Name
George Arthur Archer
1890
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
20/07/1917
26
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
105805
Hertfordshire Yeomanry
1st/1st
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Victory and British War medal - were returned / never claimed by the family
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ALEXANDRIA (HADRA) WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY
D. 160.
Egypt
Headstone Inscription
Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hertfordshire Yeomanry Memorial, St Albans Cathedral,
St Leonard's Church Lychgate, Sandridge,
Not on the Hertford memorials
Pre War
George Archer was born in Hertford in the Autumn of 1890 to Clara Archer nee Aldridge. His father George Cedric Archer of Sandridge was an ex-soldier who had served in West Africa, Gibraltar, and Burma, had married Clara on the 6th of April 1890, but died by the June 1890 - he never lived to see his son born later that year.
Clara had George baptised at St. Leonards the parish church in the village on 4th January 1891, and George his father was named on the record.
However, in the 1891 census later that spring Clara is recorded as living with her widowed father and a brother , in Sandridge, herself a widow aged 25 years old and with two children, Kate, an older sister to George born in 1886 (of unknown father) and George aged 8 months.
Clara met and married Amos Lawrence and married on 6th August 1894, and so George aged almost 4 years old would have a stepfather.
By 1901 the growing family were still living with Clara’s father Charles on the East side of the Village.
George aged 10 years had a stepbrother Frederick born in 1898 and later in 1901, a stepsister Sophia was born on 11 October 1901. His stepfather Amos aged 28, worked as a Bricklayers labourer, and his grandfather was still working as a farm labourer. Kate his older stepsister was employed in the straw hat trade working from home. There is no record of him being a scholar in this census however there was a village school so perhaps he attended. By 1911, George aged 20 was employed as a coal carter. He remained in his grandfathers household with his mother Clara, and stepfather Amos, in Sandridge village . His older sister Kate by this time employed as domestic servant and younger brother Frederick working as a garden boy.
Sadly, two of four younger step siblings had died by 1911 – according to the census return.
Sophie was still alive at the time of her father Amos' attestation in 1916, and Frederick is on the family group in the 1911 census .
George's older sister Kate married David Joseph Springs on 17 April 1911, at the parish church in Sandridge.
From a document found online from Historical Hertfordshire Police – it appears that George joined the Police service.
The document outlines that although his Police Service Record has not survived, but it is known that he was Appointed as Police Constable 305 on 1st December 1914 and probably stationed at Hertford. General Order 6 of 8th January 1915 shows that effective from 1st December 1914 George, who was stationed in F Division, received a pay rise from 24/6 to 25/8 per week.
Wartime Service
George enlisted at Hertford on 17th June 1915. He was one of 23 Hertfordshire Police Officers who joined the Hertfordshire Yeomanry who posed for a photograph in 1915 believed to be at Colchester, the photo has been used on this profile.
Yet his military records are not found but details found out about his Medal Roll Index, he was Private 2546 in the Hertfordshire Yeomanry, later under the reorganisation he was given the serial number 105805. There is no record or date of entry to any theatre of war.
His death from meningitis is recorded at Alexandria in Egypt at the age of 26 on 20th July 1917. He was buried at the Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery in Egypt. Plot D 160
Additional Information
George did qualify for The Victory Medal and British War Medal although alongside these is the entry: Returned (1743 KR) 7941/Adj. This refers to the Kings Regulation of 1912 number 1743 the wording of which is: “Medals which, at the end of 10 years, still remained unclaimed, will be sent to the India Office (If granted for India Service), or to the deputy director of ordnance stores, Royal Dockyard (Medal Branch), Woolwich (if granted for other services) to be broken up”, so it would appear that the family did not claim his medals.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records show:
Private George Archer 105805, 1st/1st, Hertfordshire Yeomanry died on 20 July 1917 Age 26. He was the son of Mrs. Amos Lawrence, of High Street, Sandridge. Herts and is remembered with Honour at the Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery.
The entry in the cemetery record reads:
Archer, Private, George, 105805. 1st/1st, Hertfordshire Yeomanry died of Meningitis on 20 July 1917 Age 26. He was the son of Mrs. Amos Lawrence, of High Street, Sandridge. (Grave) D.160.
The Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects records that he died in hospital and payments were made to his mother Mrs Clara Lawrence, sister Kate Springins and a Henry R. Clarke.
From the police document it records that the General Order 76 of 28th August 1917 stated: The Deputy Chief Constable regrets to announce that the following deaths have occurred - these included Trooper 2546 George Archer Herts Yeomanry died at Alexandria on 20th July 1917.
Trooper Archer joined the Hertford County Constabulary as a Constable on 1st December 1914 and enlisted in H. M. Army on 17th June 1915.
Acknowledgments
Sarah Burns
Jonty Wild, Christine Nutton, Paul Watts - Police history document online
