle-cruiser HMS Repulse from 1936 to 1939, then served as Director of Naval Intelligence from 1939 to 1942. From 1943 to 1946 he was Flag Officer Commanding Royal Indian Navy. He was commanding the Royal Indian Navy during the Royal Indian Navy mutiny and went on air with his order to "Submit or perish".
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