Name
Gordon Sidney Archer
21 Sep 1898
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
17/02/1916
17
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
4974
The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
CAMBRIN MILITARY CEMETERY
F.4.
France
Headstone Inscription
GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN
UK & Other Memorials
Sawbridgeworth Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial, Sawbridgeworth, We are not aware of any Bulbourne memorial
Pre War
Gordon was known as Sidney. He was born on the 21st Sep 1898 in Bulbourne, Nr. Tring, Herts. and was fourth son of Albert John Archer , tailor, and Alice Jane (née Turney). His father Albert was a retired RSM with the Herts Yeomanry. He opened a tailors shop in Bell Street, Sawbridgeworth.
The 1901 census records that Gordon (known as Sidney), was two and living with his parents, Lionel (born 1896), Percy (born 1897), Stanley (born 1898) and sister Doris, (born 1900) at Brook Road, (Brook Dale) Sawbridgeworth, Herts. Sidney’s mother died in 1905 and his father later remarried in 1905, to Rebecca Holgate – she had two children: Arnold Holgate and Percy Wadsworth. It seems that all six children were baptised together, in Sawbridgeworth.
In the 1911 census records he was still called as Sidney. He was 13, at school and living with his father, stepmother Rebecca, brothers Lionel & Percy (both butcher’s boys), Stanley, sisters Doris & Ada Ivy (born 1903) and step siblings Robert Halliday (born 1897) and Florence Halliday (born 1900) in Hoestock Road, Sawbridgeworth, Herts.
His father Albert was a retired RSM with the Herts Yeomanry. He opened a tailors shop in Sawbridgeworth, after he retired from the army.
Wartime Service
Sidney enlisted as Private 4974 as a Territorial into The Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment), still using his middle name Sidney. The 1st Battalion was a regular Battalion which went to France in August 1914. However, by November of that year, there were only 32 survivors from the original Battalion strength of 998. Replacements were hurriedly sent across to France. Firstly, from the Territorials, then from ‘Kitchener’ volunteers. Sidney must have lied about his age, on enlistment for he was one of those ‘Kitchener’ volunteers and a man was not supposed to serve overseas until the age of 18 as he went to France on 26 Nov 1916 to join 1st Battalion.
On the 13 Feb 1916, his Battalion was moved up into the trenches near Beuvry (near Bethune) in Northern France. This was a quiet sector. The Battalion diary has little to report except night patrols on the 14th, 15th and 16th. There was however, one casualty killed on each of these nights. Since nobody is recorded as killed on the 17 Feb 1916, the date given for Sidney Archer’s death, it must be assumed that he died on that night patrol of the 16th and it was recorded the next day.
Sidney Archer is buried in Cambrin Military Cemetery, France. He was aged 17.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £3 and arrears of £4 13s 8d was paid to his stepmother Rebecca. His brothers, Percy, Stanley and stepbrother Arnold Holgate also died, but his brother Lionel and stepbrother Percy Wadsworth survived the war. Strangely Percy Archer is not named on the local War Memorials.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Jill Butterworth (née Archer), Jonty Wild, Stuart Osborne, David Harvey - Leventhorpe School, Douglas Coe, Tring Local History
