Author Topic: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)  (Read 9736 times)

Offline paulalou

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2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« on: Thursday 06 November 08 12:03 GMT (UK) »
Hi,

I'm looking for information, possibly war diaries, about the 2nd Battalion East Kent Regiment. My great-grandfathers brother died in July 1915 and i'm interested in finding out about the battles he may have fought in. I've looked at the war diaries section of the PRO website but can't find anything for the 2nd battalion. I'm also struggling to find anything else online.

Does anyone know of any online resources that may be able to help me?

Thanks
Paula
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Wolverhampton, Islington: Billingsley
Hammersmith, Manchester, Kent, Islington: Smith
Yorkshire: Hauxwell, Woodward, Butterfield
Darlington: Theakston
Essex: Harvey, Stock, Mead
Kent: Strong
Wokingham, Hammersmith: Thorpe
Oxfordshire: Rawlin(g)s, Johnson, Humphries, Curtis, Pope, Bossom, Simpson

Offline km1971

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 06 November 08 12:57 GMT (UK) »
Hi Paula

http://www.1914-1918.net/buffs.htm will tell you what they were doing. You need to follow the 28th Division link next to the 2nd Battalion.

If you have his medal index card it will tell you when he 'entered theatre', ie when he went to France.

Ken

Offline forester

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 06 November 08 12:58 GMT (UK) »
Hello Paula,

Here you are:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/04pz/

Search 2 Battalion Buffs

The NA search engine is fussy, to say the least.

Phil
Sussex: Satcher (Hamsey) and Gatton (East Grinstead)
Leicestershire: Pratt
South Wales: Evans (Neath)
Poland: Gonet, Deren

Forest Row: War Memorial and Camp WW1
Lewisham War Memorials & WW1 Graves

Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline paulalou

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 06 November 08 13:04 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for your help.
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Wolverhampton, Islington: Billingsley
Hammersmith, Manchester, Kent, Islington: Smith
Yorkshire: Hauxwell, Woodward, Butterfield
Darlington: Theakston
Essex: Harvey, Stock, Mead
Kent: Strong
Wokingham, Hammersmith: Thorpe
Oxfordshire: Rawlin(g)s, Johnson, Humphries, Curtis, Pope, Bossom, Simpson


Offline The Geneal Geologist

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #4 on: Friday 07 November 08 07:43 GMT (UK) »
My GF served with the battalion. On my wall at home I have a regimental photo taken in Barton, Kent in 1917 prior to dispatch to France. My GF was part of the signals section. They were shown as the 2nd/4th Battalion.

Regards,
Mark

Offline km1971

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #5 on: Friday 07 November 08 08:08 GMT (UK) »
Hi Mark

2/4th Battalion were created as second-line (ie reserves) of the 4th Battalion. Paula's relative was in the 2nd Battalion. They later created a third-line of the 4th, Extra Reserves, ie 3/4th.

According to http://www.1914-1918.net/buffs.htm the 2/4th stayed at home, so if he went to France he was probably transferred to the 1/4th.

All 4th battalion units - 1/4th, 2/4th and 3/4th - would have used the same numbering sequence, so transfers within the 4th would not have involved a number change, and so are difficult to track, except via the individual's service record.

Ken

Offline The Geneal Geologist

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #6 on: Friday 07 November 08 08:47 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for that insight, Ken.
You are right that he turned out to be difficult to track. His medals and payroll numbers were different - even with a little time at Kew many years ago I couldn't get the story.

I have some papers and army currency stamped "Lille" so know he was in Northern France sometime. Like many, he never spoke of his time in the trenches, and the only story my grandmother related was that he lost his signet ring in a trench during an advance, but apparently found it in the mud again some days later on retreat.

He survived the war with a shrapnel wound in the foot. The irony was that this injury killed him through septicemia in 1939 just before WW2. My father was just 7.

Mark

Offline km1971

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #7 on: Friday 07 November 08 09:45 GMT (UK) »
I have read the Buffs information on the link I supplied and realise that the 1/4th were in India. Have you found a medal index card for him?

Ken

Offline The Geneal Geologist

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Re: 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
« Reply #8 on: Friday 07 November 08 10:51 GMT (UK) »
The UK Online archive has started to provide this info. When I looked a couple of years back they had reach "G" and I saw my GF mentioned as entitled to his medals and that was all.

Mark