Herbert's Haul - very long service!
Sergeant Herbert Allcorn 4th Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment & Civil Defence Corps
The Man Herbert Allcorn Allcorn was born on 20th December 1895 in Hastings, son of Herbert senior, a General Manager and Clara Isabelle. He was one of five children, Charles Walton born 1898, Annie Elizabeth 1900, Arthur Sidney 1902 and Olive Clare 1904. By the time of the 1901 census the family were living at 10 Manor Road, Hastings and 10 years later were at 1 Castle Street, Herbert senior having now become a Shopkeeper running a florist with Clara and Herbert junior working in the shop as assistants.
In October 1916 during World War I, Herbert enlisted into the Huntingdon Cyclists Battalion (The Gas Pipe Cavalry) with service numbers 2362 and later 290963; serving in the United Kingdom seeing no overseas service. From December 1918 following the Armistice he transferred to the Royal Labour Corps, service number 689989 and worked at the Records Office in Nottingham until discharged in November 1919.
In July 1921 Herbert joined the Territorial Army serving in the 4th Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment, with another new service number 6337526. He married May Powell during the second quarter of 1928 and they had one daughter Doris Kathleen born on 5th January 1929.
In 1932 he received his Signal Instructor Certificate from Catterick Royal Corps of Signals and in Army Order 39 of 1934 was awarded his Territorial Efficiency Medal for 12 years’ service in the TA.
At the outbreak of World War II Herbert was embodied and continued serving in the 4th Battalion RWK, possibly transferring later to the Royal Signals serving at home until 1940 when he was posted to Canada as a Signals Instructor until October 1943. In Army Order 101 of 31st August 1949, he was awarded his Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’ for a further 12 years’ service (wartime service counting double and the latter medal having replaced the former in 1930) and promoted to Signal Sergeant.
At the end of the War he was awarded the Defence and War Medal 1939-45 and left the Army, and in 1949 joined the newly formed Civil Defence Corps in Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells remaining with them until corps Closedown in 1968.
Herbert lived with his wife and daughter, who had been married, divorced and returned to live with them, at 14 Brokes Way, Southborough.
In 1966 he was awarded the Civil Defence Long Service Medal aged 71!, being officially presented with it at a Council Meeting by Councillor Colin Still, Chairman of Southborough Council.
During his retirement Herbert was also heavily involved in the Southborough Scout movement and would often be seen in his shorts going off to a weekend camp, earning the nickname ‘Pop’ Allcorn amongst the Scouts.
Herbert passed away during May 1977 aged 85 and was buried at Southborough Cemetery on 13th May. His wife May died seven years later in June 1984 and was buried with Herbert, and their daughter Doris Kathleen Goh was cremated and her ashes buried in the same plot in February 1996, although no headstone was ever erected.
In October 1916 during World War I, Herbert enlisted into the Huntingdon Cyclists Battalion (The Gas Pipe Cavalry) with service numbers 2362 and later 290963; serving in the United Kingdom seeing no overseas service. From December 1918 following the Armistice he transferred to the Royal Labour Corps, service number 689989 and worked at the Records Office in Nottingham until discharged in November 1919.
In July 1921 Herbert joined the Territorial Army serving in the 4th Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment, with another new service number 6337526. He married May Powell during the second quarter of 1928 and they had one daughter Doris Kathleen born on 5th January 1929.
In 1932 he received his Signal Instructor Certificate from Catterick Royal Corps of Signals and in Army Order 39 of 1934 was awarded his Territorial Efficiency Medal for 12 years’ service in the TA.
At the outbreak of World War II Herbert was embodied and continued serving in the 4th Battalion RWK, possibly transferring later to the Royal Signals serving at home until 1940 when he was posted to Canada as a Signals Instructor until October 1943. In Army Order 101 of 31st August 1949, he was awarded his Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’ for a further 12 years’ service (wartime service counting double and the latter medal having replaced the former in 1930) and promoted to Signal Sergeant.
At the end of the War he was awarded the Defence and War Medal 1939-45 and left the Army, and in 1949 joined the newly formed Civil Defence Corps in Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells remaining with them until corps Closedown in 1968.
Herbert lived with his wife and daughter, who had been married, divorced and returned to live with them, at 14 Brokes Way, Southborough.
