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. [22] The battalion fought in the Battle of France and the subsequent retreat to Dunkirk soon after, returning to England via the Dunkirk evacuation, but had suffered heavy casualties, including the loss of two rifle companies. He is remembered at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, grave reference XIII.C.2. UK, World War I War Diaries (Gallipoli and Dardanelles), 1914-1916, UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920, UK, British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920, UK, British Army World War I Pension Records 1914-1920. 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. 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. 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. If one of your ancestors served with the Royal Hampshire Regiment during World War I, you may be interested that you could discover more about their experiences on the battle field by examining the war diaries of the unit they served with. [12], The 1st Battalion, which was a Regular Army unit stationed in Dublin at the outbreak of war in August 1914, was one of the first units to be moved to France where it became part of the 13th Brigade in the 5th Division. 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. [22] Some of the prisoners were transported in cattle trucks from Greece to Wernigerode, in the Harz Mountains, where they were forced to work in support of the German war effort. I … 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. 1916 War diary. [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. The following is an extract from the War Diary of the 6th Battalion of the Royal West Kent (National Archives reference WO 95/1861/1) in the days leading up to the death of … [13] Among its first major engagements were the Battle of Mons on 23 August and the Battle of Le Cateau three days later. UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920. [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). [2][3][9][10] The regiment now had one Reserve and three Territorial battalions. 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. 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 Pas-de-Calais, France. In March 1949 it was redesignated 569 (The Queen's Own) (Mixed) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment, reflecting a partially changed role and the inclusion of members of the Women's Royal Army Corps (hence the designation 'Mixed'). The battalion fought in the Moro River Campaign and later the Battle of Monte Cassino, the Gothic Line and the final offensive. 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. Under command of 13th Brigade in 5th Division. He joined The Queens Royal Regiment 2nd/8th Battalion. 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. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-1919 ..... Have just seen your link on Dartford Remembers . They were sent to France in April 1940 to join the rest of the BEF. To browse this image set, select from the options below. It remained part of Home Forces until January 1945, defending the UK against air attack by the Luftwaffe. Each and every page of each and every diary is indexed by place and date. With the final release, this database now contains the entire service records collection. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), by the amalgamation of the 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot and the 97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot. May 1918 Mobilised for war and landed in France at Marseilles 07.05.1918 and engaged in various actions on the Western front including; 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 type of information contained in these records includes: name of solider, age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, and regiment number. Get a day-to-day look at what your ancestor’s unit was up to during the First World War with these war diaries. 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. Daily updates from the war diary of the 1st Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment. It was unveiled on 30 July 1921 by Major General Sir Edmund Leach, colonel of the regiment, and dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Different parts of the collection cover units serving in different theatres: 1. The 50th Foot was first embodied in 1756, and the 97th in 1824. Sources for disbanded: For more information on what infobox fields mean, see documentation at military unit, command structure and theatre of war. A memorial for those who died in service exists in All Saints Church, Maidstone, which is located next to the regiment's barracks. Each and every page of each and every diary is indexed by place and date. We provide you with a written report that sets out your… They are not personal diaries (try the Imperial War Museumor Local Record Offices for those). Pas-de-Calais, France. 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). UK, World War I War Diaries (Gallipoli and Dardanelles), 1914-1916. 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. 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 have produced a comprehensive search facility to enable you to find the diary you are looking for. 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. Sources for disbanded: For more information on what infobox fields mean, see documentation at military unit, command structure and theatre of war. December 1917 : moved with Division to Italy. These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. [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. Killed in action whilst piloting a Martinsyde G100 fighter/bomber near Ervillers. 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. 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. In a number of cases the next of kin were never officially notified about the execution of their … 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. 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. 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. He was killed on 20th September 1917. 725 likes. Further reductions in 1961 saw the whole regiment become 'Q (London) Battery' at Grove Park, perpetuating the history of four separate London battalions and regiments, and the Queen's Own lineage was discontinued. The remaining companies were attached to 34th Indian Brigade (part of 15th Indian Division), and were transferred to 17th Indian Division in August 1917. 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. [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. Moved to Ascot in November and attached to 2nd Kent Brigade in 2nd Home Counties Division. There follows a brief extract (pp.112-115) from Captain C.T. Son of Frederick Henry & Agnes Mundell Taylor of Vineyard Hill, Wimbledon, London, UK. 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. Get a day-to-day look at what your ancestor’s unit was up to during the First World War with these war diaries. 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. He was transferred to the 11th Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment 11th October 1916 where he was employed as a runner. 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). 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. The division left the United Kingdom in May 1942 and went on to serve in the North African Campaign, at Alam el Halfa and El Alamein,[25] until the 44th Division was disbanded in early 1943. These became the new unit's 1st and 2nd regular battalions. The diaries include information on a unit’s movements, where the unit was stationed on a given day, what activities troops were engaged in, … The 1881 Army reforms gave Kent two county regiments, one of which was The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). During these campaigns, the Regiment gained a good reputation as hardworking and dependable soldiers. [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. 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. On the previous day they spent a … 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. 15 August 1914 : landed at Le Havre. In 1939, it was moved to Malta. After returning to England, the battalion spent almost the next two years on home defence against a German invasion. A transcribed, “searchable” version of war diaries of the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers during the Second World War [8], By the time the Territorial Force was created in 1908, the suburban area of West Kent had been transferred to the County of London, so the 2nd and 3rd Volunteer battalions became the 20th (County of London) Battalion (Blackheath and Woolwich) in the new London Regiment. Mory Abbey Military Cemetery, Mory. 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. [22] Less happily, it was involved in the militarily successful, but politically disastrous, occupation of the Suez canal zone in 1956. [22] After returning, the battalion was again transferred, in September, to the 12th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division. 