Soldier\'s Service & Pay Book, Release & Ration, F. Annall, The Buffs 1939-1946
Military records for Private Frederick John Annall, The Buffs (probably 5th Bn.). Captured at Dunkirk 1940 and POW at Stalag XXB Marienburg to 1945, plus ration books for him and his spinster sisters.
Soldier\'s Service and Pay Book. Army Book 64
Brown waxed linen covers, 22 pages
6289209 Frederick John Annall, born 18/2/1919, Farm Worker
Enlisted Canterbury on 15/11/1939 for the Duration
Transfer to Reserve 22/3/1946
First leave given - 48 hours for VJ Day 19th/20th September 1945
Next of kin:
Miss K. Annall, sister, 30 Moorend Oak Rd., Cheltenham, Glocs.
Mrs M.J.A. Annall, wife, 110 Middle Deal Rd., Deal, Kent
This AB64 was re-issued to Annall in July 1945 on his return to unit after being a POW at Stalag 20B since Dunkirk 1940
Soldier\'s Release Book Class \"A\". Army Book X801
Pte. F. Annall 6289209, The Buffs. Stamped S.E.21 12 Nov. 1947
Inside stamped \'Military Dispersal Unit Guildford 25 Mar 1946\'
Pension form filled out addressed to OiC, Buffs, Ashford
Very good Conduct report stamped Camp Comdt., Transit Camp, Kingston Bagpuize and signed Major Reid, R.A.
3 Ministry of Food Ration Books 1953-1954
Frederick J. Annall, Kathleen M. Annall and Doris I. Annall, all at No. 4 Court Lodge Farm Cottages, Sholden Lane, Deal, Kent
Retailers listed as Thorpe, butcher, Deal for meat, A.F. Webb, 32 Albert Rd., Deal for Fats, Cheese, Bacon & Sugar
Frederick with special cheese ration insert
All with coupons complete - some crossed through in pencil but none cut out
Army Book 64 – Soldiers Service and Pay Book.
Upon enlistment, every British Soldier was issued with the \'Army Book 64 Soldier\'s Service and Pay Book\'. The book contained specific information about the soldier, his army number, personal ID, training records, employment list, medical data, next of kin identification, last will and testament forms. The book was supposed to be kept on the soldier\'s person at all times.
The AB64 was issued in 2 parts, the first part the AB 64 (part I) was intended to be carried at all times as the soldiers ID document and as a record of training, inoculations etc, the AB 64 (part II) was issued only on active service and was a record of pay issued. The soldier held on to their AB 64 (part I) throughout their service and were allowed to keep them after discharge (the pay books of those KIA seem to be, where possible, returned to the next of kin), the AB 64 (part II) on the other hand seems to have been returned when the soldier came of active service so they are a lot less commonly found than the AB 64 (part I).
Inside the Soldiers Service Book:
Instructions to a soldier.
1) You are held personally responsible for the safe custody of this book.
2) You will always carry this book on your person.
3) You must produce the book whenever called upon to do so by competent military authority, Officer, Warrant Officer, N.C.O, or Military Policeman.
4) You must not alter or make any entry in this book (except as regards your next-of-kin on page 10 and 11 or your will on pages 15- 20).
5) Should you lose this book, you will report the matter to your immediate military supervisor.
6) On your transfer to the Army Reserve this book will be handed in to your Orderly Room for O.i/e transmission through the records to place of rejoining on mobilisation.
7) You will be permitted to retain this book after discharge, but should you lose the book after discharge it cannot be replaced.
8) If you are discharged from the Army Reserve, this book will be forwarded to you by the O. i/e Records.
Frederick John Annall. Born 1919 Deal. Died Thanet 1999 aged 80
Son of Stephen Annall and Ethel Rigden, who married Deal 1914, a market gardner.
A Private in the Buffs from September 1939, he was captured at Dunkirk (so was probably in the 2nd or 5th Bn) and spent the war at Stalag XXB Marienburg. Repatriated in July 1945 and rated B1, Annall was posted as a clerk until his discharge
Married Mary J.A. Parker, at Tonbridge, Kent 1945
Sisters Kathleen M. born Deal 1915, Doris I. born Deal 1920
Spinsters Kathleen & Doris living Trinity Place, Deal in 2012. In 2014, Kathleen in residential home in Deal
Marienburg Stalag XXB or Stalag 20B Marienburg Danzig was a German POW camp in World War II.
Located near Marienburg, it was originally a hutted and tented camp with a double boundary fence and watchtowers. British, Poles and Serbs were held here in 1940. An administration block including a hospital was erected in the latter part of 1940, mainly by prisoner labour. By 1941 a theatre had been built. POWs were sent out to labour in nearby farms, sawmills, factories, goodsyards and cutting ice on the river Nogat.
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army until 1961. It had a history dating back to 1572 and was one of the oldest regiments in the British Army being third in order of precedence (ranked as the 3rd Regiment of the line). It provided distinguished service over a period of almost four hundred years accumulating one hundred and sixteen battle honours. In 1961 it was amalgamated with the Queen\'s Own Royal West Kent Regiment to form the Queen\'s Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment which was later amalgamated with the Queen\'s Royal Surrey Regiment, the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Middlesex Regiment to form the Queen\'s Regiment which was again amalgamated with the Royal Hampshire Regiment, in September 1992, to create the Princess of Wales\'s Royal Regiment.
