Private Archibald Alfred Guard

From the early 1880s, the Guard family can be found living in St Giles in the Wood, their exact address being at ‘Worden Cottage’. Over the decades the family would become extensive. The father of the family is Philip Guard, originally from High Bickington and born in 1857. His wife, Mary, two years his junior was born in Beaford. They both work, Philip as an agricultural labourer and Mary as a glover. In 1881 they had four children, Alfred (4), Anne (3), Albert (2) and William (newborn) who were all born in the parish.

By 1891 the family had moved into Great Torrington. Their address is recorded as ‘Calf Street’. Archie is born in 1895 and by the 1901 census is 6 years old. There is a full household. The parents have similar jobs, Philip is a ‘navvy’ and Mary works as a shirt collar maker. In addition, there are seven children living under the roof whose ages range from 18 to a 1 year old daughter. Records show that Archie was enrolled into the Great Torrington Council School for Boys in the same year as the census, his father is listed on the admission form.

The following decade still has the family living at 72 Calf Street. Archie has left school and his occupation is listed as a ‘fireman on engine’. In 1910 Archie joined the Territorials with the 6th Devonshire Battalion.

This volunteer unit was formed when the Territorial Army was created in 1908 and mostly comprised of men from northern Devon. At the outset of war, the 6th Devons were at their annual camp just outside Exeter. From here, the battalion was assembled at Salisbury Plain for training and for reinforcements to be sent. They then embarked for India on 9th October 1914 and were stationed near Lahore. During their time in India, they sent soldiers from their ranks to other outfits based in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Palestine.

However, Archie would not leave India. In May 1915 he was reported as being “smitten with fever, and, although everything possible was done for him he succumbed towards the end of the month”. Word was received back in Great Torrington by a hand-written note by Captain Stranger [1]. Further reports state that he died on the eve of his 21st birthday [2].

As well as being listed on the Great Torrington war memorial, Private Guard’s grave can be found at the Karachi 1914-1918 War Memorial. Although I have not been able to locate any descendants of the Guard family, I have found a newspaper cutting that includes a photo of the ‘Torrington Terrier’, a nickname that presumably comes from his service with the Territorial Army.

[1] North Devon Journal. ‘Death of a Torringtonian in India’. June 24th 1915

[2] Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. ‘News of the West’. June 26th 1915