On 3 September 1939 – two days after
Germany had
invaded Poland—the
British Empire, France and their
Allies declared war on Germany, beginning the
Second World War. During that conflict the regiment raised nine battalions and the 3rd (Special Reserve) Training Battalion. The regiment saw service in
France,
North Africa,
Burma,
Italy,
Belgium, the
Netherlands and
Germany. Approximately 1,408 officers and other ranks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry lost their lives during the Second World War.
North-West Europe (France and Belgium) 1939–40 The British rapidly sent the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to France in September 1939 which included the
Regular Army 1st Battalion, Oxford and Bucks as part of
11th Infantry Brigade,
4th Infantry Division. They were joined in January 1940 by the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and the 4th Ox and Bucks, both of which were
Territorial units serving alongside the 4th Battalion,
Royal Berkshire Regiment, as part of the
145th Infantry Brigade, part of
48th (South Midland) Infantry Division. In late January, due to a new policy within the BEF of integrating the Regular and Territorials, the 1st Ox and Bucks was exchanged in 11th Brigade for the
5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment and transferred to the
143rd Infantry Brigade, of the 48th Division. The
Wehrmacht launched its invasion of the
Low Countries on 10 May 1940, shattering a period of the conflict that was known as the
Phoney War. The German invasion of northern Belgium—where the BEF was located—was a diversion with the main attack being through the poorly-defended
Ardennes forest. The BEF withdrew west towards the
Dendre river after the
Dutch Army had surrendered during the
Battle of the Netherlands, and then withdrew further towards the
Scheldt river by 19 May. The 1st Ox and Bucks (43rd), 4th Ox and Bucks (TA) and 1st Bucks (TA) were involved in action along the line of the
River Scheldt (Escaut), south of Tournai. The British force, having given a good account of themselves in the defence of the Scheldt, eventually withdrew into France, moving towards the area around
Dunkirk. The evacuation of British forces back to Britain began on 26 May, known as
Operation Dynamo (26 May–3 June). The 1st Ox and Bucks took part in the
Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal (26–28 May) and were eventually evacuated from Dunkirk, having suffered more than 300 casualties. The 4th Ox and Bucks (TA) took part in the defence of
Cassel, Nord until 29 May. 4th Ox and Bucks were eventually encircled by German forces near
Watou and forced to surrender. The battalion had split into two groups with the aim of reaching
Dunkirk by going through the surrounding enemy forces. The battalion sustained many casualties and had to surrender; becoming prisoners of war for the next five years. Only four soldiers from the two groups of 4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry that had left Cassel returned to the UK. only 10 officers and approximately 200 men of the battalion reached the United Kingdom. However, more than 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops were evacuated during the Dunkirk evacuation.
North-West Europe 1944–45 1st Battalion Normandy After Dunkirk the 1st Ox and Bucks was brought up to strength with large numbers of
conscripts and later transferred to the
148th Independent Brigade Group serving in
Northern Ireland. In 1941 the 1st Ox and Bucks commemorated the bicentenary of the 43rd Light Infantry which included a celebratory parade and evening concert. with the rest of the 53rd (Welsh) Division. On 25 June
Operation Epsom began what was intended to take the town of
Caen — a vital objective for the British and Canadians that proved to be a formidable town to capture – it was unsuccessful. However, it did divert significant numbers of Germans away from the
American troops. The Germans counter-attacked, the 1st Ox and Bucks moved to positions around the
Odon bridgehead where it suffered from heavy German artillery fire. The Allies launched further attempts to capture Caen, the first Allied troops entered the city during
Operation Charnwood on 9 July; by then, much of it had been destroyed. After holding the line the 1st Battalion's first major engagement with the enemy during the battle for Caen was the successful attack to capture the village of Cahier and a nearby mill. Fighting around Caen continued for much of the month, with the battalion sustaining significant casualties. The battalion later fought in the
Second Battle of the Odon. In August it took part in an advance towards
Falaise, known as
Operation Totalize. The Allies reached and captured it. The battalion also captured Pierrefitte during the operation to close the
Falaise pocket, encircling two German
field armies, the
Fifth and
7th, the latter of which was effectively destroyed by the Allies. The victory at Falaise signified the end of the
Battle for Normandy. The 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks then took part in the advance east, eventually entering Belgium in early September. The 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, a Territorial unit of the Ox and Bucks, was converted to a
Beach Group battalion in March 1943 and was to provide the infantry support for the
6th Beach Group. In April 1943 the battalion moved to
Scotland to commence training for its new role. The 1st Bucks formed part of the 6th Beach Group landing on
Sword Beach on
D-Day, 6 June 1944. An anti-tank platoon of 1st Bucks landed on the first tide of the invasion on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The remainder of 1st Bucks landed on the second tide of the invasion on D-Day. German gunners fired at the 1st Bucks from Lebisey wood and from the high ground at Houlgate; there was also much sniping from houses along the beachfront. and was also deployed to defend the beachhead area from German counter-attacks as troops from the 3rd British Infantry Division moved inland. The 1st Bucks became part of 101 Beach Sub Area of No 6 Beach Group, 3rd Infantry Division and took part in the defence of
Ouistreham in June. The 1st Bucks was placed into suspended animation in June 1946 and the battalion was finally disbanded on 7 August 1946.