The origins of the regiment lay in Thomas Morgan\'s Company of Foot, The London Trained Bands which was in existence from 1572 to 1648. In 1665 it was known as the 4th (The Holland Maritime) Regiment and by 1668 as the 4th (The Holland) Regiment. In 1688–1689 it was \"4th The Lord High Admiral\'s Regiment\" until 1751 it was named as other regiments after the Colonel Commanding being the 3rd (Howard\'s) Regiment of Foot from 1737 to 1743 at which point it became the 3rd Regiment of Foot, \"Howard\'s Buffs\".
1751–1782 3rd (Kent) Regiment of Foot, \"The Buffs\"
1782–1881 3rd (East Kent) Regiment of Foot (\"The Buffs\")
1881–1935 The Buffs, (East Kent Regiment)
1935–1961 The Buffs, (Royal East Kent Regiment)
For service in World War II, eight battalions were raised in addition to the two regular and one Territorial units:
1st (Regular Army)
2nd (Regular Army)
4th (Territorial Army) Battalion was captured in November 1943
5th (Territorial Army) Battalion formed in October 1939 as a duplicate of the 4th Battalion
6th (Home Defence) Battalion formed in November 1939 from No. 1 Group National Defence Companies; redesignated as 30th Battalion in December 1941
7th Battalion was formed in July 1940. It was converted to armour in November 1941 as 141st Regiment and joined the Royal Armoured Corps (7th Battalion The Buffs). They continued to wear their Buffs cap badge on the black beret of the RAC.
8th Battalion was formed in July 1940 from a cadre of the Duke of Cornwall\'s Light Infantry and converted to 9th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery in November 1942
9th Battalion was formed in July 1940 from a cadre of the Northamptonshire Regiment and converted to an infantry training unit in July 1944
10th Battalion was formed in July 1940 and disbanded in October 1943
11th Battalion was formed in October 1940 and converted to 89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery in November 1940
30th Battalion was formed in December 1941 by the redesignation of the 6th Battalion and disbanded March 1943
70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion was formed in September 1940 from companies of the 6th Battalion; it was disbanded in January 1943
The 1st Battalion served in many different brigades and divisions, mainly with British Indian Army units, and fought in many different battles and campaigns such as the North African Campaign, the Italian Campaign and the Battle of Anzio when they were a part of 18th Infantry Brigade, assigned to the 1st Infantry Division where they were involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the war. The 18th Brigade returned to the 1st Armoured Division in August 1944 but on 1 January 1945 the division was disbanded and 18th Brigade was broken up and used as replacements for other units. The 1st Buffs spent the rest of the war with the 24th Guards Brigade attached to the 56th (London) Infantry Division. With the 56th Division the battalion fought in Operation Grapeshot, the final offensive in Italy which effectively ended the campaign in Italy.
The 2nd Battalion was sent to France in 1940 with the 132nd Infantry Brigade attached to 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division to join the British Expeditionary Force and fought in the short but fierce Battle of Dunkirk and were evacuated at Dunkirk back to Britain. The 44th Division were sent to fight in the North African Campaign where it was broken up due to an apparently poor performance in the Battle of Alam el Halfa despite the division having only the 132nd Brigade under command as other brigades were attached to other divisions. The 132nd Brigade disbanded and 2nd Buffs then was transferred to the Far East with the 26th Indian Infantry Brigade and remained there for the war. In 1944 the brigade was redesignated the 26th British Infantry Brigade which itself became part of the 36th British Infantry Division and served with the British Fourteenth Army in the Burma Campaign 1944–45.
The 4th Battalion Buffs was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit serving with the BEF in France 1940. The battalion was transferred to the island of Malta in 1941 and served throughout the siege. The battalion then joined the 234th Infantry Brigade which included the 2nd Battalion Royal West Kents. The brigade took part in the disastrous Battle of Leros in an attempt to capture the Dodecanese Islands in late 1943. The brigade and other Allied forces, mainly Italian, attempted to hold the island from the Germans but without success. This was due mainly to German air superiority as the Allies had very few planes to cover them. The 234th Brigade Commander, Robert Tilney, ordered surrender after many days of resistance and hard fighting. The Battle of Leros has often been referred to as the Last Great British Defeat of World War II.
The 5th Battalion was reformed in 1939 as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 4th Battalion raised when the Territorial Army was doubled in size. The battalion also saw service in France 1940 with the 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division, which itself was a 2nd Line duplicate of the 44th (Home Counties) Division. The 5th Buffs were serving 6th and 7th Royal West Kents in the 36th Infantry Brigade. Like the 2nd and 4th Battalions they served with the BEF in France in 1940 and fought in the Battle of France and were evacuated at Dunkirk. The 12th Division suffered heavy casualties at Dunkirk due mainly to most of the men having little training and the division having no artillery or support units. After returning to England the division was disbanded in July 1940, due to the casualties it sustained. In 1942 the 36th Brigade was assigned to the newly raised 78th Battleaxe Division and took part in Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa, followed by the campaign in Tunisia where the 78th Division, as part of the British First Army, gained an excellent reputation. The division then fought in the Sicilian Campaign, where it gained a reputation as the best mountain division in the British Eighth Army. The 5th Buffs and the rest of 78th Division then took part in the fighting in Italy and served there for the rest of the war until the 1945 Offensive.
The Buffs also raised many more battalions during the war, mainly for home defence or as training units. None, save the 7th Battalion, saw active service overseas. The 7th Battalion was raised in 1940 and was converted to the 141st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps in 1941 due to the shortage of armoured troops in the British Army.
