Learn English – Why is German anti-aircraft fire called “Archibald”

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Reading The War Illustrated (January 30th, 1915 number), I came across this passage:-

At this speed they offer a comparatively stationary mark for the
German anti-aircraft guns, always known as Archibalds, which begin to
burst their shells uncomfortably near them.

I wondered why that term was used. Green's Dictionary of Slang is silent on the matter. The Online Etymology Dictionary explains:-

British World War I military slang for "German anti-aircraft fire"
(1915) supposedly is from black humor of airmen dodging hostile fire
and thinking of the refrain of a popular music hall song, "Archibald,
certainly not!"

This source quotes Ernest Weekley’s An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English (1921) with an alternative explanation:-

“It was at once noticed at Brooklands [where much aviation development
and testing was carried out prior to 1914, and portrayed in the film
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines] that in the vicinity
of, or over, water or damp ground, there were disturbances in the air
causing bumps or drops to these early pioneers. Some of these 'remous’
were found to be permanent, one over the Wey river, and another at the
corner of the aerodrome next to the sewage-farm. Youth being fond of
giving proper names to inanimate objects, the bump near the
sewage-farm was called by them Archibald. As subsequently, when war
broke out, the effect of having shell bursting near an aeroplane was
to produce a 'remous’ reminding the Brookland trained pilots of their
old friend Archibald, they called being shelled 'being Archied’ for
short. Any flying-man who trained at Brooklands before the war will
confirm the above statement”

It further notes that

Whether the term was picked up from the song or whether the song
reinforced the chosen word is difficult to determine without more
evidence

My question is, does any further evidence exist? Which of these explanations are correct? Or is there some other origin?

Best Answer

As attested by most sources the origin is probably from a humorous reference to the very popular music hall song, "Archibald, certaily not" which became a cachtphrase in those years:

Archibald:

  • masc. proper name, from Old High German Erchanbald, literally "genuine bold," from erchan "genuine" + bald (see bold). Archie, British World War I military slang for "German anti-aircraft fire" (1915) supposedly is from black humor of airmen dodging hostile fire and thinking of the refrain of a popular music hall song, "Archibald, certainly not!"

(Etymonline)

Amyas Borton:

enter image description here Air Vice Marshal Amyas Eden Borton was a pilot and commander in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1920s.

  • Two months prior to the outbreak of the First World War, Borton was seconded to the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps, serving as a pilot on No. 5 Squadron at Netheravon. Following the start of the War in June, Borton flew with his Squadron to France. It is recognized that while serving on the Western Front, Borton invented the slang term "archie" for anti-aircraft fire. The usage came about because Borton was probably the first pilot to shout the words "Archibald, certainly not" (from a popular music-hall song written by George Robey) as he flew between the exploding German shells.

(Wikipedia)

Archibald, Certainly Not: (Refrain from the famous song)

Chorus: “Archibald - certainly not

Get back to work, sir, like a shot

When single you could waste time spooning

But lose work now for honeymooning

Archibald - certainly not.”

From 21 Slang Terms From World War I

Archie:

  • Apparently derived from an old music hall song called Archibald, Certainly Not!, Archie was a British military slang word for German anti-aircraft fire. Its use is credited to an RAF pilot, Vice-Marshall Amyas Borton, who apparently had a habit of singing the song’s defiant chorus—“Archibald, certainly not! / Get back to work at once, sir, like a shot!”—as he flew his airplane between the exploding German shells on the Western Front.

and

From : Glossary of Slang and Peculiar Terms in Use in the A.I.F.

Archie Anti-aircraft shell or gun.

General World War I. Attested in numerous sources.

  • This was largely a World War I term applied specifically to the German anti-aircraft artillery. Elting suggests that it was used at the beginning of World War II, but was replaced, at least by the American troops, with the term ‘flak’. The only suggested etymology for the term is that it came from a popular music-hall song with the refrain ‘Archibald, certainly not'(Digger Dialects, Elting).
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