quite guilty whenever he has criticised Godfrey: Mainwaring: "If you're not fit for active service, perhaps you shouldn't come at all." Godfrey: "I didn't want to disappoint you, sir." Mainwaring: "Well done Godfrey." from the episode "Everybody's Trucking". He served for 35 years either as an assistant in the sports department of the Civil Service Stores (TV) or tailor and assistant in the Army & Navy Stores (radio). Mainwaring: "Occupation?" Godfrey: "I'm retired, but I was 25 years in the Civil Service." Mainwaring: "Really? Indian or British?" Godfrey: "Civil Service Stores." Mainwaring: "Any previous military experience?" Godfrey: "I was several years in the sports department. That meant archery and air guns." from the pilot episode "The Man and the Hour". An aspect of his old age is his weak bladder, which lets him down and postpones all platoon activity, hence his catchphrase, "May I be excused, sir?", and his tendency to fall asleep can be similarly categorised: "I must have dropped off!". Medals Although Private Godfrey rarely wore his ribbons, he was awarded the usual trio of First World War campaign medals (commonly known as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred"), in addition to his Military Medal for bravery. Other portrayals Private Godfrey is portrayed by Michael Gambon in the 2016 Dad's Army film. Bernard Cribbins was set to portray him in a series of re-enactments of otherwise lost episodes of Dad's Army., but had to step away from the project for personal reasons, and was replaced by Timothy West See also William Coltman, a stretcher bearer who served in the First World War, receiving the Victoria Cross for actions similar to those written into Private Godfrey's character. Charles Godfrey, a music hall entertainer in the 1880s and 1890s Notes References References Bibliography Dad's Army characters Fictional British Army personnel Fictional World War I veterans Television characters introduced in 1968