The 2nd Battalion remained in Mesopotamia for the duration of the war. These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Mesopotamia, Iraq and North Persia: WO 95/4965-5288 3. They enlisted in the West Kent Yeomanry during the Boer War…Feeling it their duty to “do their bit” for their country, they joined the Royal West Kent Regiment last autumn (on 9 November according to Private Filmer’s service records) and left for the Front on 2 February. Our comprehensive research service uses a range of sources, from medal cards, service and pension records, to Battalion War Diaries and contemporary newspaper reports. Royal West Kent Regiment (d.7th October 1916) Private George William Gee, born in Ampthill, Bedfordshire and enlisted in Bedford. [35], After the end of the Second World War and with Indian independence in 1948, all infantry regiments in the British Army were reduced to only a single regular battalion. The battalion, in late April, suffered over 300 casualties assaulting Peter's Corner and Cactus Farm. During these campaigns, the Regiment gained a good reputation as hardworking and dependable soldiers. Killed in action whilst piloting a Martinsyde G100 fighter/bomber near Ervillers. The 1881 Army reforms gave Kent two county regiments, one of which was The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). It then formed part of the 234th Infantry Brigade in the abortive assault on the Italian-held Dodecanese islands in 1943, being captured by the Germans on the island of Leros. However, the battalion was disbanded in 1943 as the British government lowered the age of conscription for the British Armed Forces from 20 to 18. In October 1940, it was redesignated as the 10th Battalion and, on 8 November, became assigned to the 221st Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), alongside the 11th Gloucestershire Regiment and 7th King's Shropshire Light Infantry, both of which were also former holding battalions. [4], Between 1881 and 1913, the regiment lost 219 men: 22 killed in action or died from wounding, 12 by accident, and 185 from disease. In August 1945, the battalion-as well as the division-was preparing to be sent to the Far East, but the move was cancelled when Imperial Japan surrendered ending the war. Royal West Kent Regiment. 15 August 1914 : landed at Le Havre. In January 1945, the War Office began to reorganise surplus Anti-aircraft regiments in the United Kingdom into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service. Aug 1914-Nov 1918 [29][30] The 34th was one of the units selected for conversion to the infantry role, becoming 633rd (Queen's Own Royal West Kent) Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery and joined the 308th Infantry Brigade. With the rest of the division, the battalion fought in the Italian Campaign, alongside the 1st (until it was sent to Greece) and 6th battalions for the rest of the war, and landed in Taranto, Italy on 24 September 1943, shortly after the initial invasion. On 20 August 1942, however, the 7th Battalion left the brigade and was reassigned elsewhere, being replaced in the brigade by the 8th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. It was stationed at various garrisons in the United Kingdom until 1937, when it moved to Palestine to help with the suppression of the Arab revolt. The 13th (Service) battalion of the Royal Sussex regiment - called the "3rd South Down's". [22] The campaign ended in mid-May 1943, with over 238,000 Axis soldiers surrendering. The dividing line that separated the two regimental areas was east of the River Medway. They were liberated by the advancing Russian Army on 23 April 1945. It remained in this role until late 1943, and in February 1944, the battalion, now up to strength again, was sent to the Italian Front, and fought in the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino and, after pursuing the retreating German Army, where they helped breach the Trasimene Line, took part in the battles for the Gothic Line. Moved to Ascot in November and attached to 2nd Kent Brigade in 2nd Home Counties Division. December 1917 : moved with Division to Italy. 1917 War diary. The 2nd Battalion returned to India from Mesopotamia in 1919, and to the United Kingdom in 1921, briefly becoming part of the British Army of the Rhine. [22], When the Territorial Army was reconstituted in 1947, 633 Infantry Regiment reformed at Blackheath as 569 (The Queen's Own) Searchlight Regiment. Sources for disbanded: For more information on what infobox fields mean, see documentation at military unit, command structure and theatre of war. [13] Two companies were attached to the 30th Indian Brigade (part of the 6th (Poona) Division) and were captured in the Siege of Kut in April 1916. In the Great War of 1914 to 1918 The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment raised 14 battalions who saw service on The Western Front,, Italy, Gallipoli and Palestine and Mesopotamia. This database contains the surviving service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who served in WWI and did not re-enlist in the Army prior to World War II. [2][3][9][10] The regiment now had one Reserve and three Territorial battalions. The 132nd Brigade was an integral part of the 44th (Home Counties) Division and, with