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List of battalions of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)

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This is a list of battalions of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1961.

Original composition

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When the 3rd (The East Kent) Regiment of Foot became the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, four pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Kent were integrated into the structure of the regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. The only change to the regiment's structure during the period of 1881-1908 occurred in 1888, when the two militia battalions of the regiment amalgamated.[1]

Battalion Formed Formerly
Regular
1st 1572 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot
2nd 1857 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot
Militia
3rd (Militia) 1760 1st Battalion, East Kent Militia[2]
4th (Militia) 1876 2nd Battalion, East Kent Militia[2]
Volunteers
1st Volunteer 1859 2nd Kent (East Kent) Rifle Volunteer Corps[3]
2nd (The Weald of Kent) Volunteer 1860 5th Kent (The Weald of Kent) Rifle Volunteer Corps[3]

Reorganisation

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The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order.[1]

Battalion Formerly
4th 1st Volunteer Battalion[4]
5th (The Weald of Kent) 2nd (The Weald of Kent) Volunteer Battalion[5]

First World War

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The Buffs fielded 15 battalions and lost over 6,000 officers and other ranks during the course of the war.[6] The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th Buffs were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th respectively. Many battalions of the regiment were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army.[1][7] The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[8]

Battalion Formed Served Fate
Regular[9][10]
1st 1572 Western Front
2nd 1857 Western Front, Salonika
Special Reserve[9][10]
3rd (Reserve) 1760 Britain
Territorial Force[9][10]
1/4th 1859 India, Aden See Inter-War
1/5th (The Weald of Kent) 1860 India, Mesopotamian See Inter-War
2/4th Canterbury, September 1914 Britain Disbanded in November 1917
2/5th (The Weald of Kent) Ashford, September 1914 Britain Disbanded in November 1917
3/4th,
4th (Reserve) from 8 April 1916
Canterbury, July 1915 Britain Disbanded in 1919
3/5th (The Weald of Kent),
5th (The Weald of Kent) (Reserve) from 8 April 1916
Ashford, March 1915 Britain Absorbed into the 4th (Reserve) Battalion on 1 September 1916
10th (Royal East Kent & West Kent Yeomanry) Sollum, 1 February 1917,
from the 1/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry and 1/1st Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
Western Front Disembodied 1919
New Army[9][10]
6th (Service) Canterbury, August 1914 Western Front Disbanded in 1919
7th (Service) Canterbury, September 1914 Western Front Disbanded in 1919
8th (Service) Canterbury, September 1914 Western Front Disbanded on 13 February 1918
9th (Reserve) Dover, October 1914 Britain Became the 29th Training Reserve Battalion of the 7th Reserve Brigade on 1 September 1916
Others[9][10]
1st (Home Service) Garrison Dover, 29 April 1916 Britain Became 2nd Battalion, Royal Defence Corps
Volunteer Training Corps[11]
1st Battalion (Cinque Ports) Kent Volunteer Regiment
later the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Hythe Disbanded post war
2nd Battalion (St. Augustine's) Kent Volunteer Regiment
later the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Canterbury Disbanded post war
4th Battalion (Thanet) Kent Volunteer Regiment
later the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Thanet Disbanded post war

Inter-War

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By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft.[1]

Battalion Fate
4th Absorbed 5th (The Weald of Kent) Battalion, without a change in title on 26 August 1921[12]
5th (The Weald of Kent) Absorbed by 4th Battalion on 26 August 1921[13]

Second World War

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The Buff's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914–1918. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion, In addition to this, 12 of the 39 Kent battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge.[1]