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. Most diaries are online and the remainder are in the process of digitalising. He was killed in action on 7th October 1916 in France and Flanders and is buried in Warlencourt British Cemetery, France. 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. The regiment's recruitment area covered both the towns and rural areas of West Kent and a number of south-east London suburbs that were later included in the County of London. 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. [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. [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. 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. A1053 Harold William Dymond, 7th Battalion, Queens Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), died 13 July 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. The 4th Battalion was then transferred to the 161st Indian Infantry Brigade (alongside 1/1st Punjab Regiment and 4/7th Rajput Regiment), part of the 5th Indian Infantry Division, and fought in the 1944 Burma Campaign, where the battalion played a major role in the Battle of the Tennis Court, part of the larger Battle of Kohima, against the Imperial Japanese Army. www.thequeensown.com The Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1914 - 1918 living history group [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. On the previous day they spent a … [22] It then took part in the campaign in Cyprus against EOKA guerrillas around 1958/59. These became the new unit's 1st and 2nd regular battalions. Photos, obituaries and short service records all available to view and download. There is a small fee, currently £3.30 for downloading a whole war diary. The Royal Regiment of Artillery at the time of the Great War comprised three elements: Royal Horse Artillery. [13], The 2nd Battalion was shipped from Multan to Mesopotamia, via Bombay, arriving in Basra in February 1915, where it was attached to the 12th Indian Brigade. 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. [13] The 2/4th Battalion, originally assigned along with 2/5th Battalion to 202nd (2/1st Kent) Brigade of 67th (2nd Home Counties) Division, took part in the Gallipoli Campaign in Autumn 1915 and then, having been evacuated, fought in the First Battle of Gaza in March 1917. 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. Wednesday 27-09-1916. [9][18][36] The regiment still wore its 20th Londons cap badge, together with RA collar badges. In a number of cases the next of kin were never officially notified about the execution of their … Get a day-to-day look at what your ancestor’s unit was up to during the First World War with these war diaries. 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. and, as a result, the 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 (nominally being amalgamated with the 1st Battalion). 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. Age 18. [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. Shot at Dawn - During the First World War a total of 351 men were executed under the Army Act.The first man to be executed was from the Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment. These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th Battalion at. 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. See more 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. 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. [22], When the Territorial Army was reconstituted in 1947, 633 Infantry Regiment reformed at Blackheath as 569 (The Queen's Own) Searchlight Regiment. 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. 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) Photos, obituaries and short service records all available to view and download. [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. [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. 1st Battalion August 1914 : in Dublin. He served out in Burma, The Chindits 1943/45. 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. Probably a regular battalion of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) on the Western Front, autumn 1917. Three VCs were awarded. Served with the 11th Battalion, Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment (service no.G18345). 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). [22] The campaign ended in mid-May 1943, with over 238,000 Axis soldiers surrendering. 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. 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. [2], The 9th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was created in June 1940, consisting mainly of large numbers of conscripts. A 9ct Gold & Enamel Korean War Period "Royal Artillery" Sweetheart Brooch The item measures approx, 3.1cm (widest point) and weighs 4.1g in total. 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. If you would like to know more about your soldier ancestor, we can research their service in The Great War. There are over 4,500 individual War Diaries available to view. [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 battalion was transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps and converted to armour in 1942 as the 162nd Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps, but retained its Royal West Kent Regiment cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps as did all infantry units converted in this way. [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). The battalion, in late April, suffered over 300 casualties assaulting Peter's Corner and Cactus Farm. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who was responsible for the Cenotaph in London among many other war memorials, the memorial is a cenotaph almost identical to that on Whitehall but reduced to two-thirds scale and lacking adorning flags. 1914 & 1915 War diary. Officers helmet Plate of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 1902-1914. 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. Wednesday 27-09-1916. 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. 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. [38], The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum is based at Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery in Maidstone. However, 6,866 officers and other ranks lost their lives, with many thousands more wounded. It spent the years up to the outbreak of the First World War on garrison duty. 1917 War diary. These war diaries document operations for British and colonial units serving in theatres of operations between 1914 and 1920, including Russia, at home, and in the colonies, as well as British military missions and Armies of Occupation between 1919 and 1920. The 50th Foot was first embodied in 1756, and the 97th in 1824. 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. 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. Can anyone help please? G998 Tom Parry and pal, Royal West Kent Regiment. [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. [26], The 5th Battalion of the regiment, recruiting from Bromley, had virtually the same service history as the 4th, with the exception that, when the 44th Division was disbanded, the 5th Battalion was transferred to the 21st Indian Infantry Brigade, now serving alongside two battalions of the Indian Army, of the 8th Indian Infantry Division. In 1941, the battalion was redesignated the 30th Battalion and was disbanded in 1943. It spent the next decade in India and returned home to the United Kingdom in 1937. The Corn Exchange became the Drill Hall where the men lined up to enlist in the Royal West Kent regiment in 1914. In 1940, the younger soldiers of the battalion were split to help form the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion. However, it was transferred to the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division in May 1943 and remained with the division for the rest of the war, serving in the Battle of Normandy in the Battle for Caen, Operation Market Garden and Operation Plunder. 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. (Royal West Kent Regiment), & 27th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. Hi, I had a Great Uncle who was in the 1 Bn., Royal West Kent Regiment. 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. 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. He was KIA Oct 4, 1917 at France and Flanders. I am having some trouble locating the correct diaries for the period. 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 Two Companies were attached to the 30th Brigade in the 6th (Poona) Di… [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. 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). In 1888 Wilhelm II was crowned ‘German Emperor and King of Prussia’ and moved from a policy of maintaining the status quo to a more aggressive position. They were liberated by the advancing Russian Army on 23 April 1945. 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