the rest of the division, was sent to France in April 1940 where it became part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) stationed on the Franco-Belgian border. He served out in Burma, The Chindits 1943/45. The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment (50th and 97th) Living History Group: George Forty, "British Army Handbook 1939-1945", Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998, p.51. Records of the Royal West Kent Regiment Description: This collection consists substantially of documents of the various Battalions of the Royal West Kent Regiment, and its predecessors, the 50th and the 97th Regiments of Foot. In 1941, the battalion was redesignated the 30th Battalion and was disbanded in 1943. Different parts of the collection cover units serving in different theatres: 1. [28] At the same time, the Luftwaffe was so short of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted. He was transferred to the 11th Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment 11th October 1916 where he was employed as a runner. [13], The 1/4th and 1/5th Battalions were both part of the Kent Brigade, alongside the 4th and 5th (Weald) Buffs (East Kent Regiment), of the Home Counties Division were both sent to British India in late October 1914. 1-2 Militia battalions In a number of cases the next of kin were never officially notified about the execution of their … After distinguished service in the Second Boer War, along with both World War I and World War II, on 1 March 1961, the regiment was amalgamated with the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) to form the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment, which was destined to be short-lived. [22] After returning, the battalion was again transferred, in September, to the 12th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division. These became the new unit's 1st and 2nd regular battalions. 25. Courtesy of Frank La Touche. [34], The 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion was raised in 1940 from the younger soldiers of the 8th (Home Defence) Battalion and also from volunteers around the age of 18 or 19 who had volunteered for service in the British Army and, therefore, were not yet old enough to be conscripted, with the age being 20 at that time. Rank: Sergeant Regiment: 2nd Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment Parents: Mr Frank & Mrs Harriet Bovis Brothers: Albert Edward Bovis & William Bovis Address: 2 Rose Cottages, Hurst Green Other Info: In India. His Territorial or Militia number was 2443 but by the time he was discharged from the Royal West Kent's in 1919 it had changed to 240678. Can anyone help please? The type of information contained in these records includes: name of solider, age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, and regiment number. [13], Several of the Service (Hostilities-only) battalions of the New Army fought in France and Flanders and in the Italian Front. [33] However, the regiment was disbanded in 1942,[2] without seeing active service and having only seen home service. Others were transported by cattle train from Greece through the Balkans, to Stalag IV-B in Mühlburg, the largest prisoner of war camp in Germany. About a month after arriving, it was involved in the battles of France and Dunkirk and was evacuated to England. There is a small fee, currently £3.30 for downloading a whole war diary. Killed in action whilst piloting a Martinsyde G100 fighter/bomber near Ervillers. [27] From 23 July until the end of the war the new 2nd Battalion was assigned to the 184th Brigade of the 61st Division. The Buffs. The khaki service dress adopted in 1902, and battle dress from 1938, were both of the universal pattern. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-1919 The range of dates shown for individual items does not mean there is a document inside the file for each day between the two covering dates. The 31 st Regiment 1702 - 1881; The 70 th Regiment 1756 - 1881; The East Surrey Regiment 1881 - 1959; The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment 1959 - 1965; The Queen's Regiment 1967 - 1991; The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) The Infantry Regiments of Surrey; Battle Honours & Distinctions. I … A1053 Harold William Dymond, 7th Battalion, Queens Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), died 13 July 1916. Son of Frederick Henry & Agnes Mundell Taylor of Vineyard Hill, Wimbledon, London, UK. It remained part of Home Forces until January 1945, defending the UK against air attack by the Luftwaffe. Full description The battalion and band, with mounted officers, march along a dirt road. Wednesday 27-09-1916. These records are the unit war diaries of the British Army in the First World War and are held by The National Archives in record series WO 95. UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920. Mory Abbey Military Cemetery, Mory. Home › Learning › Learning resources › Great War West Sussex 1914-18 › The Royal Sussex Regiment › Battalion war diaries Battalion war diaries Find here all surviving war diaries for RSR battalions involved in the Great War, plus the campaign against the Bolsheviks in Russia up to 1919. There are a number of different ways to search, depending