Market Garden, the Ardennes offensive and crossing the Rhine The invasion of the Netherlands began on 17 September; it was known as
Operation Market Garden and was a combined land and airborne operation. The 1st Ox and Bucks took part in the ground operation in support of the airborne corridor to Arnhem. The 1st Ox and Bucks led the advance of 71st Infantry Brigade to the Wilhelmina canal where it encountered strong enemy resistance. The ground operation was intended to cross three bridges that had been taken by
airborne troops and on into Germany. It would end at the furthest captured bridge at
Arnhem (see
Battle of Arnhem) – one end of which was taken by
1st Airborne Division, although the operation had clearly ended in failure by 25 September. The 1st Ox and Bucks subsequently took part in operations around the Lower
Maas that took place during October and November, including forcing the enemy from its position holding a bridgehead over the River Maas, west of Roermond. Lieutenant Colonel JH Hare, the battalion's Commanding Officer, was killed during the battle for
's-Hertogenbosch on 28 October and was succeeded by
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Howard of the 1st Battalion,
Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), and a veteran of the
East African Campaign and the
Western Desert, who was to command the 1st Ox and Bucks for the rest of the war. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched their last-gasp major offensive of the war in the
Ardennes forest that became known as the
Battle of the Bulge. The 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks, along with the rest of 53rd (Welsh) Division, was rushed to Belgium shortly afterwards to assist in the defence where the battalion endured terrible weather conditions, some of the worst Belgium had seen in years. The Allies launched a counter-attack in early January and the German offensive was defeated later that month, by which time the 53rd (Welsh) Division had been relieved and returned to the Netherlands soon afterwards in preparation for the invasion of Germany. In February 1945 the 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks was involved in the
Allied invasion of the German Rhineland, including taking part in
Operation Veritable (the
Battle of the Reichswald): the five-division assault on the
Reichswald Forest, where the battalion was involved in heavy fighting against
German paratroopers and armour at the village of Asperberg. During Operation Veritable, 21-year-old
Lieutenant Tony Paget, the youngest son of
General Sir Bernard Paget, was posthumously awarded the
Distinguished Service Order. The battalion
crossed the River Rhine in late March and, attached to
7th Armoured Division, continued its eastwards advance, seeing action at among other places,
Ibbenburen in April where it saw heavy fighting against determined
German Marines; although the British succeeded in capturing the town. The battalion met fierce enemy resistance at Gross Hauslingen before continuing the advance through Dauelsen,
Gyhum and Wehldorf and the 1st Ox and Bucks eventually reached the city of
Hamburg – captured on 3 May by British forces – where they remained until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945,
Victory in Europe Day.
