- SURNAME
Archer
- FORENAME
Bertram Stuart Trevelyan
- UNIT
Royal Engineers (104 Bomb Disposal Section + 142 Bomb Disposal Regiment)
- RANK
Second Lieutenant (A/Lieutenant) + Lieutenant Colonel
- NUMBER
126305
- AWARD
George Cross, Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- PLACE
Wales 1940 (GC) 10.6.1961 (OBE)
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
born 3.2.1915 Hampstead, London
son of Bertram George Reine and Frances Archer
educated Regent Street Polytechnic
architect, Grays Inn July 1936 (Ingram and Son)
Honourable Artillery Company prewar
commissioned R.E. June 1940
RAF Manby (bomb disposal course)
104 BD Section 1940
12 BD Company (Major) 1945
demobilised 1945
architect postwar
Army Emergency Reserve 1950
142 BD Regiment (Lt Col) 1953
Honorary Colonel, Bomb Disposal Regiments, Royal Engineers 28.10.1963
Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
married Katherine (Kit) (died 1995) (3 children Ian, Deirdre and Melanie)
died 2.5.2015 (Aged 100)
London Gazette 35292, 30th September 1941, Page 5653 (GC)
London Gazette 42370, 2nd June 1961, Page 4149 (OBE)
CITATION:
Order of the British Empire : Lt-Col B.S.T. ARCHER,GC, ERD, RE (AER), is the senior serving officer in Bomb Disposal (AER), and he is due to finish his tenure of command of 142 Bomb Disposal Regiment RE (AER) and his service with the AER in July 1961.
He is a Commanding Officer of considerable character and personality, who at all times has set the very highest example to all ranks, both of the three regiments of Bomb Disposal (AER) and of the regular staff of the Bomb Disposal Unit (UK) RE, by his sincere enthusiasm, loyalty, integrity, efficient and high sense of duty. This has had an outstanding effect upon the morale in the AER and therefore upon recruiting to the AER.
He is a very hard-working and conscientious trainer of men, never sparing himself on schemes and exercises, both at annual camps and at every voluntary week-end training period, to ensure that the highest possible standard is reached and that every moment of training time is spent profitably. All ranks have the greatest respect and admiration for him.
Plans for the mobilisation of Bomb Disposal (AER) in aid of Civil Defence in the UK in global war had to be changed very considerably during 1960 to ensure that the hazard of unexploded enemy guided missiles was adequately countered throughout the UK. This necessitated a good deal of original thought, imaginative planning and re-writing of establishments and equipment tables into a realistic re-organisation, based on past experience and likely future requirements. This could not have been done satisfactorily without consulting the three Commanding Officers of the AER regiments. Lt-Col ARCHER took charge of these proceedings and, working in his own time, held a series of meetings and conducted considerable correspondence which resulted in his producing two papers which had a very material and valuable effect on the final proposals approved by the war office.
Of all the AER officer in Bomb Disposal, he is the one to whom it matters most that the fine traditions of Bomb Disposal (short though its history is) should be upheld and fostered in the future by the new recruits of all ranks who have joined since the last war. It is largely due to his outstanding efforts, example and leadership that this brank of the AER, which has no counterpart in civilian life (unlike other branches of the AER), flourishes so enthusiastically and successfully.
Place : HORSHAM, SUSSEX
Date of Action : 1 Aug 59 - 1 Dec 60
How Employed : CO 142 Bomb Disposal Regiment RE (AER)
George Cross :
Lieutenant Archer has been employed on bomb disposal work since June 1940 and has dealt with some two hundred bombs, in addition to a number of incidents mentioned below. He provided the War Office with the numbers 17, 25, 26, 38 and 50 fuzes and Zus anti-handling device for experiments, at a time when little was known about the nature of German fuzes.
On 15 July 1940 four 250 kilogram bombs were dropped on St. Athan aerodrome, South Wales, two of them within ten yards os some vitally important assembly shed. Lieutenant Archer immediately went to the scene and the first bomb was excavated. As its fuze, was expected to be a booby trap, it was loaded, with the fuze still in, on to a lorry; Lieutenant Archer himself drove the lorry to a site some two miles away and the bomb was detonated. The other bomb was dealt with in the same way.
On the 17 August 1940, at Moulton, South Wales, a 250-kilogram bomb was excavated down to the fuze pocket, which contained a number 50 fuze. As this fuze required for War Office experiments, an attempt was made to extract it by means of a cord, and, when this failed, Lieutenant Archer removed it by hand by means of a pick head; although well aware that the fuze might be a booby trap.
On the 27 August 1940, at Port Talbot Docks, this officer was instrumental in recovering the first No. 38 fuze for experimental purposes.
On the 2 September 1940, a vast fire was started in six oil tanks after a heavy raid on the National Oil Refineries at Skewen, near Swansea. There were unexploded bombs in and around the oil tank farm and Lieutenant Archer and his party went to work some eight hours after the raid. In spite of the fact that three bombs exploded, he and his men remained working. One 250 kilogram had fallen two feet from the side of an oil tank and when uncovered was found to contain a number 17 fuze, which was ticking. Lieutenant Archer was able to remove the filler cap, scrape away the explosive and remove the whole fuze pocket, which had sheared. As the fuze was required for experiment he removed it by hand from the exploder tube and found inside a Zus anti-handling device which had not functioned, and this too he removed by hand. This was apparently the first Zus to be successfully extricated.
