Edwin Archer was the second son of John Elliott Archer and Sarah Ann Bailey who married on 23 December 1873 I at the Wesleyan Chapel in Selby. John was a flax dealer who lived in nearby Burn, whilst Sarah was a farmer’s daughter.

Early in 1877 Sarah had a son, John Bailey, and Edwin was born towards the end of 1878. Sadly, John Bailey died in the spring of 1879.  By the time the census was taken in April 1881 the family was living on Millgate, Selby, which was to be the family home for at least forty years.

Edwin’s father was earning his living as a provisions dealer and it appears that business was doing sufficiently well for him to employ a young live-in servant.  Sarah gave birth to a daughter later that year and when the next census return was made in 1891 John described himself as a grocer. Edwin, then 12 years old, was attending the Wesleyan Day School in Selby.

Three months later, following a lecture on ‘Alcohol and the human body’ Edwin was one of several students presented with a certificate of excellence.

Edwin’s sister died in the summer of 1894, leaving Edwin as John and Sarah’s only surviving child. 

After leaving school Edwin joined the family business and at some point also became a lay preacher for the Methodist chapel. In 1901 Edwin was still at home with his parents, and working as a grocer in his father’s business.

In March 1903 Eden won an essay competition, for a work entitled ‘What men most admire in women’ for which he was presented with a 5/-  book* 

When his father died aged 59 in May 1903, Edwin took over the business and on the 1911 census return described himself as ‘Grocer retired.’  

It seems that Edwin became a well known figure in Selby, still serving as lay preacher and in 1913 & 1914 applying to be a councillor on Selby Urban District Council.

When war broke out in 1914 Edwin was still proprietor of the grocery on Millgate, and on 11 December 1915 he presented himself at the recruitment office in Selby. His service records show his apparent age on that date as 37 years and 2 months and Edwin gave his address as 153 Millgate. Still working as a grocer, he stood 5’8” tall, weighed 134lbs and had a 40” chest.

He was passed fit for service and on 24 March 1916 was posted to the Royal Field Artillery with service number 130785.

On 22 June 1916, Edwin was transferred to the East Yorkshire Regiment, where he served in 7th Battalion. This was a service battalion which had been formed in Beverley in September 1914. T was probably at this time that Edwin was given his new service number, 27191.

On completion of his initial training, Edwin was declared fit for foreign service and embarked troop ship Wilhelmina on 13 October, joining his unit in the field on 29 October as part of a draft of 64 men.

At that time the men were in tents at Mansell Camp, near Mametz, moving out on 2 November into the front line near Montauban. For Edwin, this would mark the beginning of a relentless routine of being in the front line, in reserve and resting; very different from his days as a grocer in Yorkshire. 

Christmas was spent in the trenches near Guillemont; both Christmas and New Year passing without mention in the war diary.  On 2 February, following time in the trenches, the men marched to Bronfay Camp, where they had the opportunity for a bath and change of clothes as well as church services. On 6 February as the rest of the battalion moved back into the trenches,

Edwin was admitted to hospital with what was described as ICT legs (inflammation of connective tissues) which could have been anything trench foot, pain and stiffness in his legs or a skin infection, and was discharged to his unit on 28 February.

In the spring of 1917, the men took part in the 1st and 2nd Battles of the Scarpe and on 10 May went into trenches near the chemical works at Arras in preparation for an attack on the nearby German front line; They attacked on 12 May, but suffered heavy casualties when they were met with a heavy barrage of machine gun fire. The fighting continued through the day and at some point Private Edwin Archer was wounded.

Following treatment at a casualty clearing station he was admitted to No.12 Stationary Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to his face, which had also caused some deafness. He was discharged to duty on 1 June and news of his injury was reported in the Selby Times the following week.

Later in the year the battalion took part in the 1st and 2nd Battles of Passchendaele and as the year drew to a close the men were training near Bertincourt.

The battalion war diary for 24 December recorded ‘Bn. had their Christmas Dinner including roast beef and plum pudding & apples with cigarettes & beer issued to all men in Companies.’ With the opportunity for a bath and church services on Christmas Day, this must have been a welcome respite for the men. Another five months of monotonous routine followed...  

At 5.30am on 31 March, Easter Day,  the battalion moved forward in heavy rain as part of an attack to oust the enemy from high ground they had occupied near Albert. The men were hit with a barrage of machine gun fire but managed to reach their objective and held the ground for some hours before having to pull  back to their original position. At nightfall the battalion was relieved from the trenches to return to billets, having suffered heavy casualties. A total of 19 officers and 400 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing. One of those men was 27191 Private Edwin Archer. He was 39 years old. 

Edwin was buried in the nearby Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery. He is also remembered on the Men of Selby memorial in Selby Abbey and on his parents’ headstone in Selby Cemetery.

Foundations were laid in 1925 an on 13 March 1925 the London Evening News reported that the chapel had officially been opened.

In June 1918 it was reported in the Skyrack Courier that a cottage belonging to Edwin, which he had which he let out when he joined the army, had been abandoned by the tenant, in arrears with the rent, in September 1917 and an order was made that the executors would resume possession of the house.

The only personal effect recovered from Edwin, his identity disc, was forwarded to Edwin’s solicitor (Bailey & Haigh)  in September 1918

*Five shillings in 1903 would be worth about £40 in 2026

His death was announced in the Selby times on 19 April:

‘Promising soldier killed'

The sad intelligence reached Selby on Monday from the War Authorities, that Pte Edwin Archer, East Yorkshire Regiment, was killed at the front on 31st March – Easter Sunday.  To many the news will come as a great shock, and they will whole-heartedly enter into the irreparable loss which his widowed mother has sustained.  He was a promising young man, and even as a child gave every indication of a studious trend of mind.  He was a big reader and well up in various public matters, and was able to converse intelligently on many things of interest and education.  He was predominantly associated with the Wesleyan Methodist body, and served her in various capacities.   As a local preacher his discourses were thoughtful and he had a fund of eloquence which was particularly his own.  He could be distinctly quaint and humorous, and his companionship was of that character which interested and also amused.  He has been removed while yet under 40 years of age and we feel sure that those who knew him will sympathize sincerely with his mother in the sudden bereavement which has overtaken her.  His memory will not be soon forgotten by those who knew him, for he could instruct and entertain on many things which the average individual looks upon as commonplace.  Both the home and the church will be poorer by his death.’

A memorial service was held for Edwin on 28 April.

For his service to his country Edwin earned the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His accrued pay and War Gratuity Payment of £8/10 were paid to an executor of his estate, his cousin, Robert W Archer. Probate was granted on 24 May, one of the bequests being a gift of £300 to be used for a new chapel in Biggin.