In 1966 he was awarded the Civil Defence Long Service Medal aged 71!, being officially presented with it at a Council Meeting by Councillor Colin Still, Chairman of Southborough Council.
During his retirement Herbert was also heavily involved in the Southborough Scout movement and would often be seen in his shorts going off to a weekend camp, earning the nickname ‘Pop’ Allcorn amongst the Scouts.
Herbert passed away during May 1977 aged 85 and was buried at Southborough Cemetery on 13th May. His wife May died seven years later in June 1984 and was buried with Herbert, and their daughter Doris Kathleen Goh was cremated and her ashes buried in the same plot in February 1996, although no headstone was ever erected.
The Story The medals belonging to Herbert Allcorn were purchased from a medal dealer on 28th October 1996, as it transpired, shortly after Herbert’s daughter’s death in February the same year.
They were of particular interest because they contained three long service medals, the Territorial Efficiency Medal, Efficiency Medal with Territorial suspender and the Civil Defence Long Service Medal. With the lot came a newspaper cutting detailing the award of the CD medal to Herbert together with a photograph, some additional letters and a brief biography.
For 18 years the medals sat in the collection with the only research being that taken form the papers within the lot. However in April 2014 a visit was made to Southborough, Tonbridge Wells, to see relatives of another medal recipient within this collection, Percy William Silver. Whilst in Southborough enquiries made with the local Council Office and on the internet revealed Herbert had been buried in the local cemetery.
Naturally, whilst so close a visit had to be made, and although sadly there was no headstone, the plot was located and the Grave Manager very helpful in providing a little extra detail of Herbert as he remembered him.
Further enquiries were made on Ancestry.com and as often happens everything fell into place, it was discovered that Herbert had been born in Hastings, his father having been born in Southborough. It was now possible to locate the 1901 and 1911 census records, and following a further call to Southborough Council offices, they confirmed the name of Herbert’s wife and daughter who had been buried in the same grave.
This small step has enabled a more detailed biography to be pieced together and yet again, with medal collecting, always expect the unexpected as extra things can turn up at any time.
They were of particular interest because they contained three long service medals, the Territorial Efficiency Medal, Efficiency Medal with Territorial suspender and the Civil Defence Long Service Medal. With the lot came a newspaper cutting detailing the award of the CD medal to Herbert together with a photograph, some additional letters and a brief biography.
For 18 years the medals sat in the collection with the only research being that taken form the papers within the lot. However in April 2014 a visit was made to Southborough, Tonbridge Wells, to see relatives of another medal recipient within this collection, Percy William Silver. Whilst in Southborough enquiries made with the local Council Office and on the internet revealed Herbert had been buried in the local cemetery.
Naturally, whilst so close a visit had to be made, and although sadly there was no headstone, the plot was located and the Grave Manager very helpful in providing a little extra detail of Herbert as he remembered him.
Further enquiries were made on Ancestry.com and as often happens everything fell into place, it was discovered that Herbert had been born in Hastings, his father having been born in Southborough. It was now possible to locate the 1901 and 1911 census records, and following a further call to Southborough Council offices, they confirmed the name of Herbert’s wife and daughter who had been buried in the same grave.
This small step has enabled a more detailed biography to be pieced together and yet again, with medal collecting, always expect the unexpected as extra things can turn up at any time.
14 Brokes Way, Southborough. Herbert's home until his death. 24th April 2014
Huntingdonshire Cyclists Battalion
Two soldiers from the Huntingdonshire Cyclists Battalion.
