Brigadier-General Archibald James Fergusson Eden (20 January 1872−8 May 1956) was a career officer in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. He received his commission in 1892 and actively served until 23 March 1924, after which he remained a figure in military circles, organising memorials, overseeing parades and attending military dinners. He was also a direct descendant of
Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland
Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland, 23rd Proprietary Governor of Maryland (14 September 1741 – 2 September 1784) was a British official and the last colonial Governor of Maryland. Although a popular governor and an able administrator, E ...
.
Early life
![AJF Eden, 10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/AJF_Eden%2C_10.jpg)
Archibald J.F. Eden was born in Faizabad on 20 January 1872, the son of
Major Archibald Duffield Eden and his wife Emma Louisa Jarvis, and was the oldest of three brothers, his two younger siblings being Cecil Harold Eden and Lt. Col. (also temp. Brigadier General)
William Rushbrooke Eden
Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom), Lieutenant Colonel and Temp. Brigadier general (United Kingdom), Brigadier-general William Rushbrooke Eden (1873 – 1920) was a career officer in the British Army. He received his commission in 1893 and activ ...
CMG DSO. His grandfather was General
William Hassell Eden
General William Hassell Eden (1800 – 10 December 1882) was a career officer in the British Army, holding the position of Colonel of the 90th Light Infantry from 1862 to 1881. He purchased his commission in 1814 and actively served until his deat ...
of the
90th Regiment of Foot
The 90th Perthshire Light Infantry was a Scottish light infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot to form the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 188 ...
. He was educated at
Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to:
Australia
* Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
** Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia
China
* Haileybury International School, an internatio ...
from May 1885 to December 1889.
In 1903 he married Isabella Ann Weir, the daughter of the Rector of
Tydavnet
Tydavnet, officially Tedavnet (), is a village in northern County Monaghan, Ireland, and also the name of the townland and civil parish in which the village sits. Both the Church of Ireland and Catholic church have Tydavnet named as a parish ...
in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
, Ireland, with his brother William serving as his best man. Eden and Isabella went on to have two daughters, Louisa Marjorie on the 12 September 1906 and Dorothy Isabella in 1909. Louisa died on 8 January 1907.
Military service
Eden was commissioned from the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...
on 18 June 1892 to be a
second lieutenant in the
Oxfordshire Light Infantry (the regiment became the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on 16 October 1908).
On 1 October 1894 Eden underwent a musketry course at Hythe, with his certificate for passing the course being issued on 21 November 1894.
Eden was granted the temporary rank of Captain for service in West Africa on the 5 February 1898, and the 12 February 1898 edition of The Colonies and India newspaper lists Eden as bound from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
for
Forçados
Forçados is a small town in Burutu LGA of Delta State, Nigeria. It is most noted for the Forcados River, which is a major navigable channel of the Niger Delta. The river starts about downstream from Aboh and flows through zones of freshwater sw ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
on board the British and African Steam Navigation Company (
Elder Dempster and Company) Steamship Batanga, with the end destination being
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
via
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
. He was then serving in the hinterland of Lagos in Nigeria instructing a new regiment made up of Yoruba locals, entitling him to the
East and West Africa Medal with 1897-1898 clasp.
War of the Golden Stool
On the 23 September 1899 Eden is listed as being aboard the British and African Steam Navigation Company Royal Mail shi
SS Bornu embarking from Liverpool with the destination once again being Forçados. This time he was accompanied by a number of the officers who would go on to take part in the War of the Golden Stool. Then-Colonel Sir
James Willcocks
General Sir James Willcocks, (1 April 1857 – 18 December 1926) was a British Army officer who spent most of his career in India and Africa and held high command during the First World War.
Early life and education
Willcocks was born in Bara ...
himself was among them, and he alludes to the journey in his own writings.
During the War of the Golden Stool whilst serving with the 2nd Battalion of the
West African Frontier Force
The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognitio ...
Eden (promoted to full
Captain on 24 February 1900 after a superior was taken
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
) was mentioned twice in the ''
London Gazette'' by Willcocks as part of his 14 August 1900 Despatch and his conduct summed up as follows:
"''This officer has shown great aptitude for commanding native soldiers; under his able guidance the Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
has proved himself quite equal to the Hausa
Hausa may refer to:
* Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa
* Hausa language, spoken in West Africa
* Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states
* Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse
See also
...