In addition to the above incidents. Lieutenant Archer has on three occasions driven lorries containing bombs with number 17 fuzes in order to remove them from sites.
The Inspector of Fortifications and Director of Bomb Disposal, states that the fact that Lieutenant Archer has enjoyed much remarkable immunity from death in no wat detracts from his record of deliberate and sustained courage, coupled with devotion to duty of the highest order.
He is a Commanding Officer of considerable character and personality, who at all times has set the very highest example to all ranks, both of the three regiments of Bomb Disposal (AER) and of the regular staff of the Bomb Disposal Unit (UK) RE, by his sincere enthusiasm, loyalty, integrity, efficient and high sense of duty. This has had an outstanding effect upon the morale in the AER and therefore upon recruiting to the AER.
He is a very hard-working and conscientious trainer of men, never sparing himself on schemes and exercises, both at annual camps and at every voluntary week-end training period, to ensure that the highest possible standard is reached and that every moment of training time is spent profitably. All ranks have the greatest respect and admiration for him.
Plans for the mobilisation of Bomb Disposal (AER) in aid of Civil Defence in the UK in global war had to be changed very considerably during 1960 to ensure that the hazard of unexploded enemy guided missiles was adequately countered throughout the UK. This necessitated a good deal of original thought, imaginative planning and re-writing of establishments and equipment tables into a realistic re-organisation, based on past experience and likely future requirements. This could not have been done satisfactorily without consulting the three Commanding Officers of the AER regiments. Lt-Col ARCHER took charge of these proceedings and, working in his own time, held a series of meetings and conducted considerable correspondence which resulted in his producing two papers which had a very material and valuable effect on the final proposals approved by the war office.
Of all the AER officer in Bomb Disposal, he is the one to whom it matters most that the fine traditions of Bomb Disposal (short though its history is) should be upheld and fostered in the future by the new recruits of all ranks who have joined since the last war. It is largely due to his outstanding efforts, example and leadership that this brank of the AER, which has no counterpart in civilian life (unlike other branches of the AER), flourishes so enthusiastically and successfully.
Place : HORSHAM, SUSSEX
Date of Action : 1 Aug 59 - 1 Dec 60
How Employed : CO 142 Bomb Disposal Regiment RE (AER)
George Cross :
Lieutenant Archer has been employed on bomb disposal work since June 1940 and has dealt with some two hundred bombs, in addition to a number of incidents mentioned below. He provided the War Office with the numbers 17, 25, 26, 38 and 50 fuzes and Zus anti-handling device for experiments, at a time when little was known about the nature of German fuzes.
On 15 July 1940 four 250 kilogram bombs were dropped on St. Athan aerodrome, South Wales, two of them within ten yards os some vitally important assembly shed. Lieutenant Archer immediately went to the scene and the first bomb was excavated. As its fuze, was expected to be a booby trap, it was loaded, with the fuze still in, on to a lorry; Lieutenant Archer himself drove the lorry to a site some two miles away and the bomb was detonated. The other bomb was dealt with in the same way.
On the 17 August 1940, at Moulton, South Wales, a 250-kilogram bomb was excavated down to the fuze pocket, which contained a number 50 fuze. As this fuze required for War Office experiments, an attempt was made to extract it by means of a cord, and, when this failed, Lieutenant Archer removed it by hand by means of a pick head; although well aware that the fuze might be a booby trap.
On the 27 August 1940, at Port Talbot Docks, this officer was instrumental in recovering the first No. 38 fuze for experimental purposes.
On the 2 September 1940, a vast fire was started in six oil tanks after a heavy raid on the National Oil Refineries at Skewen, near Swansea. There were unexploded bombs in and around the oil tank farm and Lieutenant Archer and his party went to work some eight hours after the raid. In spite of the fact that three bombs exploded, he and his men remained working. One 250 kilogram had fallen two feet from the side of an oil tank and when uncovered was found to contain a number 17 fuze, which was ticking. Lieutenant Archer was able to remove the filler cap, scrape away the explosive and remove the whole fuze pocket, which had sheared. As the fuze was required for experiment he removed it by hand from the exploder tube and found inside a Zus anti-handling device which had not functioned, and this too he removed by hand. This was apparently the first Zus to be successfully extricated.
In addition to the above incidents. Lieutenant Archer has on three occasions driven lorries containing bombs with number 17 fuzes in order to remove them from sites.
The Inspector of Fortifications and Director of Bomb Disposal, states that the fact that Lieutenant Archer has enjoyed much remarkable immunity from death in no wat detracts from his record of deliberate and sustained courage, coupled with devotion to duty of the highest order.
WEB LINKS:
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35292/page/5653 (GC)https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42370/supplement/4149 (OBE)
http://www.vconline.org.uk/bertram-s-t-archer-gc/4588984616
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Archer
https://bertram-archer.muchloved.com/
NATIONAL ARCHIVES:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7629395 (OBE)https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7378342 (GC)
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