To help support his family he worked as a delivery boy for a greengrocer (or newsagent[2]) and with the job came a heavy bike with metal basket.

[2] His individual performances were: Godwin left his amateur status at Potteries CC to join Rickmansworth Cycling Club as a professional.

[3] The world record for distance cycled in a year began in an era when bicycle companies competed to show their machines were the most reliable.

The American Kurt Searvogel completed 76,076 miles (122,432 km) in one year, confirmed by the Ultramarathon Cycling Association, and this was later also recognised by the Guinness Book of Records.

[5][6] In 1937 the Australian Ossie Nicholson had regained his record from Briton Walter Greaves by covering 62,657.6 mi (100,837.6 km).

In sportsmanship their support teams, which included pace-makers, stopped at 50,000 mi (80,000 km) to let the riders complete the attempt on personal merit.

On 26 October 1939, Godwin rode into Trafalgar Square having completed 62,658 mi (100,838 km), gaining the record with two months to spare.

Godwin is commemorated by a plaque at Fenton Manor Sports Centre in Stoke on Trent that was unveiled in March 2005 by Edie Hemmings, the culmination of a 30-year campaign by her late husband, George.