; he led the charge at Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
. I sincerely trust he will be rewarded.''"
Sir
Francis Fuller‘s book ''A Vanished Dynasty: Ashanti'' references that Eden was left in command of the fort at Kumasi on the 17 July with two officers, a doctor, two British NCO’s and 175 men (Willcocks give an alternate number of 160 men with the five British officers and NCO's). This is corroborated by Captain
C. H. Armitage DSO and Lieutenant Colonel A. F. Montanaro R.A. in their collaborative work ''The Ashanti Campaign of 1900.'' Eden is otherwise mentioned by name multiple times in the work, with one instance being a recollection that Eden and his men successfully took the village o
Tredeby means of a bayonet charge. His leading of his men in a flanking charge on a stockade is also mentioned, with various other actions being touched upon. The final mention of Eden in the book covers that it was his responsibility to march with his men to Inkawe, returning "''reporting that there was no foundation for the news respecting the movement of the rebel leaders into the'' south". By this stage Eden has been consistently referred to as local Major, although his official rank remained Captain. In ''The Relief of Kumasi'' by Captain Harold C. J. Biss he mentions of the charge on Kumasi that "''Captain Eden's company had been allotted the privilege of leading, on the ground that he had volunteered to remain in the fort after it had been relieved''.". Willcocks also corroborates Eden's volunteering to remain at Kumasi in his book ''The Romance of Soldiering and Sport,'' as well as recounting that: ''“About two miles out from Kumassi the sound of guns from the fort could be heard, and we afterwards learnt that Eden had placed the garrison under cover, and thus drawn out the enemy to explore the precincts. When a good number had come out into the open,
7-pounders and
Maxims were turned on them with excellent effect.”'' Willcocks later said in ''The Great Drama Of Kumasi'' that: "''In my opinion the garrison left behind at Kumasi was altogether unequal to the task of holding fort, and nothing less than fear of Ashantis to attack could have saved them notwithstanding strong fort"'', implying that if not for Eden's ruse in setting up an ordnance ambush to scare the Ashanti the garrison could have suffered severely.
His involvement in this campaign made him eligible for the
Ashanti medal with Kumassi clasp, and he is mentioned as being one of the officers involved in ''Letters from a Bush Campaign'' by David Martineau Haylings, the war correspondent for ''
Black & White.''
Second Boer War
Eden was involved in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
, having been sent there to join his regiment following his campaign in Ashanti.
He was promoted to Brevet Major on 15 January 1901, and from December 1901 to May 1902 was taking part in operations in
Orange River Colony
The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...
.
In March 1902 The Daily News reports that he was discharged from hospital, indicating that he had either been wounded or fallen sick.
On 13 September 1902 Eden embarked from South Africa for Southampton along with the rest of the 1st Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry on board the
''Winifredian'', due back in Southampton on 5 October.
Following the war he was eligible for the
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...
with five clasps;
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
,
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
,
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902.
Early 1900s
On the 1 April 1902 Eden's rank of Captain was instituted within his regiment.
During the period between the Second Boer War and the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Eden became the last
adjutant of the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of The Oxfordshire Light Infantry, finishing this service on 31 March 1908. He was also posted in India for a period of time during this decade, serving as the Station Staff Officer and Assistant Cantonment Magistrate of the garrison at
Subathu from October 1904. The
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum holds a photograph of him and his company dated December 1906 taken in
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
with Eden named as a Major in this photograph due to his Brevet Major status, but he was fully promoted to Major on 18 September 1911. In October 1911 following his promotion to full Major he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion in
Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
.
In 1909 he was a founding member of the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Regimental Association, being named as the Honorary Secretary (pro tem).