As a result of Army re-organisations during April 1908, Richard Haldane, Secretary of State for War, combined the Volunteer (Rifle Corps) and the Yeomanry (Imperial Forces) into 14 Divisions of the Territorial Forces as part of the British Army serving under King George V. Under these Divisions were formed the Territorial Force Associations, which later were to provide the steering force behind the Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalions. It was as a result of these changes that Huntingdonshire lost its only Volunteer Territorial Battalion when it was merged and re organised to provide two companies for the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. As a result of this action Huntingdonshire lost the only connection it had with its own County Battalion. As a result of informal discussions it was decided during March 1913 to establish an independent Territorial Cyclist Battalion based on recruits from Huntingdonshire. The name of this Battalion was provisionally known as "The Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion" (HCB). The idea was endorsed by the Huntingdonshire Territorial Force Association's chairman, the Earl of Sandwich who resided in Hinchingbrooke House. At this time Huntingdonshire was one of the few counties that did not have its own Territorial Battalion. The meeting of the Territorial Association was held in private so information on the formation of the HCB was, even at the time, hard to establish. The early formation details were therefore communicated to the public in a letter explaining what had happened to get the HCB as a Battalion of the Territorial Army. There followed a lot of negotiations and letters between the local Territorial Force Association, the War Office, Major De Winton, Brigadier General of the Association Headquarters Eastern Command and Lt. Col. F. N. Butler who was commanding officer of the 5th Bedfordshire Regiment and as such represented the interests of the two companies of the former Huntingdonshire Volunteer Territorial Force that had previously been transferred to that Regiment. Local papers indicate that a series of further meetings took place at the War Office between representatives of the Home Defence Force & the Huntingdonshire Territorial Force Association, and then after a series of special meetings of the Territorial Force Association, Major E. R. Herbert [ Second in Command of the 5th Beds.] and Captain S. G. Cook were instructed in April 1913 to send a letter on behalf of the Huntingdonshire Territorial Forces Association asking the War Office for authority to raise a "Wheel Man Battalion" for the county. Records show the War Office replied by May 1913 refusing, but would bear the county in mind if, in the future, such a Battalion became necessary. At a subsequent meeting of the Huntingdonshire Territorial Forces Association held in July 1913, they made further representation to Colonel De Winton, who in turn sent letters speaking highly of the proposal the Association put forward and recommended that the Huntingdonshire Territorial Force Association submit a second application to the War Office, which they did. It was during this period that the Bedfordshire Association were asked by the War office about the possibility of raising a further two infantry companies from Bedfordshire and surrounding counties, so as to ensure that should the proposal to raise a "Wheelman Battalion" for Huntingdonshire be agreed it would not harm the recruitment of the Bedfordshire regiment. In September 1913 the Huntingdonshire Territorial Force Association held more meetings to set about obtaining the required information, and aided by a letter from Colonel De Winton, received in July 1913, they again, submitted one final application to the War Office. At a meeting of the Huntingdonshire Territorial Association held in November 1913 in anticipation of approval for the Battalion being given they appointed a perspective officer in order to prepare a scheme for raising men for the proposed Battalion. In January 1914 at a letter from the War Office was giving the provisional authority to raise a "Wheelman Battalion", and requested further details of the likely number of Officers and men it would recruit. This was worked out and replied to. The War Office then approved the scheme in full by announcing in the Gazette that permission had been given to the Association to raise a Battalion recruited from Huntingdonshire. By Friday 9th January 1914 "officers had been secured and recruiting was commenced, but the existing two companies were to stay with the Bedfordshire Regiment until after the next camp. In February 1914 permission was eventually given for the T F A to raise the "Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion". The final result was that the War Office finally gave permission announced in the Gazette directly to the Huntingdonshire Territorial Forces Association to raise its own Cyclist Battalion this was to be based on companies from the following areas: Huntingdon (2) ; St. Ives and Somersham ; St. Neots and Kimbolton ; Ramsey and Warboys ; Fletton and Yaxley (3). It was later to be confirmed that the two companies of the old Huntingdon Volunteer's Territorials, both officers and the 240 men, could, if they wished, transfer back to the newly formed Cyclist Battalion, with recruiting for their replacement being undertaken, reluctantly, by the Bedfordshire Regiment. The men were also given the chance to take their discharge. The local men jumped at the chance to join their own County Battalion and returned more or less to a man. There were to be included as part of the Battalion one sergeant Major, 17 motorcyclists who were to be trained as signallers, a machine gun section comprising of one officer and 15 men, its use being to provide both machine gun support and to aid the transportation of baggage. A Regimental band of about 20 men was also allowed for within the establishment, this band was comprised mostly of the men from the Old Fletton Victoria Prize Band who almost to a man joined the 1/1st. Battalion en block. This then gave the Battalion a total of 20 officers and 483 men plus Dr. J. R. Garrood from Alconbury Hill (Surgeon-Major & medical Officer); Rev. K. D. Knowles R. D, former Rector of Brampton (Chaplain). In May 1914 the 8 Companies were given the lettering A to H and were raised to be from the following areas:-
A Company : Huntingdon and Godmanchester
B Company : Huntingdon and Godmanchester
C Company : St. Ives and Somersham
D Company : St. Neots and Kimbolton
E Company : Ramsey and Warboys
F Company : Fletton - including Stanground and Peterborough *
G Company : Fletton - including Stanground and Peterborough *
H Company : Yaxley and Farcet
* Their drill hall was the old Coffee Palace at Fletton.
