A yacht drifts by lighthouses and inlets on the coast of southern Norway and Denmark in 1912. On board are two men, Walter and Hugh Archer, who appear to be cruising the waters at their leisure. In reality, they are British spies who’ve been recruited to monitor German naval activity.
Both of the men are relations of Andrew Bradley, who began researching his tree in earnest during the lockdown of spring 2020. “I knew that my great great grandfather Walter Edward Archer was very successful in his career as an inspector of fisheries,” Andrew explains. “He was also a specialist on the sex life of the salmon! I had no idea that he was linked to the Secret Intelligence Service, which would later become known as MI6.”
Andrew began his research into Walter’s life with a Google search. “I was amazed when he appeared as a case study in a book called Six: The Real James Bonds 1909–1939. Its author, Michael Smith, had found Walter and his son Hugh mentioned in classified documents at The National Archives at Kew.”
Walter’s career made him the ideal choice for naval surveillance off the coast of southern Norway. He was born in Hampton, London, in 1855, the son of Captain Clement Archer of the 4th Dragoon Guards and his wife Eliza Swetenham.
In 1884, Walter secured the fishing rights to the Suldalslågen, a major salmon river in Rogaland, south-west Norway. He bought a home in the nearby town of Sand, and divided his time between there and London.
Over his 40-year lease of the river, Walter created a salmon ladder at Sandsfossen waterfall (a series of steps enabling salmon to swim upstream to their breeding grounds), began a hatchery and organised the marking of fish to strengthen stock. He became a key figure in efforts to protect salmon from netting.
He married Alice Murray, a descendant of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, and they had six children including Hugh, who became a Royal Navy lieutenant and specialist navigator. In 1892, Walter was appointed chief inspector of salmon fisheries in Scotland, and six years later became inspector of fisheries for England and Wales.
“One of Walter’s greatest achievements came in 1908 when he was appointed president of the oldest intergovernmental science programme in the world – the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).”
Walter’s intimate knowledge of the Norwegian and Danish coastlines must have come to the notice of Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, the first director of the Secret Intelligence Service.
“Walter and Hugh were recruited by Smith-Cumming to spy on German ships off the coast of southern Norway and Denmark. It was exciting to read that they were given their own codenames: Walter was ‘Sage’, and Hugh was ‘Sagette’.”
They were paid £1,200 to spend a year watching German ships and fulfilling other naval requirements. Their aim was to sail around the coast in a private yacht, recruiting lighthouse-keepers and coastguards to report on German naval movements.
Sage carried out his duties for a year and Sagette for another six months, sailing in their yacht Edirene. In that time, they must have filtered back vital intelligence that helped with the war effort in years to come. Walter lived on until 1917, and took the secret of his espionage to the grave.
“I would love to have sailed on Edirene with Walter and Hugh, and watched as they studied the German vessels for their intelligence work. There must have been some element of danger, although I’m sure that they would have viewed it as serving their country.”
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