First World War
In 1914 Eden was part of the
British Expeditionary Force along with the 2nd Battalion of the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as part of C Company and on 20 October 1914 is listed as the senior officer present, heading up the four companies. The diary for the period covering the First Battle of Ypres records an attack towards
Poelcappelle on the 21 October 1914 as having resulted in Eden being wounded. ''The Story of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry'' by
Sir Henry Newbolt
Sir Henry John Newbolt, CH (6 June 1862 – 19 April 1938) was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a role as a government adviser with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps best remembered for his poems "Vit ...
goes into more detail, explaining that the battalion was attempting to storm a gated gap in a hedge covered by machine guns and barbed wire that stood between them and the German defences, with Eden being one of ten officer casualties and circa 200 enlisted men casualties from this action. He was taken away by ambulance, returning on the 5 January 1915. On the 1 April 1915 he is listed as being part of the battalion headquarters and once again the commanding officer and was mentioned by
Field Marshal French in his 31 May 1915 despatch, which was followed by his promotion to Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel on 3 June 1915, with this being recorded in the battalion diary on the 25 June 1915.
In April 1915 the following letter was published in
The Bucks Herald:
"''To the Editor of The Bucks Herald.''
''Dear Sir, - Since the commencement of the war, now more than eight months ago, through the medium of your columns, very many kind friends have contributed to our "Regimental Comforts Fund." This has been most efficiently administered by Mrs. Davies, wife of our late Commanding Officer (now promoted Brigadier-General to command an Infantry Brigade). Through this fund the men have received innumerable presents of clothing (of all sorts) - sausages, milk, butter, sweets, chocolate, soap, stationary, cigarettes, tobacco, etc. - in fact, everything which could be reasonably purchased to provide the little extras which help so much to make their lot happier and time pass more quickly than it would ordinarily.''
''I cannot say how much all these comforts have been appreciated, or how grateful all ranks are for the kind thoughts which have prompted so many subscriptions. The end of the war cannot yet be foreseen, so I venture, with some diffidence, to ask for a continuance of the very kind support your readers have already given to the Fund.''
''Mrs. Davies has most kindly consented to continue the administration of it, and I feel sure the money will be, therefore, as usefully and economically expended in the future as heretofore.''
''Again assuring you of our very grateful thanks for all your labours for the Regiment in past years,''
''I remain, yours faithfully,''
''A. J. F. Eden, Major''
''Commanding 52nd Oxford & Bucks L.I.''"
On 4 September 1915 Eden’s personal diary contained the following entry regarding the preparations for the Battle of Loos:
“''Very large fatigue parties found by the Regiment to-night - 3 or 4 platoons at a time - in the trenches and at the bomb store. We are going to use gas, though the word must not be breathed. The whole thing is an absolute secret. The cylinders were brought up by rail to within a mile of the village, whence they were transferred in transport wagons to a rendezvous about two miles from the front trenches. Then each cylinder (commonly called a “rat”) was carried on men’s shoulders, with other men in relief; the carrying parties conveying their awkward loads not only noiselessly but with the greatest care''.”
On the 25 October 1915 he was hospitalised once again, returning to command on the 8–10 November 1915. He was mentioned again by Field Marshal French in his 30 November 1915 despatch and as of 15 December 1915 his battalion was part of the
5th Infantry Brigade with Eden in command of the battalion under Brigadier-General
Corkran. His rank was increased to full Lieutenant-Colonel on 9 February 1916, backdated to the 18 September 1915.
In early 1916 Eden received a letter from then-
Lieutenant-General Horne praising his battalion and regiment. An excerpt published in The Oxford Chronicle read as follows:
"''I wish I had the opportunity of seeing you to thank all ranks of the 52nd for all that they have done for me. It has been a great honour to be associated with a battalion with such grand traditions, and I cannot say more than that I am confident that you have all not only maintained, but added, to those traditions. I am very grateful for the good work done, gallant fighting, and loyal support of the 52nd, and I wish you farewell and all good fortune. I hope we may be associated again before long.''"
He was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...
on 3 June 1916 and was mentioned in despatches by
General Haig on 13 June 1916.
On the 23 June 1916 the battalion diary reads "''In compliance with orders received Lt-Col A.J.F. Eden DSO proceeded on special duty to hdqts
4th Army''", the Fourth Army being a field army formed to carry out the
Battle of the Somme. He was wounded again at the Somme in October 1916.
