Robin Smith published in The Times (January 12) a photograph of a Colour Sgt, Jack Archer, of the 2nd Battalion of The Rifle Brigade, and claimed that it was taken at Malta in 1902.

This is not possible because none of the battalions of The Rifle Brigade were then stationed on the island. The 2nd Battalion of The Rifle Brigade was however stationed at Malta between 1897 and 1898.

Mr Smith must be referring to John Archer, known as Jack, born in 1871, who enlisted in the Rifle Brigade in 1889, and joined the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in 1890. He was made Sgt in 1894 and between 1897 and 1898 was at Malta. In 1899 he was promoted to Colour Sgt and it is known he was in Crete in that year because it was from that country on 2nd October 1899 that the 2nd Battalion sailed on board the troopship Jelunga to South Africa to take part in the Boer war (1899-1902).

It is possible that the 2nd Battalion moved from Malta to Crete towards the end of 1898. Among documents relating to John Archer held at "Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College, London" there is an album which contains photographs of manoeuvres by the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade at Malta in 1897 and at Crete in 1898, when Jack Archer was still a Sergeant.

Jack Archer also served in World War I in which he was wounded and captured at the Battle of Cambria, August 1914, and remained a POW for the duration of the war.

He retired from the Army in 1919 and worked for the prison service, Nyasaland (Malawi) from 1919 until 1939 in which year he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the East African Army Service Corps. He retired with the rank of Honorary Captain in 1947 and died in 1954.

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