There is only one newspaper reference to the soccer playing career of Arthur Godleman. He was named in the team of the short lived Magill club for a Cambridge Cup game against Hindmarsh reserves in May 1912 – a 4-0 loss for the eastern suburbs club. He would seem to have been an ‘occasional player’.
Godleman was born in London and arrived in South Australia in 1910. When he enlisted in the AIF in May 1915 he gave his age as 30 and his occupation as labourer. He was married with three children. He became a trooper in the 3rd Light Horse and served at Gallipoli for the last three months of the campaign. Evacuated to Egypt he became seriously ill with gastritis. This condition became so acute that he was medically discharged and returned to Australia in June 1916. A medical officer wrote on his record that the gastritis had aggravated an existing condition and he should never have enlisted.
Arthur Godleman died in Adelaide in 1965. In 1967 his son wrote to the authorities from Victoria to request his Anzac medal.