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2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) were in Madras when war broke out in August 1914. As soon as a territorial unit arrived to take over the garrision, the 2nd Buffs returned to England, arriving on the 23rd of December. They joined 85th Brigade, 28th Division who were assembling near Winchester. They proceeded to France from Southampton, landing at le Harve between the 16th and 19th of January, they concentrated in the area between Bailleul and Hazebrouck, being joined by additional Territorial units. In 1915 they were in action in The Second Battle of Ypres and The Battle of Loos. On the 19th of October 1915 orders were recieved to prepare to sail and five days later the first units left Marseilles for Alexandria in Egypt all units (with the exception XXXI and CXLVI Brigades RFA) arrived the by 22nd of November and they went on to Salonika on the 4th of January 1916. Later in the year they were in action during the occupation of Mazirko and the capture of Barakli Jum'a. In 1917 they were involved in the capture of Ferdie and Essex Trenches (near Barakli Jum'a) and then the capture of Barakli and Kumli. In mid 1918 a number of units returned to France The remainer of the Division were later in actio at the Battle of Doiran and the pursuit to the Strumica valley. When Hostilities with Bulgaria ceased at the end of September the 28th Division was in the area of Trnovo. They moved in early November to Gallipoli and occupied the Dardanelles Forts.
22 Apr 1915 French retreat near Ypres In the early evening the Germans employed gas against French troops to the North of Ypres, causing a retreat. Two battalions from the 2nd Buffs and 3rd Middlesex were ordered into a stop formation at the cross roads in the centre of Sint Jan was hordes of French Turcos and Zouaves fled towards Ypres, leaving a gap in the Allied lines.
23rd Apr 1915 Allies close gap near Ypres The 2nd Buffs and 3rd Middlesex holding the line at the cross roads in the centre of Sint Jan, were joined by the 5th Kings Own and the 1st York and Lancs, to form the Geddes Detachment under the command of Col Geddes of the Buffs. They joined with the Canadian Division to fill the gap left by the French Colonials who had fled under a gas attack the previous evening. Later in the day the Geddes Detachment was reinforced and the seven battalions counter-attacked as part of a wider effort to stabilise the line.
23rd Dec 1914 2nd Buffs return to England 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment, The Buffs were a regular army unit and were based in Madras, India when war broke out in August 1914. As soon as a territorial unit arrived to take over the garrision, the 2nd Buffs returned to England, arriving on the 23rd of December. They joined 85th Brigade, 28th Division who were assembling near Winchester.
10th Feb 1915 Rounds Fired 
13th Feb 1915 Artillery Support
14th Feb 1915 Attack Expected
15th Feb 1915
16th Feb 1915 Barrage
17th Feb 1915 Relief
18th Feb 1915 Reorganisation
21st of May 1915 Awards
26th May 1915 Gas attack
27th September 1915
28th September 1915
29th September 1915
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
2nd Sep 1916 Reliefs
13th May 1917 Bombardment
15th May 1917 Attack Made
16th May 1917 Counter Attack
9th Feb 1918 Parcels for Prisoners
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)? There are:5255 items tagged 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) during the Great War 1914-1918. - Atherall Fred. Pte.
- Beck Alfred James. Pte. (d.28 Sep 1915)
- Burchett J..
- Chandler Charles. Pte (d.15th Jun 1927)
- Cloke Donald Victor. Pte.
- Culver Alfred Edward. Pte. (d.19th April 1915)
- Freemantle Edgar Lionel. L/Sgt. (d.23rd September 1918)
- Haggis Alfred Samuel.
- Hamblin MSM, MID. Ivan Clarence. Sjt.
- Hollands Charles Stephen. Sgt. (d.28th Sep 1915)
- Hover Albert Ernest. L/Cpl. (d.28th May 1915 )
- Mitchell Maurice. Cpl. (d.3rd May 1915)
- Parker John Thomas. Pte. (d.26th September 1914)
- Quinnell Oliver James. L/Cpl. (d.9th Feb 1915)
- Smith Percy. Pte. (d.14th May 1917)
- Terry Benjamin Norman. Sgt.
- Waight Joseph Henry. Pte. (d.5th May 1915)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) from other sources.
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L/Cpl. Albert Ernest Hover 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment (d.28th May 1915 ) My grandfather, was only 3 years when his father, Albert Hover, died on the 28th May 1915. He was mortally injured on 24th May 1915.
He is remembered on the Menin Gate and we paid our respects today exactly 104 years after his death. What a memorable evening paying our respects to all the young men who gave their lives for us.
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Cpl. Maurice Mitchell 2nd Btn. C Coy. East Kent Regiment (d.3rd May 1915) Maurice Mitchell served with the 2nd Battalion, East Kent Regiment in WW1. He died 3rd of May 1915 aged 22 years and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium. Son of William James and Clara Ann Mitchell of 47 Lowfield Street, Dartford, Kent.
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Pte Charles Chandler 2nd Btn East Kent Regiment (d.15th Jun 1927) My great-grandfather Charles Chandler (medal #5344) 1865-07-11 in Ash, Kent joined up in 1915 when he was already in his 50s.
Before the war he had been a publican in Ash, Kent and then bred shire horses in Ashford for fire engines.
During the war he was in charge of an ammunition mule team at Salonika.
He was married twice.
He was injured during the war and discharged on 1917-09-03.
He lived at 1 Lillian Villas, Sowell Street, St Peter's in Thanet, Broadstairs, Kent, and died in Broadstairs 1927-06-15.
