James Goodall enlisted  on 11 January, 1915, at the Drill Hall in Powlett St., East Melbourne, following an earlier attempt in Tasmania. He claimed to be nineteen years old and described his occupation as 'gardener and baker'. In fact, he was only seventeen, born in Magnet, near Westbury, Tasmania to James Goodall and his wife Lucy Catherine, nee Miller. He was 5' 5" tall, with red hair and grey eyes, single and an orphan, giving as his next of kin the Reverend A. Tress, 198 Albert St., East Melbourne.  This was the address of the Church Of England Men's Society Hostel, where Goodall was living. Reverend Tress went on to become Archdeacon and kept in touch with James Goodall during his army service and with the authorities with regard to his death.

The explanation for James Goodall's presencei n East Melbourne was provided in 1920, in a letter sent ot the army authorities by his maternal uncles, Albert Sutton of Marine Terrace, Ludbrooke St., Burnie, Tasmania: I believe Private Goodall enlisted in Footscray, Victoria, but I was not sure, he wanted to enlist while he was here with me, but as he was only 17 years old, I could not give my consent. He then cleared out to Melbourne and enlisted there ...

The Reverend Walter G.A. Green also remembered him in in 1920I knew he was an orphan and, if memory serves me. he worked at Payne's Bon Marche before enlisting in Tasmania.

James Goodall sent for training at Broadmeadows in late January or early February, 1915, where he was attached to the 3rd Reinforcements, 8th Battalion, then left for Egypt on board HMAT Runic A54 on 19 February, 1915. The 8th Battalion had been recruited from rural Victoria in August 1914 and had embarked two months later. They trained in Egypt and it was there that the new recruits were taken on strength. From here, as part of the 2nd Brigade, they took part in the Anzac landing, forming the second wave of troops coming ashore. Ten days later, the 8th Battalion was moved from Anzac to Cape Helles, where they fought in the badly mismanaged battle for Krithia. On 2 August, they fought at Lone Pine. In late October,  James Goodall was sent to hospital in Mudros with a septic foot, something that recurred on 31 November, 1915. The 8th Battalion was evacuated from the Gallipoli Peninsula to Egypt in December, where he again fell ill, this time at Serapeum, with influenza. 

On  26 March 1916, the 8th Battalion sailed from Egypt to France on HS Megantic and by July, faced their first major battle at Pozieres in the Somme. James Goodall was wounded in action on August 18, with a gunshot wound to his face. From the Casualty Clearing Station, he was sent to England, and treated at the Lakenham Military Hospital at Norwich. He was admitted with a broken jaw and  the medical report of 18 August 1916 stated ... of lower jaw 4 back lower teeth, two back upper teeth of right side had to be extracted 14 days after wound to permit application of splints ... cannot eat solid foods yet ... has irritating cough for one month.

After months of convalescence in various depots in England, he marched in to Havre on 18 October, 1917. In March, 1918, he was given a week's leave to Paris, then rejoined his battalion on 30 March. Two weeks later, on 14 April, he was wounded in action at Hazebrouck (12-15 April), part of the 4th Battle of Ypres. He suffered multiple shell wounds, and died the next day. This was part of the German Spring Offensive at Ypres, known as Operation Georgette, designed to capture Ypres and push the British forces back to the Channel ports, forcing them out of the war.

James Goodall was buried at Ebblingham British Cemetery,1 A 21, Hazebrouck, France.  He is remembered on the Roll of Honour Cards 145 at the Australia War Museum and on Panel 53 in the Commemorative Area. His medals went to his younger brother, Godfrey, who was fourteen, and living with his uncle, Albert Sutton, at the time of James Goodall's death.