Distinguished Naval Officer’s Career Ends

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 417, 27 July 1928, Page 13

Distinguished Naval Officer’s Career Ends

Captain Archer’s Death

MAN WHO BOXED EARS OF KING GEORGE

Distinguished service in many expeditions was seen by Captain H. Goodwyn Archer, a Royal Navy veteran, who died yesterday at the age of 79 years.

When King George, who was then the Duke of York, was training in H.M.S. Britannia, Captain Archer was his senior midshipman. On one occasion he called the Duke to order and boxed his ears. The King remembered tlie incident when he came to New Zealand as the Duke of York. Born at King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, Captain Archer entered the Royal Naval Training College, Greenwich, at the age of 13. He was first under fire at the age of 15 as midshipman on H.M. frigate Galatea, which revenged the loss of H.M. steam paddleship Bulldog, sunk with loss of life by the soldiery of San Domingo. The next occasion was land invasion at Swatow, China, by the boats of Sir Henry Keppel's flagship Rodney. This was a punitive expedition for injury done to a British gunboat by the inhabitants. ASHANTI WAR Captain Archer served through the whole of the Ashanti War, and then joined H.M. corvette Encounter, which was one of a squadron of gunboats that inflicted punishment upon pirates at the mouth of the Congo. For his service in this campaign Captain Archer was mentioned in dispatches. In 1880, Captain Archer retired from the Navy with the rank of commander, and three years later he settled in New Zealand. He was president of the Auckland branch of the Veterans’ Association from its inception and for a number of years he was in charge of the Veterans’ Home. At the time of the Russian war

scare many years ago, the captain was put in charge of the Auckland coastal defences. There are two sons. Mrs. Archer died three years ago. The funeral will be held in St. Mark’s Cemetery, Remuera, this afternoon, and it will be attended by tho King’s Empire Veterans,