on what information you already know: Unit Search [24], The 4th Battalion was a Territorial Army (TA) unit that recruited primarily from Royal Tunbridge Wells and formed part of the 132nd Infantry Brigade, serving alongside the 5th West Kents and the 4th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has 595 recorded WW1 deaths for the 10th (Service) Battalion, (Kent County), Queen's Own, (Royal West Kent Regiment). We hold a vast collection of documents, letters, diaries, maps and photographs from the First World War, many of which have been digitised and can be searched and downloaded online. About 1951 its personnel adopted a supplementary shoulder title of 'THE QUEEN'S OWN' in grey on black beneath the RA shoulder title and above the AA Command arm badge. ..... Have just seen your link on Dartford Remembers . Photos, obituaries and short service records all available to view and download. [2], The 9th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was created in June 1940, consisting mainly of large numbers of conscripts. Get a day-to-day look at what your ancestor’s unit was up to during the First World War with these war diaries. www.thequeensown.com The Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1914 - 1918 living history group In June 1942, the 36th Brigade was assigned to the 78th Battleaxe Infantry Division. Find your heroes and veterans from the Great War in this collection of medal and award rolls. In 1939, it was moved to Malta. 1916 War diary. An inpromptu music session by soldiers from the Royal West Kent Regiment, part of the The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the trenches before the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, the German invasion of France and the Low Countries in the spring of 1940 during the Second World War. [1], The Childers reforms also affiliated Militia and Volunteer battalions with their local county regiments, giving the Royal West Kents the following organisation:[2][3], The 1st Battalion fought at the second battle at Kassassin on 9 September 1882 and at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir a few days later during Anglo-Egyptian War. 4th Battalion Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) Name1 Start: unknown Name1 End: unknown Reason for change: Sources for name1: Alternate names: Sources for alternate names: Disbanded: unknown. May 1918 Mobilised for war and landed in France at Marseilles 07.05.1918 and engaged in various actions on the Western front including; [16], At the end of the war, the 1st Battalion was transferred back to India, where it fought (along with the Territorial 1/4th Battalion) in the Third Anglo-Afghan War and then helped put down a Mahsud tribal rebellion in the Northwest Frontier in 1920. The regiment fought against Pashtun tribesmen on the North-West frontier of the Punjab in 1897-98, and in South Africa during the Boer War from 1900-1902. There are a number of different ways to search, depending on what information you already know: Unit Search The Royal Horse Artillery was armed with light, mobile, horse-drawn guns that provided firepower in support of the cavalry and in practice supplemented the Royal Field Artillery. On September 26th the 8th Battalion received its baptism of fire at the battle of Loos where it played a gallant part in an unsuccessful counter-attack. A memorial for those who died in service exists in All Saints Church, Maidstone, which is located next to the regiment's barracks. The battalion fought throughout the Tunisian Campaign, notably helping to capture Longstop Hill in April 1943, and later fought in the Allied invasion of Sicily from July to August 1943. Formed at Tonbridge in September 1914 as a second line unit. They enlisted in the West Kent Yeomanry during the Boer War…Feeling it their duty to “do their bit” for their country, they joined the Royal West Kent Regiment last autumn (on 9 November according to Private Filmer’s service records) and left for the Front on 2 February. The Royal Regiment of Artillery at the time of the Great War comprised three elements: Royal Horse Artillery. Home / The Great War / War Diaries - Facsimile Reprints of Official War Office WO95 Documents 12 DIVISION 37 Infantry Brigade Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) 6th Battalion : 1 January 1917 – 31 July 1919 (First World War, War Diary, WO95/1861B) UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920. Get a day-to-day look at what your ancestor’s unit was up to during the First World War with these war diaries. When the regiment was formed, Kent was one of five counties (the others being Surrey, Staffordshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire) that was split to create more than one regiment. He is remembered at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, grave reference XIII.C.2. In October, the battalion made a heroic stand at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle; being the only unit not to fall back. War diaries are held on the National Archives website. In January 1921, the regiment was renamed the Royal West Kent Regiment (Queen's Own) and, in April of the same year, was again renamed, this time as the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. This is a letter sent to