2nd Battalion after the mythical winged horse on the formation sign of British
airborne forces D-Day Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Rupert Brett, the 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry returned to England in July 1940, after having served in
British India and
Burma for the last eighteen years. The battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel L.W. Giles, became part of the
31st Independent Brigade Group, serving alongside 1st Battalion,
Border Regiment, 2nd Battalion,
South Staffordshire Regiment and 1st Battalion,
Royal Ulster Rifles, all
Regular Army battalions, the latter two having also served in British India before the war. In October 1941 the battalion, together with the rest of the 31st Brigade, was re-roled as an
airborne battalion, specifically as
glider infantry, and the 31st Brigade was redesignated the
1st Airlanding Brigade and became part of the
1st Airborne Division. In mid-1943 it was transferred, along with the 1st Royal Ulster Rifles, to become part of the
6th Airlanding Brigade in
6th Airborne Division. The 2nd Ox and Bucks were due to take part in the invasion of Sicily (
Operation Husky); however in April 1943 the battalion was advised that the 1st Airborne and not the 6th Airborne were to be deployed in the landings. Just before the
Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, a small force led by
Major John Howard landed in six
Horsa gliders and
captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges. Their success helped secure the eastern flank of the landings, prevented the
German armour from crossing upriver and attacking into the flank of the
British 3rd Infantry Division (who landed at
Sword Beach at 07:25) and forced them to move further south via Caen. after the war D Company landed very close to their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight (the first Allied unit to land in France). The soldiers poured out of their battered gliders, completely surprising the German defenders, and taking the bridges within 10 minutes, losing two men –
Lieutenant Den Brotheridge and
Lance corporal Fred Greenhalgh – in the process. A further two officers and 14 soldiers were wounded during the battle for the bridges. Lieutenant Den Brotheridge led the first platoon to land at Pegasus Bridge followed one minute later by Lieutenant
David Wood's platoon. Lieutenant
Dennis Fox led the first platoon to land at Horsa Bridge. The glider carrying
Captain Brian Priday and Lieutenant Tony Hooper's platoon, which was assigned to the capture of Horsa Bridge, landed at the bridge over the
River Dives, some seven miles from where they intended. In spite of this, the occupants of the glider captured the River Dives bridge, advanced through the German lines towards the village of
Ranville where they eventually rejoined the British forces. The Ox and Bucks platoons holding the bridges were relieved by the
7th Battalion of the
Parachute Regiment at 03:00hours. The Germans attempted to re-capture the bridges, but were repulsed. Later in the day, at about 13:00hrs,
Lord Lovat and elements of the
Commandos of his
1st Special Service Brigade arrived to relieve the exhausted defenders, followed by the 3rd British Infantry Division. The operation was immortalised in the film
The Longest Day. As the first day of the landings closed, more reinforcements arrived as part of
Operation Mallard, they included the rest of the 2nd Ox and Bucks. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown DSO, replaced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Roberts who had been injured during the landings and would remain in command of the battalion during the defence of the Ardennes and over the Rhine landing. On 7 June the battalion captured the small village of
Herouvillette and then headed for the village of
Escoville where it met some extremely determined resistance. Having experienced intense fighting with German troops supported by armour and unable to successfully dig-in and hold the village, the battalion withdrew, moving back to Herouvillette where it took part in its defence. On 13 June the battalion moved to
Chateau St Come, approximately one mile south of Breville, where it remained until 20 June when it moved to
Le Mesnil. On 26 June the battalion was ordered to occupy the village of Breville, moving back to Chateau St Come on 8 July. On 23 July the battalion returned to Le Mesnil and a week later to the trenches of Breville. On 7 August the battalion left Breville and apart from moving to Le Mesnil on 13 August for two days continued to hold the line at Chateau St Come on
Bréville ridge. German army companies fighting the battalion each had a German officer and Sergeant however many of the soldiers were Russian and Eastern European. The battalion took part in the British breakout and
advance to the Seine which began later in August, known as
Operation Paddle. It crossed the
River Touques and the advance continued through St Philibert, La Correspondance, Pretreville and Malbortie. The march route was described at the time as " patted, kissed, given usually apple cider and then shot at." After heavy fighting, during which the enemy used mortar and artillery fire, by nightfall the battalion had occupied the village and had captured a number of prisoners and transport. Lieutenant
Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for an action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. The Battle for Manneville La Raoult was to be the last battle the battalion would fight in France. The following day, it moved 7 miles to Foulbec on the west bank of the
River Seine. D Company 2nd Ox and Bucks had only 40 soldiers remaining of the 181 who had taken part in the
coup de main operation to capture Pegasus and Horsa Bridges on D-Day. Major John Howard was the only officer still serving; none of the sergeants and few corporals were left of those who had taken part in the operation. D Company had been in ninety-one days of continuous combat since 6 June 1944. The 2nd Ox and Bucks, along with the rest of the 6th Airborne Division, was withdrawn to the United Kingdom on 2/3 September to recuperate and reorganise. The battalion went by truck to
Arromanches, then were driven out to the
Mulberry Harbour and then set sail for
Portsmouth; travelling by train to
Bulford Camp.