A Company : Huntingdon and Godmanchester
B Company : Huntingdon and Godmanchester
C Company : St. Ives and Somersham
D Company : St. Neots and Kimbolton
E Company : Ramsey and Warboys
F Company : Fletton - including Stanground and Peterborough *
G Company : Fletton - including Stanground and Peterborough *
H Company : Yaxley and Farcet
* Their drill hall was the old Coffee Palace at Fletton.
The Queen's Own Royal
West Kent Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to
1961. It was formed as the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) as part of
the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of
Foot and the 97th (Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot. In January 1921, it was
renamed the Royal West Kent Regiment (Queen's Own) and in April of the same
year the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. In 1961 it was amalgamated with
the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) to form the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal
Kent Regiment. It was popularly, and operationally, known as the "Royal
West Kents."
Early years When the regiment was formed, Kent was one of four counties (the others being Surrey, Lancashire and Yorkshire) which was split to create more than one regiment. Kent was split into two areas, with those in West Kent forming the Queen's Own regiment, while those in East Kent becoming the Buffs. The dividing line that separated the two regimental areas was east of the River Medway. The regiment's recruitment area covered both the towns and rural areas of West Kent and a number of London boroughs in the south-east of London. (Chaplin 1959, p. ix)The 1st Battalion took part in the Egypt Intervention in 1882, fighting in the second battle at Kassassin on 9 September and the Battle of Tel el-Kebir a few days later. It then spent two years on garrison duty in Cyprus before being shipped to the Sudan and the Mahdist War, in which it fought at the Battle of Ginnis, notable for being the last battle fought by British Redcoats. It spent the years up to the outbreak of the Great War on garrison duty, both at home and throughout the British Empire. The 2nd Battalion was shipped to South Africa shortly after its formation, in the aftermath of the First Boer War. The following year, it was posted to Ireland and spent the remaining years of the 19th century in Britain, being sent back to South Africa for the Second Boer War. Its only action was a skirmish at Biddulphsberg, in the company of the 2nd Battalions of the Grenadier and Scots Guards. It then moved to the East, being stationed in Ceylon, Hong Kong, Singapore, Peshawar and Multan before the outbreak of the Great War. Between 1881 and 1913, the regiment lost 219 men: 22 killed in action or died from wounding, 12 by accident, and 185 from disease. A memorial for those who died in service exists in All Saints' Church in Maidstone, which is located next to the regiment's barracks. (Chaplin 1959, p. vii)
World War I The 1st Battalion, which was 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 Infantry Brigade in the 5th Infantry Division. Among its first major engagements were the Battle of Mons on 23 August and Le Cateau three days later. In October the battalion made a heroic stand at Neuve Chapelle; being the only unit not to fall back. Out of 750 men, only 300 commanded by a Lieutenant and a Second Lieutenant survived.[1] Apart from a brief period from December 1917 to April 1918, when it was moved with the 5th Division to Italy, the 1st Battalion was stationed on the Western Front for the duration of the war. 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. Two Companies were attached to the 30th Brigade (part of the 6th (Poona) Division) and were captured in the Siege of Kut in April 1916. The remaining Companies were attached to 34th Brigade (part of 15th Indian Division), and were transferred to 17th Indian Division in August 1917. The Battalion remained in Mesopotamia for the duration of the war. Most of the Territorial battalions spent the war on garrison duty, particularly in India and Egypt, relieving the Regular battalions for front-line service. However, the 2/4th Battalion took part in the Gallipoli Campaign and the 3/4th Battalion served as a Pioneer battalion in France. Several of the Service (sc. Hostilities-only) battalions of the New Army fought in France and Flanders and in the Italian Campaign. At Loos, the 8th Battalion lost all but one of its officers, and 550 men. Former Kent Police Chief officer Robert Cyril Morton Jenkins served in the regiment during the conflict, and wrote about his experiences on the Western Front in an article for the Kentish Gazette in 1964.
