William Archer
18 February 1925 – 29 June 2014
In 1943, William (Bill) Archer was called up, at the age of eighteen into the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (3rd Division). After intensive training in Ireland he landed at Arromanches, Normandy on 13th June 1944. They were all very sea-sick from the fumes and were sent to Bayeux Hospital for a few days. On June 19th he arrived at ‘the front’, Emieville, ten miles from the fallen town of Caen.
The first trench was dug in a churchyard: “The sludge was so wet that I had to dig down deeper. Afterwards I placed an old door over the trench and covered it with soil. A shell hit it directly but the two men under were unharmed.” Later Bill saw his young friend dive into the lych gate at the front of the church. He shouted come “over here,” but moments later, received a direct hit and was killed. That night Emieville was bombed heavily by the R.A.F. The forest was full of German Panzer tanks. Bill remembered that there not one single leaf left on the trees. Bill was one of five men sent on patrol under the command of Charles Jarvis (officer). They were all so scared that Charlie jumped on top of a Panzer and started to write a letter home to calm their nerves, whilst they waited in a bomb crater.
On 24 July they went to a rest area called Cazelle before moving on 3rd August to north of Caumont and B’eny Bocage/Thury Harcourt. The Battalion was ordered to take the village of Presles, but failed to do so to the ire of Colonel Gibbs. Bill served in A Company and a mortar bomb exploded in his dugout leaving him totally deaf for four days. On August 6th 1944 the Battalion was at La Bas Ferrier (Ridge) and five days later moved to the east of the River Vira towards Tinchebray. After this they went through Belgium and arrived in Holland 18th September 1944.