Ardennes offensive The 2nd Battalion, Ox and Bucks and the rest of the 6th Airborne Division were rushed back to Belgium, by sea and land, to take part in the defence of the
Ardennes, after the German offensive began in December 1944. The battalion left
Tilbury on 23 December and travelled by rail to
Dover and was on the first ship to enter
Calais following its liberation. The 2nd Ox and Bucks arrived at
Givet, in northern France close to the Belgium border, at 04.00hrs on 25 December to defend the town and bridgehead. By the time the battalion arrived in the Ardennes, in freezing weather conditions, the German offensive had largely lost its momentum. On 30 December the battalion moved to Drehance and took part in holding the bridgehead at
Dinant. On 2 January 1945 the battalion moved to Custinne and then to Resteigne. On 4 January, C Company, commanded by Major Johnny Granville, was involved in heavy fighting, whilst in support of 13 Parachute Battalion in the village of Bure. The battalion moved to
Rochefort on 9 January and by this time the battlefront was moving rapidly eastwards. The 2nd Ox and Bucks were based at Fromlennes from 17 to 24 January when the battalion moved 200 miles north to the Netherlands to
Grubbenvorst, near
Venlo, on the
River Maas, to defend the position there, before returning by trucks to
Calais and to UK by ship arriving at
Bulford Camp,
Wiltshire, on 28 February.
Crossing the Rhine The 2nd Ox and Bucks were once again involved in a gliderborne air assault landing, known as Operation Varsity: the largest airborne operation in the history of warfare and the airborne support for Operation Plunder: the Rhine Crossing in late March 1945. The Germans were defending their last great natural barrier in the West and Operation Varsity which began on 24 March 1945 was the last major battle on the
Western Front during the Second World War. The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed on the north-east perimeter of 6th Airborne Divisions's landing zone, the furthest east of any British Army unit, to capture bridges from the Germans. The battalion, like many others during the assault, suffered heavily as the Germans met the landing gliders with ferocious fire in the air and on the ground; the 2nd Ox and Bucks lost 400 killed or injured out of a total battalion strength of 800 men. The battalion's objective was to capture the line of the
River Issel northwest of
Hamminkeln. This included the Hamminkeln-Ringenburg road bridge, the railway bridge, Hamminkeln railway station and the road junction to the west. On 19 March the battalion moved to Birch camp,
RAF Birch, near
Colchester,
Essex. The 2nd Ox and Bucks took off from Birch and Gosfield airfields at 06.30hrs on 24 March and the gliders moved southwards over the
North Sea, then east over
Brussels and landed in
Hamminkeln area at about 10.00hrs. Each company was designated a landing zone in the area of its objective. On the approach to the landing area east of the Rhine the sky was full of aircraft. Bill Aldworth, the Quartermaster, was involved in a highly unusual landing. Seeing both the pilot and co-pilot of the glider slump over their
joysticks as casualties, he took control of the aircraft and brought it safely down. The Commanding Officer, with tongue firmly in cheek, put him in for a
Distinguished Flying Cross. He did not get it. The 2nd Ox and Bucks casualties included 103 killed during the battle of the landing area. The battalion had lost half its strength, the 4 rifle companies were severely depleted and non-commissioned officers were frequently required to act as platoon commanders. The battalion saw very heavy fighting at
Hamminkeln, where its objectives were the railway station and bridges over the
River Issel between Hamminkeln and Ringenburg. Lieutenant
Hugh Clark led a
bayonet charge to take a road bridge for which he was awarded a Military Cross. CSM John Stevenson was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal for defeating several enemy attacks with a platoon he led on the east bank of the River Issel. The 2nd Ox and Bucks captured and held all its objectives. During the fighting German troops put out white flags of surrender and then opened fire. The Germans launched a number of counter-attacks, all of which were repelled. There was heavy shelling by the enemy near the Issel bridge. The 2nd Ox and Bucks took a leading part in the division's 300-mile advance across Northern Germany, mostly on foot. The battalion marched to
Rhede and then to
