The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) 2nd Battalion

Looking for help researching the whereabouts of the above around 31st May - 1st June 1940 please.

I am researching some names on a local WW2 memorial and am trying to put together some background surrounding the circumstances of one man's death. He was Corporal Henry Kemsley 6282307, aged 34, who was originally buried at Boeschepe, then reburied at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimile France, Plot 15. He was listed as Missing in British Army List of Missing no. 172, Casualty Lists Other Ranks 282: Missing - date of casualty not reported, and Casualty Lists-Other Ranks (1941 Aug 14-1941 Aug 26) KIA 31.5./1.6.1940 previously shown on casualty list no 282 as Missing.

As he was first buried just inside France on the border with Belgium, and based on the date he went missing/died, this suggests he died either covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk, or was cut off during rearguard actions in that area. I've established that the 2nd Battalion served with the BEF in France, fought in the Battle of France, and suffered heavy casualties, but not a lot else.

Thanks in advance,
Natalie

 

2 Buffs, having been sent to France as the pioneer battalion of 1 Corps, were transferred to 131 Brigade of 44 Home Counties Division in early May 1940. They marched into Belgium on the 10 May and were allocated a front of 2500 yards astride the village of Petegem, a mile back from the river Escaut. They were attacked by the Germans on 20 May, receiving the brunt the main attack of von Bock's Army Group. They had to fight their way out after being outflanked. They were not in action again until about 28 May, defending part of the St Omer-La Bassee line, after which 200 of the remnants plodded their way back to Dunkirk.
Chris (a summary of the report from the short history of The Buffs from Leo Cooper - but written by Gregory Blaxland)

 

I wonder if your chap may have died of wounds if his death occurred on 31st May / 1st June (1940 campaign dates of death can be a little vague). Boeschepe seems to have been captured on 28th May which ties in with the three casualties from 2/5 W. Yorks listed on the Concentration Form.

Gregory Blaxland (author of "Destination Dunkirk") was an officer with 2nd Buffs and he states, under the events of 28th May "..2nd Buffs less two detachments were not notified of the withdrawal and were swallowed up next day in position at Merris."

Merris lies to the east of Hazebrouck. If he died at Boeschepe, he may have been a straggler or perhaps most likely, died of wounds as a recent prisoner having been taken to a German field hospital.

 

Here is an excerpt from the end of the campaign in France regarding the 2nd Buffs. Also I have listed the Roll of Honour with the name of Corporal Kemsley. It is from the regimental history: Knight, C.R.B. The Historical Records of the Buffs 1919-1948: Volume IV. London: The Medici Society, 1951.

 

Thank you all, your advice is much appreciated.

The comments have really helped me build a clearer picture of Corporal Kemsley’s final days.

I was surprised to learn that when the CWGC concentrated the graves, he and ten others were moved from Boeschepe to Wimille (a distance of around 100km), which struck me as unusually far. Perhaps there was no available space in CWGC cemeteries closer to Boeschepe?

 

1940 fatalities seem to have been particularly subject to extensive and often long-distance concentrations. Perhaps because there was no concentration possible at the time. Some of the scattered burials were able to remain and others were moved. The practice after the war seems to have been to have a relatively small number of cemeteries "open" for new burials at any given time. The CWGC information on Terlincthun states: "In July 1920, the cemetery contained more than 3,300 burials, but for many years Terlincthun remained an 'open' cemetery and graves continued to be brought into it from isolated sites and other burials grounds throughout France where maintenance could not be assured".

Many 1940 casualties around Leuven were moved to Leopoldsburg after the war, 70 km from where they fell and completely out of context when trying to understand the fighting. At the same time, RAF casualties from the Dutch border around Maastricht were being brought to Heverlee / Leuven where a new cemetery had been opened beside a hospital. I've given up trying to understand the logic of it all ! The Second World War left us none of the small quiet cemeteries in the middle of fields such as we see from the Great War.

 

There are a few threads here id'd in an online search: "The Buffs" + "2nd Battalion" + "france" site:ww2talk.com The summary shown has other periods and few more with: "The Buffs" + "2 Bn" + "france" site:ww2talk.com