Archibald James Fergusson Eden was a career officer in the British Army. He received his commission in 1892 and actively served until the end of the First World War, after which he remained a figure in military circles, organising memorials, overseeing parades and attending military dinners.
Early life
Archibald J.F. Eden was born in Faizabad on the 20th of 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. William Rushbrooke Eden. He was educated at Haileybury College from May 1885 to December 1889. In 1903 he married Isabella Ann Weir, the daughter of the Rector of Tydavnet, in County Antrim, Ireland. They had two daughters, Louisa Marjorie in 1906 and Dorothy Isabella in 1909. Louisa died in 1907.
During the War of the Golden Stool Eden, promoted to Captain on the 24 February 1900 after a superior was taken prisoner of war, in the 2nd Battalion of the West African Frontier Force, was mentioned twice in the London Gazette by then Colonel Sir James 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 has proved himself quite equal to the Hausa; he led the charge at Kumasi. 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, with two officers, a doctor, two British NCO’s and 175 men. 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.
Eden was involved in the Second Boer War, having been sent there to join his regiment immediately following his campaign in Ashanti. On the 13/09/1902, 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 October 5th. Following the war he was eligible for the Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps; Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902.
Early 1900s
During the period between the Second Boer War and the First World War, Eden became the last adjutant of the 3rd Battalion of The Oxfordshire Light Infantry, finishing this service on 31 March 1908. He was also serving in India for a period of time during this decade as the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum holds a photograph of him and his company dated December 1906, taken in Lucknow, with Eden captioned as being a Major.
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, and as of December 15th 1915 his battalion was part of the 5th Infantry Brigade with Eden in command of the battalion under Brigadier-General Corkran. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 3 June 1916, was mentioned in despatches by General Haig on 13 June 1916, and was wounded at the Somme in October 1916. As of 8 July 1916, Eden was the General Commanding Officer 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 however, as he appears to have been in command of the 52nd Brigade circa April 1918, and on 24 May 1918 he was in command of the 57th Brigade. 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 the 30th of August 1918, with his brigade in reserve at the Battle of the Sambre. His medal card confirms his eligibility for the 1914 star with clasp, showing that he had been serving within at least artillery range of the German lines. On the 03 June 1915, he was made a brevet lieutenant-colonel, with this being increased to full lieutenant-colonel on 18 September 1915, and full colonel on 03 June 1919. On the 18th of September 1919, he was put on to the half-pay list. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Later life
Post-active service, Eden remained a figure in military activities, local politics and local historical preservation. He 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. Circa 1945 he was the Treasurer of the Conservative Party Winchester branch, and circa 1953 he was a member of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society. He died on the 8th of May, 1956, aged 84.
Legacy
The National Army Museum 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".
