Charles Reginald Harper Archer was born in 1893 at Knottingley, Yorkshire. He was the son of Abraham and Sarah Archer, they had four surviving children – Fanny, Reginald, Helen and Percy. The family moved often, probably for his father’s work – he worked as a printer and became a print works manager. In the early 1890s they were living at Thorns Road, Knottingley, they would then move to Wakefield and by 1911 were at 34 Emery Street in Cambridge. By the outbreak of war they had moved again, this time to Oswestry and were living at 36 York Street. Reginald, however, stayed at Cambridge where he was working as a clerk for a motor engineers business. He was a keen athlete and was popular in the town.

At Cambridge it is very likely that Reginald had joined the local territorial unit – 1/1 Bn Cambridgeshire Regiment. He would therefore have been mobilised in August and September 1914 – on mobilisation he also gave his residence as Welshpool, it is possible he had followed his parents to Oswestry and was living and working there. He went over to France on 14 February 1915 with the battalion. His obituary records that he was awarded ‘Distinguished Conduct Certificate’ for carrying a vital message through a danger zone to the battalion C/O; there is no such award, more likely it is the Distinguished Conduct Medal – however, and from his Medals Card, he was awarded the Military Medal – it is probable that he was put forward for the higher DCM award but was instead awarded the lesser MM, the photograph above shows him wearing the MM.

Reginald then transferred to 118 Company Machine Gun Corps and after training at Belton Park, Grantham returned to France in March 1916. He was KIA on 14 October 1916 during the fighting for Ancre Heights and the Schwaben Redoubt during the Somme Offensive. His commanding officer wrote to his parents telling them that their son had been killed instantaneously while carrying his machine gun up to the front – this could be either as they moved up to their assembly point or he was in one of 4 gun crews who had been ordered forward into the Redoubt with the infantry. His officer added that Reginald was one of the best men in the section and was due to be promoted to Corporal. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He is also remembered on St Oswald’s Church War Memorial, Oswestry.

Acknowledgements.

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