Archibald Robert McKay – Royal Artillery, 205 Battery, 84th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

Gunner Archibald Robert McKay – Royal Artillery, 205 Battery, 84^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

Background and Records

There are no surviving comprehensive official service or civil records for Archibald Robert McKay, who is commemorated on the Mumbles War Memorial. Information relating to his service and death derives from a combination of Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, local newspaper reports, and cemetery evidence, which do not fully agree.

Military Service

Archibald served as a Gunner with the Royal Artillery, attached to 205 Battery, 84^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.

During the Second World War, elements of the Royal Artillery, including 205 Battery of the 84^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, were deployed to the Faroe Islands, a remote North Atlantic archipelago of major strategic importance for the control of sea lanes between Britain, Iceland, and Norway.

British forces occupied the Faroe Islands in April 1940 to prevent their use by German forces following the invasion of Denmark. Anti-aircraft units were stationed there to defend harbours, airfields, communications facilities, and anchorage areas against possible German air attack, and to provide protection for Allied shipping operating in the surrounding waters.

Service in the Faroe Islands was isolated and physically demanding. Personnel endured harsh weather, including severe cold, high winds, persistent rain, and limited daylight during winter months. Accommodation was often basic, medical facilities were restricted, and evacuation to Britain could be delayed by weather and operational constraints. As a result, illness posed a serious risk, and a number of servicemen were repatriated due to sickness rather than combat wounds.

Men serving with batteries such as 205 Battery were responsible for manning light anti-aircraft guns, maintaining equipment in difficult conditions, and remaining on constant readiness, despite the absence of frequent enemy air attacks. Casualties during the Faroe Islands deployment were therefore more commonly the result of illness, accidents, or exposure, rather than direct enemy action.

Death

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records Archibald Robert McKay’s date of death as 17^th December 1942.

South Wales Daily Post

Contemporary reporting in the South Wales Daily Post stated that Archibald died in Scotland after being taken ill while serving in the Faroe Islands. It is now established that Gunner Archibald Robert McKay died at Tulloch Castle Hospital, Scotland, having been repatriated due to illness. This confirms that his death resulted from sickness incurred during active service, rather than enemy action.

Burial and Commemoration

Archibald Robert McKay is buried at Oystermouth Cemetery, where his headstone bears the date “7^th”, which differs from the CWGC-recorded date of 17^th December 1942. The discrepancy highlights the difficulties of wartime record-keeping and later reconciliation of official documentation.

Archibald Robert McKay
Oystermouth Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Despite these inconsistencies, Archibald Robert McKay’s service and sacrifice are formally recognised through his burial at Oystermouth Cemetery and his commemoration on the Mumbles War Memorial