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31331 6th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
Archibald Portfleet, known as Archie was born in 1900 in Sudbury. He was the youngest son of nine children of Johannes Cornelius and Clara Portfleet. His father, who was Dutch, worked for William Armes in King’s Lynn and moved the family to Overalls Yard when his employers moved their factory to Sudbury. The family later moved to 9 Gregory Street. One of his sisters and three of his brothers worked with their father at William Armes, one of those brothers also played football for Sudbury. All his brothers served in the forces during the war, two of them fighting alongside at Gallipoli. Alfred and Thomas served with the Royal Engineers, Johannes with the 16th Lancers and Percy, who was wounded but survived served with the Gloucester Regiment.
Archie was underage when he volunteered. He enlisted in Sudbury and served with the Sussex Regiment (formerly TR/10/180209) before transferring to the Queen’s Own Regiment which formed part of 37th Brigade, 12th (Eastern) Division. It is not known when Archie transferred.
In August 1918 the Allies launched their successful offensive at the Battle of Amiens which would eventually lead to end of the war. The 12th Division saw action at the Battle of Albert (21-23 August). On 22 August after a brief rest from the previous days fighting the Division attacked again across the old 1916 Somme battlefield; a week of fighting followed but they successfully captured Meaulte, Mametz, Carnoy, Hardecourt and Faviere Wood but at a cost one of which was Archie.
Archie died on 24 August 1918 just two months short of his 18th birthday. He lies buried in Meaulte Military Cemetery, Somme, France. Archie was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid by his grave in April 2009.
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