Joseph Archer was born at his family home at Gilroy Road, West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 22nd January 1892, the son of Joseph Henry and Lizzie Archer (née Kermode). His father was an insurance agent and Joseph was the eldest son, and second eldest of seven children in the family, although three of his siblings had died before 1911.
In April 1901, His father died and as soon as he was old enough, he went out to work to help support his family. While still a teenager, he joined the Cunard Steam Ship Company Limited as a waiter on trans-Atlantic liners, serving in his early years on the Lucania and Saxonia. He was to spend the remainder of his working life in the
Mercantile Marine, mainly with the Cunard Steam Ship Company Limited.
In late 1914, Joseph Archer married Amy Gertrude Aspinall in West Derby, Liverpool. His wife was a milliner.
On the 12th April 1915, he engaged as a first class waiter in the Stewards Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool, at a monthly rate of pay of £4-5s-0d., (£4.25p.). He then reported for duty on the early morning of the 17th April 1915 before she left Liverpool Pierhead for the very last time and one week later, he arrived safely at her New York destination.
He was serving in the same capacity on the great liner’s return voyage and was on board when she was torpedoed on the 7th May 1915. He was aged 23 years.
Joseph Archer was fortunate to survive the sinking and having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, he eventually managed to travel home to his wife.
In 1917, their son, Joseph Kenneth, was born and he was to be their only child.
When the trans-Atlantic liners moved from Liverpool to Southampton in Hampshire, Joseph Archer, like many of his mercantile marine colleagues from Liverpool, moved there with their families, and for a time he lived with his family at 8. Oakville Mansions, Devonshire Road, but later moved to 12. Pentire Way, Southampton, which was to be his final residence. During World War II, he served on the Pasteur and the Queen Mary, and continued to serve on the Queen Mary until at least 1949.
Joseph Archer died in Southampton on the 29th March 1952, aged 60 years. He left his estate of £1,242-16s.-1d. (£1,242.80½p) to his wife.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, 1921 Census of England, 1939 Register, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Probate Records, PRO BT 340, PRO BT 364, Graham Maddocks, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 6th December 2022.