[3] On 13 December 1909, he joined The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) of the British Army as a private with the service number 13814.

On 23 August 1914, at Mons, Belgium on the Mons-Condé Canal, Lieutenant Maurice Dease and Sidney Godley were manning the machine gun after the previous crews were either killed or wounded.

His citation read: "For coolness and gallantry in fighting his machine gun under a hot fire for two hours after he had been wounded at Mons on 23 August".

[4] H.C. O'Neill wrote this account of Godley's actions in The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War.

Dease was badly wounded on these journeys, but insisted on remaining at duty as long as one of his crew could fire.

He attempted to crawl to safety, but advancing German soldiers caught him and took him to a prisoner of war camp.

Originally it was thought that he had been killed, but some time later it was found that he was a prisoner of war in a camp called Delotz at Dallgow-Döberitz.

[2] He was buried with full military honours in the town cemetery at Loughton, Essex, where he latterly resided.