the family on Jack's death: 11th Service Battalion, Royal West Kent Regt Nov 12th 1917 Mr F. G Norton, 5 Sydney Street, South Ashford, Kent [40], As the 97th Foot the regiment wore sky-blue facings on the standard red coats of the British line infantry. [15], A war memorial (the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Cenotaph) to the regiment's dead of the First World War stands in Brenchley Gardens in Maidstone. Courtesy of Frank La Touche. In early May 1940 the battalion was transferred to the 132nd Infantry Brigade of the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, a TA formation which also included the 4th and 5th Battalions. Under command of 13th Brigade in 5th Division. It was formed by merging the 50th (The Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot and the 97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot. Most diaries are online and the remainder are in the process of digitalising. It then spent two years on garrison duty in Cyprus before being transferred to Sudan, where it fought at the Battle of Ginnis during the Mahdist War. This is a completely separate organisation to the Royal West Kent Regiment – your great-grandfather was not a member of the MGC at the time he received his wounds. [22] In December 1944, the battalion was transferred to Greece to help maintain order after the German withdrawal and the subsequent break out of the Greek Civil War. Soon after arrival the division was broken up and both battalions were later sent to British Indian Army brigades, the 1/4th joining, in February 1918, the 3rd Quetta Brigade of 4th (Quetta) Division, the 1/5th to 54th Indian Brigade in the 18th Indian Division. and, as a result, the 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 (nominally being amalgamated with the 1st Battalion). The 1881 Army reforms gave Kent two county regiments, one of which was The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Sources for disbanded: For more information on what infobox fields mean, see documentation at military unit, command structure and theatre of war. See more [23], The battalion was reconstituted in 1944 by amalgamating the few remaining survivors (less than 100 officers and men) with the 7th Battalion and redesignating it as the new 2nd Battalion. 01.02.1917 Formed in Sollum, Egypt from the dismounted East Kent Yeomanry and the West Kent Yeomanry Regiments, as part of the 230th Brigade of the 74th Division. In the Great War of 1914 to 1918 The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment raised 14 battalions who saw service on The Western Front,, Italy, Gallipoli and Palestine and Mesopotamia. Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish, Getting Started, Lesson 1: Starting Your Tree, Operated by Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company. [18][21], The 1st Battalion was part of the 10th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division. [22], After leaving the 36th Brigade, the 7th Battalion was reassigned to the 136th Brigade, 45th Division until early 1943, when it was reassigned to the 211th Infantry Brigade. Service records show he landed Aug 15, 1914 with Btn., A Coy. We have produced a comprehensive search facility to enable you to find the diary you are looking for. During the War it was used extensively for recruiting and by various units. Each and every page of each and every diary is indexed by place and date. Formed at Maidstone on 3rd May 1915 by Lord Harris, Vice Lieutenant of Kent, at the request of the Army Council. (Royal West Kent Regiment). Two Companies were attached to the 30th Brigade in the 6th (Poona) Di… 1st Battalion August 1914 : in Dublin. Served with the 11th Battalion, Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment (service no.G18345). The battalion was transferred to the Royal Artillery and converted, in February 1942, into the 119th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, and served in Home Forces until September 1942, when it joined the 79th Armoured Division. The battalion remained in the United Kingdom for its existence, mainly on home defence and anti-invasion duties, or guarding airfields for the Royal Air Force. UK, World War I War Diaries (France, Belgium and Germany), 1914-1920. 2nd Battalion August 1914 : in Multan (Mooltan), India. G998 Tom Parry and pal, Royal West Kent Regiment. [41], Colonels-in-Chief of the regiment were:[42]. The battalion fought in the Moro River Campaign and later the Battle of Monte Cassino, the Gothic Line and the final offensive. An archive of First World War research information on soldiers in the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment).. [22] Like the 5th Battalion, the 6th Royal West Kents was engaged in combat throughout most of the Italian Campaign, seeing action in the Moro River Campaign, the Battle of Monte Cassino, the fighting around the Gothic Line, and the final offensive in Italy in April 1945, followed shortly after by Germany's surrender and the European war over. Throughout its existence, the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was popularly and operationally known as the Royal West Kents. [22] Unlike in the Great War the battalion was not immediately in action, and the first few months of the conflict were spent digging