Inter-war period At the end of the war, the 1st Battalion was transferred back to India, where it took part (along with the Territorial 1/4th Battalion) in the Third Afghan War and the putting down of a Mahsud tribal rebellion in the Northwest Frontier in 1920. It spent the next years in India, returning home to Britain in 1937. The 2nd Battalion returned to India from Mesopotamia in 1919, and to Britain in 1921, briefly becoming part of the Army of Occupation in Germany (the British Army of the Rhine). It was stationed at various garrisons in Britain until 1937, when it moved to Palestine to aid suppression of the Arab revolt. In 1939, it was transferred to Malta.
World War II The 1st Battalion was part of the 4th Infantry Division of the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940, returning to Britain via Dunkirk. It remained in Britain until 1943, leaving to take part in the Tunisia Campaign, the Italian Campaign and the Greek Civil War that broke out after the German withdrawal in 1944. The 2nd Battalion was part of the garrison of Malta during its protracted siege. 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. (Kenneth Probert - one of the many soldiers captured - states that a British submarine took officers away before capture, leaving those left behind to serve in prisoner of war camps in Germany. These 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). It was reconstituted in 1944 by redesignation of the 7th Battalion. The 6th battalion was part of the 78th Battleaxe Division and fought in the Tunisia Campaign notably helping to capture Longstop Hill in April 1943. The 6th was with the division throughout the Italian campaign. The 9th Battalion raised in 1940 converted to armour in 1942 as 162nd Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps but retained its RWK cap badge on the black beret of the RAC. Other hostilities-only battalions of the regiment fought in North Africa, notably at El Alamein and Alam el Halfa, and in Burma.
Post-War The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 (nominally being amalgamated with the 1st Battalion). From 1951-1954, the sole remaining Battalion contributed to the security forces that successfully contained the Communist guerrilla uprising in Malaya. Less happily, it was involved in the militarily successful, but politically disastrous, occupation of the Suez canal zone in 1956. It then took part in the campaign in Cyprus against EOKA guerrillas. In 1959, it returned to Britain for the last time, being amalgamated in 1961 with the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), to form the Queen's Own Buffs, Royal Kent Regiment.
In popular culture The Home Guard platoon in the BBC series Dad's Army wore the cap badge of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.
Battle Honours Combined battle honours of 50th Regiment and 97th Regiment, plus: Egypt 1882, Nile 1884-85, South Africa 1900-02. The Great War (18 battalions): Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, La Bassée, Messines 1914 '17, Ypres 1914 '15 '17 '18, Hill 60, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozières, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Oppy, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Villers Bretonneux, Lys, Hazebrouck, Kemmel, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Italy 1917-18, Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Rumani, Egypt 1915-16, Gaza, El Mughar, Jerusalem, Jericho, Tell 'Asur, Palestine 1917-18, Defence of Kut al Amara, Sharqat, Mesopotamia 1915-18 Afghanistan 1919. The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Forêt de Nieppe, North-West Europe 1940, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Djebel Abiod, Djebel Azzag 1942, Oued Zarga, Djebel Ang, Medjez Plain, Longstop Hill 1943, Si Abdallah, North Africa 1942-43, Centuripe, Monte Rivoglia, Sicily 1943, Termoli, San Salvo, Sangro, Romagnoli, Impossible Bridge, Villa Grande, Cassino, Castle Hill, Liri Valley, Piedimonte Hill, Trasimene Line, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Monte Scalari, Casa fortis, Rimini Line, Savio Bridgehead, Monte Pianoereno, Monte Spaduro, Senio, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943-45, Greece 1944-45, Leros, Malta 1940-42, North Arakan, Razabil, Mayu Tunnels, Defence of Kohima, Taungtha, Sittang 1945, Burma 1943-45.
