Herbert was born on the 24 June 1897 in Stockport, Cheshire, the second child of Joseph and Florence Isabella (née Genever) Goulden. Two sisters Florence Isabella (1896), Mabel (1909) and two brothers Harry (1900), William (1902) completed the family unit living at 19, Borron St, Stockport, Cheshire, before moving in 1905 to Loughborough, Leicestershire. Sadly the father Joseph passed away in April 1910. Florence his widow never remarried.

Herbert joined the Royal Navy on 23 August 1913 when he walked through the gates of HMS GANGES, the boy training establishment at Shotley, Suffolk, and became a Boy Second Class. On 1 March 1914 he was selected for the communication branch and changed rating to Boy Signalman, and on 11 November 1914 he was drafted to HMS VICTORY 1, the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth. On 17 November he had a move across Portsmouth harbour to HMS DOLPHIN and on 10 January 1915 a draft to HMS MAIDSTONE the submarine depot ship based in Harwich for HMS E13. He was rated up to Ordinary Signalman on 18 February 1915 with E13 spending long days patrolling areas of the North Sea.

On 14 August 1915 E13 in company with E8 left Harwich for a long term deployment in the Baltic Sea from a base in Latvia. While in transit and between Sweden and Denmark E13 ran aground on 18 August due to a gyro compass failure. All efforts to lighten the vessel and refloat her failed and while the First Lieutenant was ashore talking to the Danish authorities E13 was attacked by two German torpedo boats using torpedoes, machine guns and shell fire from their deck guns. Only the intercedence of a Danish Naval vessel stopped the massacre of all the crew. 15 men died in the MTB attacks and 15 were rescued by the Danish Navy.

Ordinary Telegraphist Herbert GOULDEN, Age 18 with Svc No. J26716 had “Crossed The Bar” with 14 of his shipmates.