Robert Hugh Archer served as midshipman in Galatea under HRH the Duke of Edinburgh between 1857 and 1861. Advancing to lieutenant in 1872, he served in Agincourt, flagship of Admiral Hornby, in the Channel Squadron from 1872 until 1874. The following year he joined the British Arctic Expedition, 1875-1876 (leader George Strong Nares), as second lieutenant in HMS Discovery, sent by the Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole by way of Smith Sound and to explore the coasts of Greenland and adjacent lands. Archer led a sledging party to the head of Archer Fjord, which opens off Lady Franklin Bay. After the expedition, he rose to the rank of captain. He died in 1930.
From the guide to the Robert Archer collection, 1875-1876, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