Coesfeld where they remained until 31 March; they then moved towards
Greven. D Company, led by Major, later
Colonel John Tillett, was involved in heavy fighting at the
Dortmund-Ems Canal; the company secured the position and captured more than a dozen anti-aircraft guns however sustained casualties from enemy artillery fire. The advance continued through
Ladbergen and as the unit moved towards
Lengerich it was assisted by the tanks of the 4th (Armoured) Battalion,
Grenadier Guards. One of the 2nd Ox and Bucks companies came under heavy machine gun fire in the hills to the north east of the town. Following the capture of Lengerich the battalion then moved to
Hasbergen, west of
Osnabrück. On 3 April 2 Ox and Bucks was the first Allied unit to cross the
Weser during which the unit was bombarded by enemy flak artillery. Following the crossing the battalion captured
Wietersheim and were involved in house to house fighting to secure the village of Frille. On 8 April the 2nd Battalion started on a long march towards Winzlar and moved into the corps reserve, being replaced in front by the
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. 2nd Ox and Bucks moved on transport from Winzlar to Heitlingen. The battalion moved through
Rosche then Katzien and were at
Ebstorf from 23 to 29 April. After leaving Ebstorf on foot, D Company 2nd Ox and Bucks took over as the spearhead of the British Army's advance across Northern Germany. The 2nd Ox and Bucks crossed the
River Elbe on 30 April and the advance continued through
Nostorf, Schwartow and Lutterstorf to
Bad Kleinen, on the banks of the
Schweriner See. On 2 May 1945 2nd Ox and Bucks moved eastwards along the same routes that units of the German army complete with heavy tanks, troop carriers and heavy artillery were travelling westwards determined to surrender to the British army and escape from the Soviet army. Many German soldiers and refugees were unable to move to the British army controlled area and were forced into Soviet captivity. and returning to
Bulford Camp,
Wiltshire. along with the
5th Battalion,
King's Regiment (Liverpool), were attached to a secretive unit known as
T-Force. Their role was to locate Nazi scientists and military research facilities. The creation of T-Force had been inspired by
James Bond author
Ian Fleming who had created
30 Assault Unit, which worked alongside T-Force in Germany. They carried out investigations in Hanover, Bremen and Hamburg. Post-war, elements of the Bucks who had been attached to T-Force, were absorbed into No.1 T Force which continued to search for military secrets in the
Ruhr.
Far East 1944-45 The 6th Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry was a hostilities-only unit created in early July 1940, from a
cadre of eighteen
officers, five
warrant officers, fifty-three
Non-commissioned officers and sixty-five
other ranks, nearly all of them from the
Regular Army. The battalion was assigned to the 14th Infantry Group, later the
214th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), serving alongside the 19th, 20th and 21st battalions of the
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). In mid 1942 the battalion was sent to
India where they became part of the
74th Indian Infantry Brigade attached to
25th Indian Infantry Division. The 6th Ox and Bucks served on the
Arakan Front during the advance down the west coast of
Burma in 1944/45. The battalion fought at
Akyab in 1944 and at the main
Japanese Base at
Tamandu in 1945. The 2nd Ox and Bucks following their return from Germany in May 1945 were due to be deployed to the
Far East in
South-East Asia Command. An advance party of the 2nd Ox and Bucks, led by
Lieutenant Peter Gerahty, was in India in August 1945 preparing for an airborne assault on
Malaya North Africa and Italy (1942–45) of
56th (London) Division, plan the
attack on the village of Gemmano, 6 September 1944. The 50th (Holding) Battalion were a hostilities-only battalion created on 3 June 1940, whose original job was to 'hold' men who were medically unfit, awaiting orders, on a course or returning from abroad. In October 1940 the battalion was redesignated the 7th Battalion. In February 1941, they became part of the
167th (London) Infantry Brigade, serving alongside the 8th and 9th battalions of the
Royal Fusiliers, both
Territorial units, and were attached to the
56th (London) Infantry Division. Shortly before departing the United Kingdom the battalion was inspected by
General Sir Bernard Paget,
Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, an officer who had served with the regiment before and during the Great War and whose son
Lieutenant Tony Paget would later serve with the 1st Battalion of the regiment. With the rest of the division, they left the United Kingdom in late August 1942. The division was sent to
Persia and Iraq Command and the battalion later fought in the final battle in the
Tunisia Campaign in April 1943. The battalion made a successful attack at Enfidaville following a 3,000-mile road move from
Iraq. In the
Italian Campaign, 7th Ox and Bucks took part in the landings at
Salerno in September 1943 and then the
Anzio landings in February 1944 and sustained heavy casualties in both landings and came under command of the
US Fifth Army, led by
Lieutenant General Mark Wayne Clark, in both landings. In late March 167 Brigade, together with the rest of 56 Division, was transferred to Egypt to rest and be brought back up to strength. After the fighting at Anzio the 7th Ox and Bucks were reduced to a mere 60 men, out a strength of 1,000, testimony to the severe fighting in the beachhead. Due to the casualties sustained the 7th Battalion was almost disbanded to allow the 1st Battalion,
Welch Regiment, a
Regular Army unit, to join the 56th Division. However, the 10th Battalion,
Royal Berkshire Regiment, of
168th (London) Brigade, the junior battalion of the division and in an even worse state than 7th Ox and Bucks, was chosen instead, after that battalion had been reduced to only 40 men fit for duty. Reinforced by large numbers of anti-aircraft gunners of the
Royal Artillery who now found their original roles redundant, the battalion returned to Italy in July and fought in the severe battles around the
Gothic Line near
Gemmano, again sustaining heavy losses. Due to the recent heavy casualties, on 23 September 1944 the 7th Ox and Bucks was reduced to a small
cadre and placed in 'suspended animation', transferred to the non-operational 168th Brigade and men were used as replacements for other infantry units in 56th Division, mainly for the 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th battalions of the
Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) of
169th (Queen's) Brigade. The reason for the disbandment was due to a severe shortage of infantrymen that plagued the British Army at the time, particularly so in the
Mediterranean theatre.
Other battalions of the regiment After the
retreat to Dunkirk and being
evacuated to England, the 4th Battalion was reformed and remained with the
145th Brigade until the brigade disbanded in November 1943 and the battalion was transferred to the
144th Infantry (Reserve) Brigade, still as part of the 48th Division, now designated the
48th Infantry (Reserve) Division and responsible for the training of all new Army recruits. On 24 July 1944 it was transferred to the
213th Brigade, which was later redesignated the
140th Brigade, part of the
47th Infantry (Reserve) Division, after the original 140th Brigade was disbanded. The battalion acted in a training capacity, sending drafts of replacements overseas and did not see active service again. In 1943 the battalion had sent 46 officers and 1,524 other ranks as replacements. The 5th Ox and Bucks, part
Territorial Army, was raised shortly before the outbreak of war in September 1939. The 5th Ox and Bucks was raised as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 4th Battalion. The battalion was assigned to the
184th Infantry Brigade,
61st Infantry Division. The 5th Ox and Bucks remained in a training role throughout the war and did not see active service outside the United Kingdom, aside from briefly serving in Northern Ireland. in
Northern Ireland, 14 July 1941. The 2nd Buckinghamshire Battalion, a Territorial unit of the Ox and Bucks, was formed shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. 2nd Bucks was part of 184th Infantry Brigade, 61st Infantry Division. The battalion served from January 1940 to June 1940 as part of the
Portsmouth Garrison Reserve. The 2nd Bucks battalion, commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Richards, was stationed in
Northern Ireland from June 1940 where the battalion's preparations for war included training exercises at
Castledawson,
County Londonderry. In February 1943, the 2nd Bucks battalion left Northern Ireland and returned to England. The 2nd Bucks were posted as reinforcements to battalions deployed in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. The 2nd Bucks battalion was finally disbanded in July 1944. ==Post-Second World War era (1945–1966)==