DRAFT

Archibald Manley Beer (known as Archie) was born on 4 January 1892 in Swansea. He was the son of Fred Beer from Bude, Cornwall and his wife Jane, from Swansea.

The first record of Archie is in the 1901 census. At that time he was 7 years old, living with his parents and 5 siblings at 93 Holyhead Road, Handsworth, Staffordshire. His father Fred was working as a House Decorator.

By 1911, the family has moved to Swansea and were living at 5 Osborne Terrace. Archie had started work as a Drapier and his father had become a Commercial Traveller.

In September 1914, just after the start of the Great War, Archie volunteered to join the local Territorial Artillery Brigade. He would have initially remained in Swansea as he trained and on 3 November 1914, Archie married Eleanor Paltridge at Christ Church, Swansea. On the marriage Certificate, he gave his profession as Assistant and address as 7 Park Street.

Shortly after, Archie would have moved to Cambridge to join the Brigade and other than a few short periods of leave in 1915, he would have seen little of Swansea or his new wife until he was demobilized in early 1919

In late 1917, Archie’s brother Stanley lost his life in the War. 46534, Pte. Stanley Charles Beer of the 2nd Battalion Welsh Regt was Killed in Action on 17 November 1917. Stanley was buried at British Cemetary, Belgium.

On 24 August 1921, Archie and Eleanor welcomed their first and only child, Frederick Stanley (known as Stanley) and in the 1939 Register, the family was living at 43 Alexandra Road, Swansea. Archie gave his occupation as Carpet Layer & Planner and also noted that he was a Special Constable in Swansea.

Archie Beer passed away in Swansea in 1964 at the age of 71. He was survived by his son Stanley. One of his family kindly provided the following; Archie Beer was married to my grandfather’s sister Eleanor. I have only faint recollections of him. I knew his son Stanley very well and he might have known more about his father in WW1 but the subject never arose. Stan died in 1994 and I don’t know of any other family members.

DRAFT

Archie Beer enlisted in the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade as a Gunner shortly after the start of the Great War and was given the Service Number 940.

Unfortunately, his Service Record was destroyed during the Blitz and there is very little other surviving information. However, it is still possible to provide an outline about what it is likely that he did during the War.

Based on his Service Number, Gnr. A.M. Beer enlisted on 3 September 1914 in the first wave of war-time recruits. He undertook his basic training in Swansea and he is included in the photo of Swansea recruits published in the Cambria Daily Leader published on 9 December 1914.

At the end of his basic training, he would have joined the Brigade in Cambridge, either in late 1914 or early 1915. In May, the Brigade moved to Bedford where they continued their training, readying themselves for Active Service.

The Brigade finally received orders to move to France in November 1915, and according to his surviving records, Gnr A. Watkins was one of the 401 men who travelled from Southampton to Le Havre on 22 November 1915.

From Le Havre, the Brigade travelled to the Somme to undertake frontline training in an area close to Albert which would mark the Southern edge of the Somme battlefield just 6 months later.

There is one other record relating to Archie Beer’s service, proving that he was in Alexandria in 1918. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that he travelled to Egypt with the rest of the Brigade in February 1916, making the dangerous 5 day crossing between Marseilles and Alexandria.

From Alexandria, he would have travelled to Beni Salama where the Brigade acclimatized to desert conditions and rejoined the rest of the 53rd Welsh Division who had suffered badly at Gallipoli.

In May 1916, the Brigade took over a sector of the Suez Canal Defences and in November started the long, hot march across the Sinai Desert, arriving at Gaza the following spring. It is reasonable to assume Gnr Beer was involved in the first two unsuccessful Battles of Gaza in early 1917 and, after a change of leadership, the 3rd successful Battle of Gaza in the Autumn and the subsequent advance to Jerusalem at the end of that year.

In February 1918, Gnr Beer was admitted to No.19 General Hospital in Alexandria. His medical record provides a useful insight into his service. It states that he was a member of 265 Brigade, from which we can deduce he had been a member of the 1st Glamorgan Battery (which later became C Battery of 265 Brigade).

Gnr Beer was discharged to the Convalescent Depot at Mustapha, Alexandria at the end of March and no further records have been found. Given that he did not receive the Silver War Badge or a military pension, it is reasonable to assume he returned to active service.

Following the defeat of the Turkish Armies, the Brigade returned to Alexandria and after a brief pause, returned to Swansea. Most men were demobilized in March/April 1919.

A surviving photo of Gnr Beer from later in the war shows him wearing the insignia of a Signaller.

For his service in the Great War, Gnr Archie Beer was awarded the 1914/14 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.