Samuel Archibald Buck (1911 - 1944)

Born 2 Jan 1911 in Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Maud (Pearce) Neal — married 1928 in Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 18 Sep 1944 at age 33 in Stalag 383, Hohenfels, Neumarkt, Bavaria, Germany

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Smith [send private message]

Biography

Early Life

Samuel Buck was born in Middlesex, England.

Samuel Archibald Buck was born in Marylebone, London on January 2nd, 1911. He was the 10th child of Ernest Buck and Elizabeth Katherine Smith. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

When he was aged just 3 years old his father, a militia veteran, volunteered to fight in the First World War. He was accepted into the King's Royal Rifle Corps (K.R.R.C) but came home in 1916 after being injured in service. Samuel and his siblings are recorded on their father's war pension claim. ^[4]

Like their parents, all the children of Ernest and Elizabeth grew up in Lisson Grove, Marylebone which was predominantly a neighbourhood for the better paid working classes. Little is known about Samuel's life before the war, as there is no record of him between 1911 and 1937 except in 1928 when he marries Sarah Maud Pearce, also of Lisson Grove. They had three children between 1929 and 1939. ^{[5] [6]}

Military Service

Samuel spent much of his life in the army, joining at some time prior to 1932. ^[7]

He was of high rank for a non-commissioned officer, reflected in July 1938 Samuel was recorded as a sergeant in the Queen Victoria's Rifles on Page 20 of the QVR gazette running a peacetime shooting drill. This is likely where he met his good friend and Lisson Grove local Edward Herbert Neal. ^[8]

Sergeant Buck, in army uniform, is standing on the far right

Serjeant Samuel Buck was killed whilst a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Upon the eruption of the Second World War, Samuel's section the Queen Victoria's Rifles became the 1st Battalion Queen Victoria's Rifles under the King's Royal Rifle Corps, his father's old unit. They were deployed to the Siege of Calais in May 1940, a near-suicidal battle, under conflicting orders from the British High Command. Serving to the end, Samuel Buck along with Edward Neal were captured and transferred to the German POW camps. Samuel's brother, Rifleman William Henry Buck was killed in the fighting in Calais. ^[9]

Whilst in the POW camps Samuel's possessions indicate he frequented sporting and theatrical events - having many programmes and pamphlets sent home to his wife after his death. Most other stories about his life in the camps came from Edward Neal upon his return to England.

Samuel Buck, standing farthest left, posing for a photo with his football team.

Death

We can, however, verify that on September 18th 1944 Samuel Archibald Buck, of 31 Daventry Street, Lisson Grove, Marylebone died as a result of a perforated stomach ulcer in the medical room of Stalag 383. It is additionally rumoured that this ulcer was caused by malnutrition as food wore thin in Germany. He was survived by his wife and three children, the former of whom was willed all his effects. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

Samuel's Probate from 1945

Burial

Samuel was first buried in a temporary grave on the grounds of Stalag 383 before he was eventually moved to a permanent grave in the Durnbach War Cemetery in 1947. Below is a side-by-side comparison of his first memorial in Durnbach and his current grave. ^{[13] [2] [3]}

Samuel Buck's Earliest Known Grave

Samuel Buck's Permanent Grave

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2FLR-G6Y : 1 October 2014), Samuel A Buck, 1911; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Marylebone, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Samuel Archibald Buck; Personal Effects and Papers; from the War Office to Mrs S. M. Neal, post-1945. Now in the possession of Smith, David.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "The Diary and Planner of Sgt. Edward Herbert Neal 1941 - 1943." Non-digitised collection. Now in the possession of Smith, David.
4. ↑ "Soldiers’ Documents from Pension Claims", First World War (Microfilm Copies); (The National Archives Microfilm Publication WO364); Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies; The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England. Filed 1916; WO364; Piece: 484; Ancestry Slide No. 3619; (https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1114/images/miuk1914a_083612-00940?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=7f788907dc28a8fcbdc763e4affbbf86&usePUB=true&_phsrc=TXD2345&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=120058)
5. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XW2T-66C : 16 May 2019), Samuel Buck in household of Ernest Buck, Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZ1-5S9N : 8 October 2014), Samuel A Buck and null, 1928; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1928, quarter 4, vol. 1A, p. 1489, Marylebone, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
7. ↑ Buck, Samuel Archibald; Efficiency Medal for 12 Years Service; Awarded Posthumously (circa. 1945)
8. ↑ "The QVR Gazette," July 1938 Edition. Non-digitised Collection. Now in the possession of Smith, David.
9. ↑ "News of the Q.V.R in Calais" by an unknown member of the British High Command; June 1940. Now in the possession of Smith, David.
10. ↑ Arolsen Archives; Lists of all persons of United Nations and other foreigners, German Jews and stateless persons; Samuel Buck; D.O.B. 02 Jan 1911; Hohenfels, Parsberg; Kategorie II, Form 3; American Zone, West Germany; 13 Aug 1945; (https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/en/archive/70172751/?p=1&s=Samuel%20Buck&doc_id=70172751)
11. ↑ Buck, Samuel Archibald; Service Number: 6607654; 'Casualty Details'; The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (with attached sources); (https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2079908/SAMUEL%20ARCHIBALD%20BUCK/)
12. ↑ "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W7SW-7MMM : 24 June 2019), Samuel Archibald Buck, 3 Mar 1945; citing Probate, Llandudno, Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Great Britain.; FHL microfilm.
13. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVN-59JR : 16 December 2020), Samuel Archibald Buck, ; Burial, Gmund am Tegernsee, Landkreis Miesbach, Bavaria (Bayern), Germany, Durnbach War Cemetery; citing record ID 18610104, Find a Grave; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18610104/samuel-archibald-buck

Samuel Buck's Permanent Grave Documentation