Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley , OBE ( 7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984 ) was an English playwright and actor , first notable as the author of the play " The Ghost Train " and later in life for portraying the elderly Private Charles Godfrey in the British sitcom " Dad ' s Army " ( 1968 – 77 ) . Early life . Ridley was born in Walcot , Bath , England where his father was a gymnastics instructor and ran a boot and shoe shop . He attended the Clarendon School and the Bath City Secondary School where he was a keen sportsman . A graduate of the University of Bristol , he studied at the Education Department , and played Hamlet in a student production . Ridley undertook teaching practice at an Elementary School in Bristol . Military service . Ridley was a student teacher and had made his theatrical debut in " Prunella " at the Theatre Royal , Bristol when he volunteered for British Army service in August 1914 . He was rejected due to a toe injury , but in 1915 was able to enlist as a private in the Somerset Light Infantry . He saw active service in the First World War , sustaining several serious injuries : his left hand was left virtually useless by injuries sustained on the Somme ; his legs were riddled with shrapnel ; he was bayonetted in the groin ; and the legacy of a blow to the head by a German soldier ' s rifle butt left him prone to blackouts . He was medically discharged from the army with the rank of Lance Corporal . Having unsuccessfully attempted to establish a film company between the wars , Ridley rejoined the army in 1939 . He was commissioned into the General List on 7 October 1939 as a second lieutenant . He was given the service number 103663 . He again saw active service with the British Expeditionary Force in France during the Second World War , but was discharged on health grounds . He relinquished his commission as a captain on 1 June 1940 . He subsequently joined the Home Guard . Acting career . After his medical discharge in 1916 he went into acting . In 1918 , he joined Birmingham Repertory Theatre , staying for two years and playing 40 parts , before moving on to Plymouth , where he eventually had a break from the stage when his war injuries began to trouble him . After being stranded for an evening at Mangotsfield railway station , near Bristol , Ridley was inspired to write the play , " The Ghost Train " ( 1923 ) . It was a tale of passengers stranded at a haunted railway station in Cornwall , with one of the characters being a detective trying to catch smugglers . The show became a huge success , enjoying 665 performances in London ' s West End and two revivals . The Ghost Train was first filmed in 1931 and again filmed in 1941 when it starred Arthur Askey . Ridley also wrote over 30 other plays including " The Wrecker " ( 1924 ) , " Keepers of Youth " ( 1929 ) , " The Flying Fool " ( 1929 ) and " Recipe for Murder " ( 1936 ) . During his time in military service in the Second World War he adapted the Agatha Christie novel " Peril at End House " into a West End play that premiered in 1940 . Ridley ' s post - war play , " Beggar My Neighbour " , was first performed in 1951 and adapted for the Ealing Comedy film " Meet Mr . Lucifer " ( 1953 ) . Ridley worked regularly as an actor , including an appearance in the British comedy " Crooks in Cloisters " ( 1964 ) . He also played Doughy Hood , the village baker in the radio soap " The Archers " and The Rev . Guy Atkins in the ITV soap " Crossroads " from 1964 - 1968 . However , he only became a household name after he was cast as Private Charles Godfrey , the gentle platoon medic in the British sitcom , " Dad ' s Army " ( 1968 – 77 ) . He continued to appear into his eighties and when 86 was appointed an OBE in the Queen ' s New Year ' s Honours List of 1982 , for services to the theatre . He was the subject of " This Is Your Life " in 1976 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at London ’ s Marylebone Station . Personal life . He was married three times . Firstly from January 1926 to 1939 , then a short marriage beginning in 1939 before his final marriage to actress Althea Parker ( 1911 – 2001 ) on 3 October 1945 ; they had one son Nicolas ( b 1947 ) . Arnold Ridley died in hospital in Northwood in 1984 at the age of 88 after falling at his residence in Denville Hall , a home for retired actors . He was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium and his urn buried at his parents ' grave in Bath Abbey cemetery . His collection of theatrical memorabilia was left to the University of Bristol and has been made available online . He was a Freemason , and belonged to the Savage Club Lodge in London .