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Those known to have served with 4th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment (Queens Own) during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Chapman Ernest. Sgt. (d.16th November 1940)
- Cherry George William. Cpl.
- Collins Horace Arthur. Pte. (d.20th April 1944)
- Collins Leonard Sidney. Pte. (d.14th April 1944)
- Cunnane Thomas. Pte.
- Harman VC John Pennington. L/Cpl. (d.9th April 1944)
- Keane Marcus Hugh. Major. (d.21st May 1940)
- Lisney Joseph Frank. L/Cpl. (d.29th May 1940)
- May Frederick.
- Russell William Arthur. Pte.
- Standen Frederick Charles. Pte.
- Street Raymond. Pte.
- Wells MiD. Raymond Percival. CQMS.
The 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
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Records of 4th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment (Queens Own) from other sources.
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Want to know more about 4th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment (Queens Own)? There are:1415 items tagged 4th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment (Queens Own) available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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L/Cpl. Joseph Frank Lisney 4th Btn. Royal West Kent Regiment (d.29th May 1940) Joseph Lisney served with the 4th Royal West Kent Regiment and lost his life in the Battle of France.
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Major. Marcus Hugh Keane 4th Btn. Queens Own Royal Regiment (d.21st May 1940) Marcus Keane is buried in Bevere Communal Cemetery in Belgium.
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Pte. Raymond "Streety" Street 4th Btn. Royal West Kent Regiment My father, Raymond Street, served with the 4th Battalion, Queens Own Royal West Kents at Kohima. His book We fought at Kohima was published in 2015. I would be interested in hearing from anyone with information about the siege and their experiences there.
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Cpl. George William Cherry 4th Btn. D Coy. Royal West Kent Regiment My grandad George Cherry, when I was a toddler was the most amazing person in the world, telling me how he was shot in the leg and the Jap snipers were hiding in the trees and that he drove around Bren Carriers in the war.
Only after the war did I found out he may have been involved in the Battle of Kohima, the Rorke's Drift of the 2nd World War, and every now and then I look through his photos from the war mostly of him enjoying himself during leave.
My grandad is in the middle to the left of the tear on the very top row of his regiment photo. Then in the 2nd photo I believe maybe his company photo, he is in the 2nd from top row on the far right. I would love to know if anyone recognizes anyone in the photos.
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Pte. Thomas "Paddy" Cunnane 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Thomas Cunnane joined the East Surreys in 1940 adn later transferred to 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment and served at Kohima.
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Sgt. Ernest Chapman 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment (d.16th November 1940) While doing some research on bombs dropped on New Romney in Kent I came across an 'in memorium' for Ernie Chapman. His wife appears to have placed the notice in the Kent & Sussex Courier for 1941 and 1942. She states he was killed on active service in New Romney but there are no further details.
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Pte. Leonard Sidney Collins 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Rgt. (d.14th April 1944) Leonard Collins and his brother Horace Collins, both privates in the 4th Btn Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment were killed in action a week apart in Burma in 1944 and are buried in Rangoon Memorial Cemetery.
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Pte. Horace Arthur Collins 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Rgt. (d.20th April 1944) Horace Collins and his brother Leonard Collins, both privates in the 4th Btn Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment were killed in action a week apart in Burma in 1944 and are buried in Rangoon Memorial Cemetery.
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Pte. Frederick Charles Standen 4th Btn. Royal West Kents (The Buffs)  The extract below is taken from my father's recollections of his life which he wrote a few years before he died. He was taken prisoner in Leros in November 1943 and continues his story...
"I well remember my first three days because there was no food or very little water. Then we were crammed on a Italian destroyer below deck no air no nothing. I think most of us prayed it would hit a mine or likewise but no, we landed at Athens. Marched around Athens just to show how clever they were then into cattle trucks headed for Germany. We don't know this of course. 80 of us in our truck when laying down it was nose to tail, you cuddled the bloke's feet opposite and vice-versa to guard against frostbite. Right up through Bulgaria etc to Germany and Stalag X1A. From here we are put out on working parties. First our party went to Ackerskebron (Altengrabrow?) working for the council digging reservoirs. We then went on air raid shelters. Massive things all dug out by us with spades. Then the Jerries moved in to do the shuttering, then over a period of time we are back there to cement them in. Now that's where the trouble starts, this big cement mixer had done a yard (one ton) at a time. I believe it was two bags of cement a mixing. Well, every so many mixings - no cement. Well, what do you know, everything set, take away shuttering don't know how long but it all collapsed.
Now, showing their gratitude, they shoved us down a salt mine three-quarters of a mile deep at Great Shearstedt [Sarstedt] for 12 hours a day for three weeks. I think it was after this period I am working on a scaffolding about 15 ft up when a big block broke off. Hit me in the back of the head and ran down my back trapping my legs. One does not move far with a lump of salt on you, with great difficulty I was got down with my leg in two. Worse to come, was put in hospital full of casualties just back from Dieppe, they thought I was a pilot who had just baled out. You try and explain that when I think my German was far better than their English. They moved me from there I don't know where but in the room was another Buff. I finished up back in 11A hospital.
Here I upgrade to watches - never wanting to give them up or it was back to the salt mine. This I had no intention of doing till Jerries had me up and told me what they thought of me. They took my crutches away and gave me a walking stick. By a bit of luck I knew the corporal in charge of boot mending and said come on help me or you know where I'm going. Can you mend boots he said, no I said but my father did, so mend boots it was. And then the Russians are coming. Jerries said either wait here for Russians or on the road to be picked up by our own troops. This we did for a month; we were on road sleeping in woods mostly and then came the Yanks but we had got quite a few miles to go. The bridge over some river had been blown-up. By now our boots are under our chin straps; never mind taken to a town called Halle. Flown home from there in Dakotas to High Wycombe area. Reassemble and re-kitted and home on leave for three months."
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L/Cpl. John Pennington Harman VC 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment (d.9th April 1944) John Harman was the son of Martin Coles Harman and Amy Ruth Harman, of City of London. He died on the 9th April 1944, age 29 and is buried in the Kohima War Cemetery in India.
The following details are given in the London Gazette of June 20th, 1944:- "At Kohima, Assam, on 8th April 1944, Lance Corporal Harman was commanding a section of a forward platoon. The enemy had established a machine-gun post within 50 yards of his position which became a serious menace to the remainder of his company. Unable to bring the fire of his section on to the post, Lance Corporal Harman went forward by himself and annihilated the post, returning with the enemy machine-gun. The next morning, having first recovered a forward position, he again charged an enemy post alone, shooting four and bayonetting one, thereby wiping out the post. As he returned Lance Corporal Harman received an burst of machine-gun fire in his side and died shortly after reaching our lines. Lance Corporal Harman's heroic action and supreme devotion to duty were largely responsible for the decisive way in which all attacks were driven off by his company."
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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We fought at KohimaRaymond Street
A book on the Burma campaign written by a true veteran, and in a language which makes it readable, clear to understand, and the best read of any I've tried to read before. Gives the true feeling of what it was like to go through such a horrific time.
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