He was awarded the three medals: 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal, and the British Victory Medal (Medal roll #5344)
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Pte. Joseph Henry Waight 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment (d.5th May 1915) Joseph Waight was my Grandfather. He was in C company, 2nd East Kent Regiment and they were detached to support the Canadians at 2nd Ypres. It is believed he was mortally wounded by a shell fragment during that battle. He was next heard of at Wimereux British Base Hospital in France (near Calais) where he died of wounds and is buried in Wimereux Communal Cemetery.
Prior to joining The Buffs he worked at Dover Harbour and before that was serving in the Loyal East Lancashire Regiment with his brother George in India.
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L/Sgt. Edgar Lionel Freemantle 2nd Battalion East Kent Regiment (d.23rd September 1918) I never really knew that much about my paternal great uncle, Edgar Freemantel, until I researched through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website.
I had often heard his name mentioned in conversation by my grandmother and father but as a child I was kept in the dark. Being an ex serviceman myself, I wanted to know more about him. I found that he had died due to influenza approximately a month before my father's birth. I'm almost certain that had they have had the news before, my father would have had his name.
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Pte. Fred Atherall 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment Freddy Atherall was captured on 26th of May 1915 at Wittes Poort Farm, during the 2nd Battle of Ypres, Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge, after his battalion made an unsuccessful attempt to counterattack the Germans.
Fred was held at Hamelin, Germany.
A friend of Fred's recieved a picture of a few prisoners of war in March 1918. Fred was shown alive and well. An article was placed in Kent and Sussex Courier on Friday 29th of March 1918.
Fred was released and returned to England during 1918. He never married and died in Saffron Walden, Essex in 1956 aged 63. Fred also had three brothers in WW1, two of whom are commemorated in Langton Green, Kent.
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Pte. Percy Smith 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment (d.14th May 1917) Percy Smith was my Great Great Uncle. I didn't know anything about him until I visited St. George's Church in Ivy Church Romney Marsh Kent and saw a Percy Smith on the memorial in the church. I also saw his name in the remembrance book in Canterbury Cathedral. I don't remember any of my relatives talking about him.
He died when my grandmother Florence Annie Smith was 12 years old. My mother, was his Great Niece.
I did some research and found out the following:
He was born in 1889 in Ivy Church and enlisted in Ashford, Kent.
He was the son of William and Harriet Marie Smith of George Street, Brenzett.
He died on the 14th May 1917 and is buried at Struma Military Cemetery in Greece
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Pte. Donald Victor Cloke 2nd Btn. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) Private Cloke was the Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. E. Cloke.
He was 19 when he died on 19th September 1920 and is buried in the Mussoorie General Cemetery in India, Plot X. Grave 48.
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Pte. John Thomas Parker 2nd Btn. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) (d.26th September 1914) Private Parker is buried in the Malappuram (Christ Church) Cemetery in India.
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Sgt. Benjamin Norman Terry 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment Sgt. Benjamin Terry was my great uncle, and I do not know anything about him. Except that he was a very quiet man, and did not attend family functions. He died in 1975.
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Pte. Alfred James Beck 2nd Btn East Kent Regiment (d.28 Sep 1915) Alfred Beck is commemorated at Loos-en-Gohelle, in France
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Pte. Alfred Edward Culver 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment (d.19th April 1915) On 10th April after a trying turn at St. Eloi, the Battalion marched to Zonnebeke and relieved the 153rd French Regiment, the 85th Brigade having three battalions in the front line with the Buffs in the centre. About the middle of the line was the Broodseinde cross-roads where the enemies' trenches approached very close to our own. The Germans had established a heavy trench mortar in a position secure from our artillery from which they brought a merciless fire on our lines, especially on B company which was on the cross-roads. This was the 2nd Battalions first experience of this weapon. Serious damage was done to the parapets and many lives were lost. Alfred Culver was one of them. He is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial.
Unfortunately I have no photo's or other mementos of my grandfather.
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J. Burchett 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment I have an autograph album once owned by a nurse Nelson from Limerick. One one page is an art sketch sighed by J. Burchett of the 2nd Buffs in Feb 1916.
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L/Cpl. Oliver James Quinnell 2nd Battalion East Kent Buffs (d.9th Feb 1915)  Oliver James Quinnell served as a Lance Corporal with, 2nd Bn., the Buffs (East Kent Regiment).
He was the son of Albert and Harriett Quinnell of 34 Bowes Road, Strood, Kent.
Oliver enlisted in the regular army on 18th August 1908 at the age of 20 years.
In the 1911 census he was said to have been in registration district 641 which is in the India and Singapore region.
I understand that he embarked for England from Bombay on 16th of November 1914, landing at Plymouth on 23rd December, then moving to Winchester and joined the 85th Brigade of the 28th Division, possibly camped at Magdalen Camp, Pitt Hill, Winchester.
On 17th January 1915, he was mobilised for war and landed at Le Havre and engaged in various actions on the Western Front. He was then then engaged in trench digging.
The trenches were in bad condition and many of the soldiers were standing in thick mud and water.
Oliver was only in France for a short time. He was killed on 9th of February 1915 and his name is remembered with honour on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
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Sjt. Ivan Clarence "Chips" Hamblin MSM, MID. 2nd Btn. East Kent Regiment, The Buffs "Chips" Hamblin was a regular army soldier. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for Gallantry during WW1 also mentioned in despatches and awarded Long Service and Good Conduct Medals. His other Medals include Victory Medal, 1914-15 Star, Great War Medal. Chips died at Catterick in 1928 due to influenza.
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