Archibald Edward Wright was born in Melton in 1894. His father was Sheperson Wright, a carpenter, and his mother Mary (née Turner). He was one of seven children and had a brother, Frank, and five sisters.

In 1911, Archibald was living at home with his parents at Mill Farm House, Hasketon where he was working as a farm labourer. He married Esther Ablitt in 1912 and their daughter, Florence arrived shortly after. They were living at the Hollies on Melton Road.

Archibald did not enlist at the start of the war but waited until the end of November 1914 before doing so. As the 4^th Suffolks had been mobilised to France at the beginning of the month, Archibald joined their reserve battalion to under go training.

On 25^th February 1915, one hundred men and three officers embarked for France to join the main battalion in the field. For the 4^th Suffolks their arrival was much needed as they arrived in camp at 16:00 on 14^th March just days after they had taken part in the Battle of Neuve Chappelle sustaining considerable casualties. The war diary entry says:

“4 pm, 14^th March, St Vaast: A draft of 3 Officers and 100 rank and file reached headquarters from the Reserve Battalion in England and were allocated to different companies bringing them up to a fighting strength of about 125 rank and file”

Archibald and his brother, Frank, were two of the one hundred rank and file in the draft.

On 21^st June 1915, tragedy struck, Archibald’s brother, Frank was killed along with Lieutenant Mason and two other men when the German artillery bombarded their lines in an attempt to destroy an anti-aircraft gun that had been troubling the enemy but had already been moved to another position.

At the start of July 1916, the Battle of the Somme had begun. The 4^th Suffolks were in front line trenches at Cuinchy to the north of Lens when orders were received sending them south to Vaux-sur-Somme to bolster the ongoing battle. Archibald and the 4^th Suffolks arrived on 11^th July and on the 13^th they were ordered to be ready for deployment at half an hour’s notice.

The following afternoon, the battalion moved to a position to the east of Fricourt where they prepared to support the 1^st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in an attack on a German position called Switch Trench. On the 15^th, the attack began and after severe fighting a line was eventually taken in front of the village of Bazantin-le-Petit. The battalion suffered casualties of more than two hundred men including over forty killed.

Archibald was one of those that died and his body was not recovered. He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, and the Hasketon War Memorial along with his brother, Frank.

For his war service his wife and daughter received his 1914-15 Star and British War and Victory Medal.