Early years When the regiment was formed, Kent was one of four counties (the others being Surrey, Lancashire and Yorkshire) which was split to create more than one regiment. Kent was split into two areas, with those in West Kent forming the Queen's Own regiment, while those in East Kent becoming the Buffs. The dividing line that separated the two regimental areas was east of the River Medway. The regiment's recruitment area covered both the towns and rural areas of West Kent and a number of London boroughs in the south-east of London. (Chaplin 1959, p. ix)The 1st Battalion took part in the Egypt Intervention in 1882, fighting in the second battle at Kassassin on 9 September and the Battle of Tel el-Kebir a few days later. It then spent two years on garrison duty in Cyprus before being shipped to the Sudan and the Mahdist War, in which it fought at the Battle of Ginnis, notable for being the last battle fought by British Redcoats. It spent the years up to the outbreak of the Great War on garrison duty, both at home and throughout the British Empire. The 2nd Battalion was shipped to South Africa shortly after its formation, in the aftermath of the First Boer War. The following year, it was posted to Ireland and spent the remaining years of the 19th century in Britain, being sent back to South Africa for the Second Boer War. Its only action was a skirmish at Biddulphsberg, in the company of the 2nd Battalions of the Grenadier and Scots Guards. It then moved to the East, being stationed in Ceylon, Hong Kong, Singapore, Peshawar and Multan before the outbreak of the Great War. Between 1881 and 1913, the regiment lost 219 men: 22 killed in action or died from wounding, 12 by accident, and 185 from disease. A memorial for those who died in service exists in All Saints' Church in Maidstone, which is located next to the regiment's barracks. (Chaplin 1959, p. vii)
World War I The 1st Battalion, which was 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 Infantry Brigade in the 5th Infantry Division. Among its first major engagements were the Battle of Mons on 23 August and Le Cateau three days later. In October the battalion made a heroic stand at Neuve Chapelle; being the only unit not to fall back. Out of 750 men, only 300 commanded by a Lieutenant and a Second Lieutenant survived.[1] Apart from a brief period from December 1917 to April 1918, when it was moved with the 5th Division to Italy, the 1st Battalion was stationed on the Western Front for the duration of the war. 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. Two Companies were attached to the 30th Brigade (part of the 6th (Poona) Division) and were captured in the Siege of Kut in April 1916. The remaining Companies were attached to 34th Brigade (part of 15th Indian Division), and were transferred to 17th Indian Division in August 1917. The Battalion remained in Mesopotamia for the duration of the war. Most of the Territorial battalions spent the war on garrison duty, particularly in India and Egypt, relieving the Regular battalions for front-line service. However, the 2/4th Battalion took part in the Gallipoli Campaign and the 3/4th Battalion served as a Pioneer battalion in France. Several of the Service (sc. Hostilities-only) battalions of the New Army fought in France and Flanders and in the Italian Campaign. At Loos, the 8th Battalion lost all but one of its officers, and 550 men. Former Kent Police Chief officer Robert Cyril Morton Jenkins served in the regiment during the conflict, and wrote about his experiences on the Western Front in an article for the Kentish Gazette in 1964.
Inter-war period At the end of the war, the 1st Battalion was transferred back to India, where it took part (along with the Territorial 1/4th Battalion) in the Third Afghan War and the putting down of a Mahsud tribal rebellion in the Northwest Frontier in 1920. It spent the next years in India, returning home to Britain in 1937. The 2nd Battalion returned to India from Mesopotamia in 1919, and to Britain in 1921, briefly becoming part of the Army of Occupation in Germany (the British Army of the Rhine). It was stationed at various garrisons in Britain until 1937, when it moved to Palestine to aid suppression of the Arab revolt. In 1939, it was transferred to Malta.
World War II The 1st Battalion was part of the 4th Infantry Division of the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940, returning to Britain via Dunkirk. It remained in Britain until 1943, leaving to take part in the Tunisia Campaign, the Italian Campaign and the Greek Civil War that broke out after the German withdrawal in 1944. The 2nd Battalion was part of the garrison of Malta during its protracted siege. 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. (Kenneth Probert - one of the many soldiers captured - states that a British submarine took officers away before capture, leaving those left behind to serve in prisoner of war camps in Germany. These 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). It was reconstituted in 1944 by redesignation of the 7th Battalion. The 6th battalion was part of the 78th Battleaxe Division and fought in the Tunisia Campaign notably helping to capture Longstop Hill in April 1943. The 6th was with the division throughout the Italian campaign. The 9th Battalion raised in 1940 converted to armour in 1942 as 162nd Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps but retained its RWK cap badge on the black beret of the RAC. Other hostilities-only battalions of the regiment fought in North Africa, notably at El Alamein and Alam el Halfa, and in Burma.
