Godwin-Austen, late the 24th and 89th Regiment of Foot, Reade Godwin-Austen was born in Frensham, Farnham in Surrey, on 17 April 1889.
11 Facts About Reade Godwin-Austen
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Reade Godwin-Austen was educated at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate, and later at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, to pursue a military career, following both his father and great-grandfather.
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Reade Godwin-Austen's uncle was Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, who gave his name to the highest mountain in the Karakoram range; this mountain is better known as K2.
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Reade Godwin-Austen attended the Staff College, Camberley, as a student from 1924 to 1925, alongside fellow students such as Ivor Thomas, Noel Beresford-Peirse, Vyvyan Pope, Douglas Graham, Michael O'Moore Creagh, Daril Watson, Archibald Nye, Humfrey Gale and Noel Irwin, all of whom rose to high command in the next war.
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Reade Godwin-Austen served in numerous staff positions at the War Office until receiving a position as an instructor at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
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Reade Godwin-Austen was again mentioned in despatches in July 1940.
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Reade Godwin-Austen demanded the suspension of Godwin-Austen and the convening of a court of inquiry.
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Reade Godwin-Austen pointed out to Churchill that "A bloody butcher's bill is not the sign of a good tactician".
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Reade Godwin-Austen, seeing that one of his divisions, the 4th Indian Infantry Division, was under threat, after consulting with Cunningham's successor, Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie, ordered them to withdraw.
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Reade Godwin-Austen subsequently became Vice Quartermaster-General at the War Office and as the war ended, the Quartermaster-General and then Principal Administrative Officer in India, reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Claude Auchinleck.
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Reade Godwin-Austen was knighted in 1946 and retired from the army on 5 March 1947, after having achieved the rank of general.