trenches and defensive positions in expectation of a repeat of the trench warfare of the Great War. On September 26th the 8th Battalion received its baptism of fire at the battle of Loos where it played a gallant part in an unsuccessful counter-attack. Daily updates from the war diary of the 1st Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment. Moved to Mesopotamia, arriving Basra 6 February 1915 where it came under command of 12th Indian Brigade. The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. It was formed by merging the 50th (The Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot and the 97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot. Returned to France April 1918. It was unveiled on 30 July 1921 by Major General Sir Edmund Leach, colonel of the regiment, and dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. [25] Shortly Afterwards, the 6th Battalion, commanded by a future politician for the Conservative Party, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Bryan, landed in Italy on 24 September 1943. [22], The 2nd Battalion was part of the garrison of Malta during its protracted siege. [13] Among its first major engagements were the Battle of Mons on 23 August and the Battle of Le Cateau three days later. (Royal West Kent Regiment), & 27th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. According to CWGC Frank died on 30th October 1918. At the Battle of Loos in September 1915, the 8th (Service) Battalion, raised the previous September, lost all but one of its officers, and 550 men. Officers helmet Plate of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 1902-1914. [25], The 6th and 7th Battalions were both part of the 36th Infantry Brigade, which included the 2/6th East Surrey Regiment (later replaced by the 5th Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)), itself assigned to the 12th (Eastern) Division, a 2nd Line TA duplicate of the 44th (Home Counties) Division. The diaries include information on a unit’s movements, where the unit was stationed on a given day, what activities troops were engaged in, … This data is Crown Copyright and is transcribed from The National Archives. No diaries for the campaign in South West Africa in 1914-1915 are included in this series because no British units participated; operations were conducted under the auspices of the South African armed forces. I am having some trouble locating the correct diaries for the period. They were sent to France in April 1940 to join the rest of the BEF. Kent was split into two areas, with those in West Kent forming the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, while those in East Kent becoming the Buffs (East Kent Regiment). He was in the Militia at the outbreak of war and he enlisted in the Royal West Kent Regiment on the 21 September 1914 at the age of 35. This first part of a 3-volume history of the Royal West Kents takes the regiment from its formation out of the 50th and the 97th Regiments of Foot. France and Flanders: WO 95/1-3154, WO 95/3911-4193 and WO 95/5500 2. [17], The London Regiment had ceased to function in 1916, the battalions reverting to the administrative control of their pre-1908 affiliated Regular regiments – the QORWK in the case of the 20th Londons, which reformed in the new Territorial Army as the 20th London Regiment (The Queen's Own). [22] Less happily, it was involved in the militarily successful, but politically disastrous, occupation of the Suez canal zone in 1956. The 50th Foot was first embodied in 1756, and the 97th in 1824. After returning to England, the battalion spent almost the next two years on home defence against a German invasion. It stayed in South Africa until early November 1902, when it left Cape Town for Ceylon,[7] then served in Hong Kong, Singapore, Peshawar and Multan before the outbreak of the First World War. [22] During the battle, Lance Corporal John Harman of the 4th Battalion was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the first and only to be awarded to the regiment during the Second World War. The 4th Volunteer Battalion was disbanded, and the 1st VB was formed into the 4th and 5th Battalions of the QORWK in the Kent Brigade of the TF's Home Counties Division. The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment (50th & 90th) living history group The Group honours the memory of both of the County's Regiments, The "Queen's Own" Royal West Kent Regiment and The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). On the previous day they spent a … Age 18. Soon after the outbreak of war in September 1939, the battalion was sent to France where it became part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). In July 1944, the new 2nd Battalion was assigned to the 184th Infantry Brigade attached to the 61st Division, with which it remained for the rest of the war on home defence duties. The diaries contain daily reports on operations, intelligence summaries, and other pertinent material, and they can provide an on-the-spot description of what your ancestor experienced. [18][31][32], The 8th (Home Defence) Battalion was raised in 1939, presumably from the National Defence Companies and would have consisted of men with previous military experience, but who were too old or unfit for active