On the 11 July 1916 Eden became the
General Officer Commanding of the
24th Infantry Brigade, but was stripped of his position along with multiple other officers following a full restructuring of command circa late December 1916. This does not seem to have stained his record as he is still referenced as being a Brigadier General in the battalion diary of the 2nd Oxford and Bucks dated 18 November 1917, noting a visit he made to his regiment. He appears to have been in command of the
52nd Brigade circa April 1918, but was wounded and succeeded by Brigadier General
Walter Allason. On 24 May 1918 Eden was recovered and in command of the
57th Brigade. This placed him as part of the
19th (Western) Division
The 19th (Western) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Kitchener's Army, formed in the Great War.
Formation history
The 19th (Western) Division was created under Western Command in September 1914, shortly after th ...
under
Major General G.D. Jeffreys during the Third Battle of the Aisne.
On 10 August 1918 Eden's HQ was hit by a bomb, wounding him with shell splinters to the head, but he made a swift recovery as shown by his return to the command of 57th Brigade on 30 August 1918, with his brigade in reserve at the
Battle of the Sambre. The battalion diary of the 2nd Oxford and Bucks dated 14 November 1918, again noting a visit he made to his regiment, references his CMG award.
His medal card confirms his eligibility for the
1914 star with clasp, as he had been serving within at least artillery range of the German lines. He was promoted to full colonel on 3 June 1919 and on 18 September 1919 he was put onto the half-pay list. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre.
The later army lists confirm that he retained the rank of Honorary Brigadier General.
Inter-War Period
Following the war Eden was placed in command of the
48th (South Midland) Division, taking his official retirement on the 23 March 1924.
Second World War
During the Second World War Eden organised a local Home Guard branch, commanding it until it was brought to his attention that due to his advanced age it was not legal for him to hold the command. Following this Eden immediately stepped down from his position and enlisted into the same Home Guard branch as a Private, from there working in the branch depot. For this service he was entitled to the
Defence Medal.
Later life
Post-active service Eden remained a figure in military activities, local politics and local historical preservation. He wrote the ‘1925 Regimental Chronicle Militia and Volunteer Battalions Of The Regiment’ for the 4th Battalion of the Oxford and Bucks, signing off “ ''I am indebted to A History of the Oxfordsbire Regment of Militia, by Lieut-Colonel Frank Willan, for much of the information in this article; also to Captain Philip Godsal, who has supplied me with the details of the Regiment s history since 1900.”'' and he was a Chum of The Old Contemptibles' Association (being the President of the Winchester Branch), unveiled the Caversham War Memorial in
Christchurch Meadows on 5 May 1928, and was also Chairman of the Regimental Committee in 1931 responsible for the organisation of the memorials in the Oxford and Bucks Regimental Chapel in
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual r ...
.
He remained a long-serving county vice-president of the Hampshire Branch of the
British Legion.
In 1939 he was involved in a
Shawford and Compton subscription and adoption scheme in support of child refugees.
In 1940 Eden was elected vice-chairman of the Winchester branch of the
Conservative Party, as well as Hon. Treasurer. Circa 1945 he was the Treasurer of the branch, and circa 1953 he was a member of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society.
He died on 8 May 1956, aged 84, and is buried in All Saints Churchyard, Compton.
Legacy
![AJF Eden medals](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/AJF_Eden_medals.jpg)
The
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...
holds two photograph albums compiled by Eden, one labelled as referring to "''Nigeria and Ashanti, 1899-1901''", and the other "''South African War 1901-1902''".
His daughter Dorothy donated the military effects of Eden's father to the
Cameronian Regimental Museum in 1982, where they are still held. This includes his father's Musketry training certificate, three Commission documents, his
Abyssinian War medal
The Abyssinian War Medal was awarded for service between 4 October 1867 and 19 April 1868 to those who participated in the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia. This punitive expedition, led by Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier, was carried out by th ...
, a portrait photograph, and various pieces of correspondence.
The
Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum is situated at Peninsula Barracks in Winchester, England. The museum is one of several regimental museums that form part of Winchester's Military Museums.
History
The museum brings together the collection ...
holds Eden's full medal entitlement in their medal room, as well as some further items relating to him.
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eden, Archibald James Fergusson
Military personnel of British India
British Army brigadiers
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
British military personnel of the War of the Golden Stool
Royal West African Frontier Force officers
British Army generals of World War I
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
1872 births
1956 deaths
People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Eden family
Burials in Surrey