Post-War The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 (nominally being amalgamated with the 1st Battalion). From 1951-1954, the sole remaining Battalion contributed to the security forces that successfully contained the Communist guerrilla uprising in Malaya. Less happily, it was involved in the militarily successful, but politically disastrous, occupation of the Suez canal zone in 1956. It then took part in the campaign in Cyprus against EOKA guerrillas. In 1959, it returned to Britain for the last time, being amalgamated in 1961 with the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), to form the Queen's Own Buffs, Royal Kent Regiment.
In popular culture The Home Guard platoon in the BBC series Dad's Army wore the cap badge of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.
Battle Honours Combined battle honours of 50th Regiment and 97th Regiment, plus: Egypt 1882, Nile 1884-85, South Africa 1900-02. The Great War (18 battalions): Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, La Bassée, Messines 1914 '17, Ypres 1914 '15 '17 '18, Hill 60, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozières, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Oppy, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Villers Bretonneux, Lys, Hazebrouck, Kemmel, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Italy 1917-18, Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Rumani, Egypt 1915-16, Gaza, El Mughar, Jerusalem, Jericho, Tell 'Asur, Palestine 1917-18, Defence of Kut al Amara, Sharqat, Mesopotamia 1915-18 Afghanistan 1919. The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Forêt de Nieppe, North-West Europe 1940, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Djebel Abiod, Djebel Azzag 1942, Oued Zarga, Djebel Ang, Medjez Plain, Longstop Hill 1943, Si Abdallah, North Africa 1942-43, Centuripe, Monte Rivoglia, Sicily 1943, Termoli, San Salvo, Sangro, Romagnoli, Impossible Bridge, Villa Grande, Cassino, Castle Hill, Liri Valley, Piedimonte Hill, Trasimene Line, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Monte Scalari, Casa fortis, Rimini Line, Savio Bridgehead, Monte Pianoereno, Monte Spaduro, Senio, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943-45, Greece 1944-45, Leros, Malta 1940-42, North Arakan, Razabil, Mayu Tunnels, Defence of Kohima, Taungtha, Sittang 1945, Burma 1943-45.
The Civil Defence Corps (CDC) was a civilian volunteer organisation established in Great Britain in 1949 to take control in the aftermath of a major national emergency, principally envisaged as being a Cold War nuclear attack. It was stood down in Great Britain in 1968, although two Civil Defence Corps still operate within the British Isles, namely the Isle of Man Civil Defence Corps and Civil Defence Ireland (Republic of Ireland). Many other countries maintain a national Civil Defence Corps, usually having a wide brief for assisting in large scale civil emergencies such as flood, earthquake, invasion, or civil disorder.
Organisation Although under the authority of the Home Office, with a centralised administrative establishment, the corps was administered locally by Corps Authorities. In general every county was a Corps Authority, as were most county boroughs in England and Wales and large burghs in Scotland. The CDC was never established in Northern Ireland. Each Corps Authority established its own Division of the corps. Each division was divided into several sections: Headquarters Section, responsible for staffing control centres and divided into three sub-sections. Intelligence and Operations Sub-Section, responsible for recording and analysing information and preparing instructions. Signal Sub-Section, responsible for installing, operating and maintaining communications systems. Scientific and Reconnaissance Sub-Section, responsible for advising controllers on scientific and technical aspects of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and providing reconnaissance parties (especially to monitor nuclear fallout). Warden Section, responsible for local reconnaissance and reporting, and leadership, organisation, guidance and control of the public. Rescue Section, responsible for rescue operations, demolition and debris clearance. Ambulance and First Aid Section, built around peacetime local ambulance services. This section did not exist in Scotland, where the Scottish Ambulance Service was expected to perform ambulance functions and specialist casualty wardens of the Warden Section to perform first aid functions. Ambulance Sub-Section, responsible for the operation of ambulances to transport casualties to Forward Medical Aid Units (FMAU). First Aid Sub-Section, responsible for basic first aid at the scene and the removal of casualties by stretcher to ambulances. Welfare Section, responsible for the welfare of those rendered homeless and/or deprived of normal facilities, including evacuation, accommodation, feeding, sanitation, clothing, nursing, information etc. In London the City of London and London boroughs were Corps Authorities, but their divisions only had Headquarters, Warden and Welfare Sections. The London County Council organised the Rescue and Ambulance and First Aid Sections centrally and also shared responsibility for the Welfare sections.
