Francis Goodhart was born on 10 July 1884, the son of the Reverend C A Goodhart MA and his wife Catherine Elizabeth Warner.

He joined the Royal Navy in 1899. As a Sub Lieutenant, he was appointed to the battleship HMS DUKE OF WELLINGTON then to the battleship HMS RAMILLIES  then served in the battleship HMS ILLUSTRIOUS until 1903 when he returned to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. He remained at the College until October 1904 and passed out with four 1st Class passes.

Sub Lieutenant Goodhart was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS THAMES at Portsmouth ‘for Training’ in 1905 and soon after promoted to Lieutenant followed by re-appointment to HMS THAMES ‘for Submarines’. In 1906 his appointment had changed to HMS THAMES ‘for Command of Submarines’ and in 1907, to ‘Submarine C6 in Command’.

After he left HMS C6 he returned to the Surface Fleet for his ‘Big Ship’ time, firstly to the battleship HMS MAGNIFICENT and then to the battleship HMS AGAMEMNON.  On his return to submarines in 1912, he was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS BONAVENTURE ‘for Submarine D3 in Command’.

He was promoted Lieutenant Commander in 1913.  His next submarine command came in 1914 when he took command of HMS E8. He was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ – see London Gazette dated  23 October 1914: “Three hours after the outbreak of War Submarines E6 and E8 proceeded unaccompanied to carry out a reconnaissance in the Heligoland Bight.  These two vessels returned with useful information and had the privilege of being the pioneers on a service which is attended by some risk”.

HMS E8 was taken into the Baltic and Goodhart was promoted to Commander in 1915.  He was awarded the DSO for his services in the Baltic – see the London Gazette dated 31 May 1916.  On 23 October 1915 he had sunk the 9,000-ton German Armoured Cruiser Prinz Adalbert which was the largest German Warship sunk by a Royal Navy submarine during WWI. In late 1916 he returned home and took up an appointment as ‘Commanding Officer of Submarine K14 – building’ at the Clydeside Yard of Fairfields.

On 28 January 1917 he was in HMS K13 for ‘K’ Class experience when the submarine sank in the Gareloch.  During an attempt to escape on 29 January 1917 Francis Goodhart struck his head on the way out, was trapped in the Conning Tower and drowned.

Francis Goodhart was the husband of Isabella Goodhart.  He is buried in the Faslane Cemetery at Garelochhead. In addition to the awards mentioned above he was also awarded the Russian Order of St Vladimir 4th Class, the Russian Order of St George 4th Class, the French Legion of Honour (Chevalier) and the Albert Medal.