His photos are not only of churches and schools, but of ordinary people in India, with subjects such as butchers, tradesmen, travelling minstrels, friars, cooks, dhobhis, worshippers, and temples, monuments, etc.
In those days it was not uncommon for the youngest son to take up religious work as it was seen as being a respectable profession which provided a steady income, but there is no suggestion that this was the reason why Fred joined the ministry.
According to their daughter Bessie Goodwill, Fred had a posting in India and decided to go first to sort out things and then call Alice.
[5] India was a fascination for Fred, and he had a keen interest in its history, people, religions, scenery, and native languages.
Some of his pictures depict day-to-day life in British India, such as men working the land, women winnowing grains, wild haired fakirs, a child chained to a stone, mother bathing infants, goats about to be slaughtered, etc.
Some of his pictures closely resemble the description of the photos in the Ellis Collection: Album depicting missionary life in South India,[40] of the British Library.
Fred Goodwill was one of the founding members of the Mythic Society, Bangalore[19] and also served the council as Branch Secretary for the year 1917–18,[47][48][49] (the council also included names such as the Maharaja of Mysore and the Maharaja of Baroda), with the society journal reporting that his talks attracted large audiences.
[47] Goodwill also researched for the Mystic Society and wrote for its quarterly journal,[50] the early history of Kolar Gold Fields,[33][34][36][51] Mysore,[52][53] Bangalore[54] and South India[55][56] in general.
In British India, education of the girl child was considered a taboo by Hindus as well as Indian Christians.
[60] Fred Goodwill was keen to stress to importance of education of girls irrespective of any caste barriers in the Bangalore Cantonment.
Fred Goodwill contributed immensely to the education and progress of Tamil literature in Bangalore Cantonment.
[15][16] Fred's articles on Tamil literature are mainly on the Shaivism philosophy,[17][18][61][62][63] Tiruvacakam, the poetry of the Shavite Saints Tirunavukkarasar, Manikkavacakar, Sundarar and Sambandar.
[15][16][17][18][64] Research done by Fred Goodwill is quoted by works of later authors of Dravidian culture, Shaiva Siddhanta and Ancient Tamil literature, along with that of George Uglow Pope.
[65][66][67][68][69][70][71] About the Tamil poetry and literature on Saiva Siddhanta he remarked "'Those who have studied the system unanimously agree that this eulogy is not a whit too enthusiastic or free worded.
His name carries respect and honour at the Wesley Tamil Church at Haines Road, Fraser Town Bangalore and at the Goodwills School.
On the one hand Fred was extremely sad to leave India after 25 years, but there was also happiness of the thought of seeing their children who were growing up in England.
Before their departure, they received an address from the Wesley Tamil Church, Kolar Gold Fields, which read, "Many amongst us remember and recognise in you the slim young missionary who arrived in India.
Signed by Wesleyan Mission Elementary School Teachers Bangalore as follows Fred Goodwill returned to a very different England, with the social order having undergo many changes.
Even in his eighties, he would cycle to his daughter Bessie's house, six miles away in Codsall to trim the hedge, which was a tough job even for a young man.
When he was 90 his house keeper retired, and Fred went on to live with his daughter Bessie and her husband John at their farm in Shropshire.