Uniform Members of the corps were issued with dark blue battledress and berets. A system of horizontal bars and point-down chevrons was used to indicate rank.
Industrial Civil Defence Service. The Industrial Civil Defence Service was a similar organisation to the Civil Defence Corps, but separate from it. Every industrial or commercial undertaking which employed two hundred or more people could form a civil defence unit to protect its own property and staff. These units were organised in a similar way to the Civil Defence Corps, with Headquarters, Warden, Rescue, First Aid and Fire Guard Sections. The Fire Guard Section manned fire points and smaller fire appliances. Each unit had its own control post, and groups of units could form a group control post. Group control posts and control posts in larger factories had the status of warden posts in their own right, whereas smaller units answered to their local Civil Defence Corps warden post.
Organisation Although under the authority of the Home Office, with a centralised administrative establishment, the corps was administered locally by Corps Authorities. In general every county was a Corps Authority, as were most county boroughs in England and Wales and large burghs in Scotland. The CDC was never established in Northern Ireland. Each Corps Authority established its own Division of the corps. Each division was divided into several sections: Headquarters Section, responsible for staffing control centres and divided into three sub-sections. Intelligence and Operations Sub-Section, responsible for recording and analysing information and preparing instructions. Signal Sub-Section, responsible for installing, operating and maintaining communications systems. Scientific and Reconnaissance Sub-Section, responsible for advising controllers on scientific and technical aspects of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and providing reconnaissance parties (especially to monitor nuclear fallout). Warden Section, responsible for local reconnaissance and reporting, and leadership, organisation, guidance and control of the public. Rescue Section, responsible for rescue operations, demolition and debris clearance. Ambulance and First Aid Section, built around peacetime local ambulance services. This section did not exist in Scotland, where the Scottish Ambulance Service was expected to perform ambulance functions and specialist casualty wardens of the Warden Section to perform first aid functions. Ambulance Sub-Section, responsible for the operation of ambulances to transport casualties to Forward Medical Aid Units (FMAU). First Aid Sub-Section, responsible for basic first aid at the scene and the removal of casualties by stretcher to ambulances. Welfare Section, responsible for the welfare of those rendered homeless and/or deprived of normal facilities, including evacuation, accommodation, feeding, sanitation, clothing, nursing, information etc. In London the City of London and London boroughs were Corps Authorities, but their divisions only had Headquarters, Warden and Welfare Sections. The London County Council organised the Rescue and Ambulance and First Aid Sections centrally and also shared responsibility for the Welfare sections.
Uniform Members of the corps were issued with dark blue battledress and berets. A system of horizontal bars and point-down chevrons was used to indicate rank.
Industrial Civil Defence Service. The Industrial Civil Defence Service was a similar organisation to the Civil Defence Corps, but separate from it. Every industrial or commercial undertaking which employed two hundred or more people could form a civil defence unit to protect its own property and staff. These units were organised in a similar way to the Civil Defence Corps, with Headquarters, Warden, Rescue, First Aid and Fire Guard Sections. The Fire Guard Section manned fire points and smaller fire appliances. Each unit had its own control post, and groups of units could form a group control post. Group control posts and control posts in larger factories had the status of warden posts in their own right, whereas smaller units answered to their local Civil Defence Corps warden post.
Medal Details
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Territorial Efficiency Medal: 6337526 CPL. H.ALLCORN. 4-R.W.KENT.R
- Efficiency Medal 'Territorial': SJT.H.ALLCORN. R.W.K
- Civil Defence Long Service Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
Page last updated 12 Jul 2023
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