IVA. 4th Battalion
The 4th and 5th Battalions of the Buffs were Territorials, and when war was declared they were both out for their annual training at Longmore with their division—“The Home Counties.” Every Territorial unit had what was called special service sections—that is, a few selected men were always held in readiness to guard, in case of sudden emergencies, important strategic points throughout the country. These special sections of the 4th Battalion were mobilized as early as 28th July—a week before war broke out—and were consequently amongst the very first to be put on a war footing, at a time, indeed, when very few of their countrymen had begun to think that England was on the verge of this tremendous epoch of her history. These men were despatched to safeguard the wireless stations in Thanet and the cable at Dumpton Gap. On the 5th August the battalion was completely mobilized at Dover and was in the new Connaught Barracks there to guard the nearest point to the Continent till their place could be taken by the 3rd or Special Reserve Battalion. A few days later the Kent Infantry Brigade retired to Canterbury and was billeted there.
Here Lt.-Colonel G. Gosling, commanding, called for volunteers to serve in France or elsewhere abroad, and in response to his appeal enough stout fellows volunteered to serve anywhere to ensure that the 4th Buffs could be reckoned on as an overseas unit. Those who failed to volunteer formed the nucleus of a new battalion for home service only and were denominated the 2/4th Battalion.
The following extract from the Kentish Gazette describes the situation after the battalion became an overseas unit:—
“Towards the end of August, 1914, when the Germans were devastating Belgium and there were grave probabilities of a raid on the coast, the 4th Battalion was suddenly ordered to Thanet. Recruits flocked in from East Kent until the battalion was nearly 1,300 strong. The training was carried on under difficult conditions and a great deal of discomfort, but the cheerful willingness to learn made things easy, so that by the middle of October a very fine battalion was ready to be sent wherever required. Just before the end of October, 1914, the 4th Battalion and part of the Home Counties Division was ordered to India, to enable the Regulars to be moved from India to France.”
It is noteworthy that of this rush of patriotic young men to swell the ranks of the 4th Battalion, which is referred to in the extract I have quoted, forty-four students from Wye College joined in one day.
It was on the 29th October that the battalion left Thanet, as did all the rest of the Home Counties Division, with the exception of the 4th Royal West Surrey, detached for other important services. At Suez and Aden the convoy was delayed three and four days respectively owing to the activity of the Turks, who had already attacked Perim and were now threatening the Canal. In fact, the battalion disembarked at Suez and marched through the town as a demonstration.
IVB. 5th Battalion
The early war history of the 5th Battalion, which it will be remembered was also a Territorial one, resembles that of its twin the 4th. Indeed, the two were together in the Kentish Brigade of the Home Counties Division. On mobilization it was sent to Dover, afterwards to Canterbury and then to Sandwich, where it relieved the Kent Cyclists, and late in October it too sailed for India in the Corsican, under command of Lt.-Colonel Munn-Mace, T.D. It was quartered at Kamptee and formed part of the Jubbulpore Brigade, for on the arrival of the Territorial divisions from England in relief of the white part of the Indian garrison, their original home organization in brigades and divisions fell through, and each unit had to join the brigades and divisions already existing in India.