Tributes paid to Rushden war hero Tony Goodfellow on 50th anniversary of his death in Londonderry

Rushden officials, war veterans and mourners turned out to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of a local war veteran with a graveside ceremony on April 27.

Tony Goodfellow was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment, which was deployed during the conflicts in Ireland, where he lost his life in Londonderry in April 1973.

Graham Sayers, who was Goodfellow’s section commander, gave a speech at Tony’s graveside, in which he said: “For those who as a group find themselves in harm’s way, particularly in life-threatening situations, from that shared experience a bond forms - a bond that stays forever.

“At the time of a group going through such trauma, you don’t really recognise any of that, but afterwards even years later it sort of becomes the glue that holds everyone together.

“Collectively we are now all his family, we will remember him, check in here with him every year and make sure he is never forgotten.

“When we can’t do that the wider and future Royal Anglian, Rugby club and Rushden town family will carry on doing so for us.”

Graham also added a passage from the famous St Crispin’s Day speech from William Shakespeare’s Henry V, saying: “We few, we happy few - we Band of Brothers’. In a way that is what we are, a band of brothers, with one of our brothers who didn’t make it laying here.”

Guy Voice of the Royal British Legion was in attendance, who is currently writing biographies of the men and women of Northamptonshire who were killed or died on active service duty, and mentions a passage in a Royal Regiment magazine about Tony Goodfellow after his passing.

It said: “He was a proud and brave Pompadour who will be remembered with admiration and affection.”

Tony was born in Bishop Auckland, but grew up in Rushden.

He was part of the Scouts group, where he rose to be a 'Queens Scout', and was also a prominent member of the Rushden Rugby Club.

There, he is still remembered with the 'Goodfellow' trophy (lovingly known as the ‘Muscles’ trophy) being given each year at the club’s annual dinner. It is regarded as the most prestigious award that a member can be awarded.

The fateful deployment in Londonderry in 1973 was Tony’s second operational tour.

Shortly after its commencement, he was shot while manning a vehicle checkpoint at the junction of Westway and the Creggan Road in Londonderry. He died instantly, was subsequently given a full military funeral, and was later laid to rest at Rushden’s Newton Road Cemetery.

Speaking about Tony Goodfellow, Graham added: “Within the Army a Platoon will always have a number of stand-out characters who bring something different to the organisation.

"In Tony’s case it was his forever good humour seeing the bright side of almost anything, although like any of us he would of course have a ‘moan’ about most things as well.”

Tony’s grave is marked by a Commonwealth war graves commission headstone, and his name has been added to the town war memorial.