Battalion Formed Served Fate
Regular
1st 1572 North Africa, Italy[14] See Post-World War II
2nd 1857 France, North Africa, Burma[15] See Post-World War II
Supplementary Reserve
3rd 1760 See Post-World War II
Territorial Army
4th,
(redesignation of 4th/5th Battalion)
1859 France, Malta, Greece[16] See Post-World War II
5th (The Weald of Kent) 31 March 1939, as a duplicate of 4th Battalion France, North Africa, Sicily, Italy[17] Disbanded on 1 January 1947
6th (Home Defence) November 1939 Britain Redesignated as 30th Battalion in December 1941[18]
7th July 1940 Britain Converted to 141st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, in November 1941[19]
8th July 1940,
from a cadre of The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
Britain Converted to 9th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery in November 1942[20]
9th July 1940,
from a cadre of the Northamptonshire Regiment[20]
Britain Disbanded 1946
10th July 1940 Britain Disbanded in October 1943[20]
11th October 1940,
as a redesignation of the 50th (Holding) Battalion
Britain Converted to 89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery in November 1940[20]
30th December 1941,
as a redesignation of the 6th (Home Defence) Battalion
Britain Disbanded in March 1943[20]
Others
70th (Young Soldiers) September 1940 Britain Disbanded January 1943
Home Guard[21]
Battalion Headquarters Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) Battalion Headquarters Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki)
1st Ashford KT 1 2nd Charing KT 2
3rd Canterbury KT 3 4th (St. Augustine's) Canterbury KT 4
5th Wingham KT 5 6th (Thanet) Margate KT 6
7th Lyminge KT 7 8th (Cinque Ports) Folkestone KT 8
9th Faversham KT 9 10th Sittingbourne KT10
23rd Hawkhurst KT 23 30th (Sheppey) Sheerness KT 30

Post-World War II

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In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded.[1]

Battalion Fate
1st Amalgamated with 2nd Battalion on the 23 September 1949, without a change in title[22]
2nd Amalgamated with 1st Battalion on the 23 September 1949[23]
4th Redesignated the 4th/5th Battalion on 1 January 1947[12]
5th Redesignated the 4th/5th Battalion on 1 January 1947[12]

Amalgamation

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In 1956, the 5th Battalion was reformed, leading to the 4th/5th Battalion being redesignated as the 4th Battalion. The 1957 Defence White Paper stated that the Buffs was due to amalgamated with the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, to form the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment on the 1 March 1961.[1]

Battalion Fate
1st Amalgamated with 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, to form 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment
4th Transferred to the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment without a change in title
5th Transferred to the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment without a change in title

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Frederick, pp. 203–5.
  2. ^ a b "The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)" (PDF). kentfallen.com. p. 3. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) - Queen's Regimental Association" (PDF). queensregimentalassociation.org. p. 2. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. ^ "The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) - 4th Battalion". armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. ^ "The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) - 5th Battalion". armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. ^ "The Buffs (East Kent Regt) - 1st & 2nd Battalions". armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  7. ^ James, pp. 44–5.
  8. ^ Westlake, Ray (2020). Guide to the Volunteer Training Corps 1914-1918. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. pp. 4–7. ISBN 9781783315390.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Buffs (East Kent Regiment)". Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Unit History: Buffs (East Kent Regiment)". Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  11. ^ Westlake p. 119
  12. ^ a b c "4th Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 25 May 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  13. ^ "5th (The Weald of Kent) Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  14. ^ "1st Battalion, Royal East Kent Regiment during the Second World War". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  15. ^ "2nd Battalion, Royal East Kent Regiment during the Second World War". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  16. ^ "4th Battalion, Royal East Kent Regiment during the Second World War". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  17. ^ "5th Battalion, Royal East Kent Regiment during the Second World War". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) - Queen's Regimental Association" (PDF). queensregimentalassociation.org. p. 3. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  19. ^ Joslen, p. 372
  20. ^ a b c d e "Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) - Queen's Regimental Association" (PDF). queensregimentalassociation.org. p. 4. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  21. ^ "History of the Home Guard". Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ^ "1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot 1665-1881/1st Battalion, The Buffs 1881-1961". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 28 May 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  23. ^ "2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot 1803-1815, 1857-1881/2nd Battalion, The Buffs 1881-1949". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2020.

Sources

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  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3.
  • Brig E.A. James, British Regiments 1914–18, London: Samson Books, 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9.
  • Joslen, Lt-Col H.F. (2003). Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield: Naval & Military. ISBN 1843424746.
  • The Long, Long Trail