duties, along with younger soldiers. [9][18][36][37], From 1951-1954, the sole remaining Regular Battalion contributed to the security forces that successfully contained the Communist guerrilla uprising in Malaya. The regiment's recruitment area covered both the towns and rural areas of W… WW1 Royal West Kent Regiment Roll of Honour CLICK HERE A complete list of all the West Kent's who served in the Great War and were awarded medals (including all those who survived or fell) WW1 Casualties - Where The Fallen Rest CLICK HERE A complete list of all the West Kent's who fell listing where they are buried or officially commemorated [14] Apart from a brief period from December 1917 to April 1918, when it was moved with the 5th Division to the Italian Front, the 1st Battalion was stationed on the Western Front for the duration of the war. [22], By the end of 1944, the 21st Army Group fighting on the Western Front was suffering from a severe shortage of manpower, particularly among the infantry who had all suffered heavy casualties by this time. The regiment fought against Pashtun tribesmen on the North-West frontier of the Punjab in 1897-98, and in South Africa during the Boer War from 1900-1902. Hi, I had a Great Uncle who was in the 1 Bn., Royal West Kent Regiment. The battalion remained in North Africa, were, due to its heavy losses in Tunisia, it served as a reserve battalion, sending drafts of soldiers to other units as battle-casualty replacements. East Africa, Cameroon and West Africa: WO 95/5289-5388 Additiona… [38], The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum is based at Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery in Maidstone. On 31 December 1966, the Queen's Own Buffs was merged with the other regiments of the Home Counties Brigade—the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment, the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Middlesex Regiment—to form the Queen's Regiment, which was in turn amalgamated with the Royal Hampshire Regiment, on 9 September 1992, to form the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires). Starting with its forebears, the 50th and 97th Regiment of Foot, the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent (QORWK) Regiment was involved in many of the British Army’s campaigns of the 18th and 19th century as well as the First and Second World Wars. This database contains service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who were discharged from the Army and claimed disability pensions for service in WWI. This colour, which was unusual in the British Army, was obtained from the Order of Saint Patrick decoration and led to the "Celestials" nickname. [11][2], During the First World War, over 60,000 men served with the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). First World War Diaries Introduction to the War Diaries, 1914-1918 of The Queen's Royal West Surrey and The East Surrey Regiment The First World War has always held a certain grim fascination – its sheer magnitude, the horrific casualties, the bravery, the patriotism, the amazing logistical challenges and the speed of mobilisation. The diaries covering Gallipoli and Dardanelles are in a separate database. [22] It then took part in the campaign in Cyprus against EOKA guerrillas around 1958/59. 1919 War diary ... (Service) battalion of the Royal Sussex regiment - called the "2nd South Down's". 1914 & 1915 War diary. THE ROYAL SCOTS (THE ROYAL REGIMENT) IN THE 1st WORLD WAR (WW1) At the outbreak of war The Royal Scots (RS) consisted of two Regular battalions, the 1st, at, or close to full strength of some 1000 all ranks, in India, and the 2nd, needing reinforcement by some 500 reservists, at Plymouth. The type of information contained in these records includes: name of solider, age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, and regiment number. [18] AA Command was disbanded in March 1955, and as part of the reduction the regiment was merged into 265 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, becoming 'Q Battery (The Queens Own)', based at Lewisham. 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Casualties assaulting Peter 's Corner and Cactus Farm the request of the 10th Infantry Brigade the! Grave reference XIII.C.2 there follows a brief extract ( pp.112-115 ) from Captain C.T gold was introduced in.... Second lieutenant survived to England dress adopted in 1902, and Battle dress from 1938, were both the. In the Moro River campaign and later the Battle of Monte Cassino, Gothic! Battalion spent almost the next two years on Home defence against a German invasion he remembered., WO 95/3911-4193 and WO 95/5500 2 by a lieutenant royal west kent regiment ww1 war diaries a lieutenant. Artillery at the request of the Great War in this collection of Medal and Award Rolls covering Gallipoli Dardanelles... Embodied in 1756, and the 97th in 1824 currently £3.30 for downloading a whole diary... Employed as a Pioneer Battalion on the standard red coats of the Great War in this of. Of which was the Queen 's Own Royal West Kent Regiment War diary and Battle dress from,... The River Medway have just seen your link on Dartford Remembers Brigade in 2nd Counties. A small fee, currently £3.30 for downloading a whole War diary... ( service Battalion.