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Rank : Rev (CF4) RAChD

Unit : 1/5th Bn

Biography :

Bernard Buck was educated at Merchant Taylors' School (then in the City of London) where he was Captain of the Rugby XV, and a fine athlete. He then obtained a BA at Trinity College, Oxford, in 1907, before entering Cuddesdon Theological College in Oxford to spend the next two years studying for the Anglican ministry. On leaving Cuddesdon he moved to Birmingham to begin an enduring association with the Cathedral Church of St. Philip and where, according to The Times and possibly combining the roles of spiritual guide and teacher, “he devoted himself to important work among boys at the Cathedral House”. Ordination in 1910 brought immediate appointments as Chaplain and Organising Secretary to the Birmingham Street Boys’ Union (sometimes shown as “Children’s Union”), posts he retained until 1914 while simultaneously serving as Curate on the staff of Birmingham Cathedral until 1913 and of St. Mary’s Selly Oak, Birmingham, for a further year. This he left to take up an Army Chaplaincy in May 1916, entering France that month. From 1.11.1916 he was attached as Chaplain to the 1/5th Bn The Leicestershire Regiment, was Mentioned in Despatches in 1917 and later awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Pontruet, north-west of St Quentin, on 24.9.1918 (L.G. 8.3.1919 "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty at Pontruet during the attack on the village on 24th September, 1918. He worked all day at the R.A.P. under heavy shell fire, helping the medical officer, carrying stretchers, cheering the wounded, and giving invaluable assistance. On the 29th September, 1918, he was killed during operations round the St. Quentin Canal, north of Bellenglise. He behaved splendidly."). He was Killed in Action at St Quentin Canal, north of Bellenglise, on 29.9.1918, aged 38. He is buried at Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France.

His obituary in The Taylorian magazine stated,
"The REV. C. B. W. BUCK, C.F., attached Leicester Regiment, killed in action on September 29th, was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Buck, late of West Ham, Essex, and now of Ewell, Surrey. He was educated at Merchant Taylors’ School, where he was captain of the Rugby football team, and after leaving school won his “South Cap”. Graduating at Trinity College, Oxford, in 1907, he went to Birmingham and devoted himself to important work among boys at the Cathedral House. On being ordained in 1910 he became chaplain to the Birmingham Street Children’s Union and curate on the Cathedral staff, which he left to take up an Army Chaplaincy in May, 1916, and at once proceeded to the Front. His Colonel wrote, 'The whole regiment and the whole brigade are fearfully cut up to think of the loss of Bernard Buck. He died in action last Sunday, when rescuing some men from a burning tank. It was a very brave act, as the enemy were shelling the tank at the time, and a piece of shell wounded him. . . . I cannot yet realise that we have really lost the dear padre, who was always so helpful and cheerful. He was a great favourite with the men.' ”
Another OMT wrote, “Padre Buck was wonderful. He led a large body of men who had gone astray in the fog and got them into the fight in spite of a barrage , - went off to rescue a man from a blazing tank and got hit, and died soon afterwards. He was one of the bravest men I’ve ever met.”
Yet another OMT (probably Hugh Pettit who in 1920 presented to Merchant Taylors' School an athletics cup in memory of the late Rev Cyril Buck MC for "the High Jump Class III") wrote to the Editor of The Taylorian,
"DEAR SlR,—I am presenting a Cup for the Sports in memory of Bernard Buck. He was not one of my intimate friends at School, but, of the many splendid fellows of my time who gave their lives in the war, he appears to me to be one of those whose characters are most worthy of study and emulation in the School. Himself a good athlete and a fearless half-back – Captain of the XV at School and afterwards playing for his county and the South – he was always most unassuming and kind and considerate to other boys, particularly to “rabbits” who were no good at games. After a few years in business he took Holy Orders, and worked amongst boys in Birmingham until 1916. Then he became a Chaplain to the Forces, went to France, and some two years later gave his life in trying to rescue a man from a burning tank under shell-fire. I am certain that you have many boys in the School now of the same stuff that Buck was made of, and I hope that the “Bernard Buck Cup” and this letter (if you have room for it in the TAYLORIAN) may help the development of their characters on the same lines.
Yours faithfully,
ONE OF THE “RABBITS”

During the First World War there were at one time and another seven Old Merchant Taylors serving in 1/5th Bn Leicestershire Regiment. Three were killed in action: William Maurice Cole, Percy Measures and Cyril Bernard Wilson Buck. At the end of the war the 4 surviving officers (Godwin Edward Banwell, John David Hills, Donald Burman Petch and John Cridlan Barrett) presented a trophy to the school – The 5th Leicestershire Trophy, Inter-House Athletic Sports Championship – to commemorate this fact. The trophy is now 2018 presented to the School's 'Most improved rugby player – senior'.

The deeds of these seven OMTs (and others who served in the Battalion) are covered fully in the book ‘1/5th Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment in the Great War’, by Captain J. D. Hills MC (himself an OMT) which was first published in 1919. Its review in The Taylorian magazine stated,
“This book claims to be a record of the progress of a territorial battalion during the war from mobilisation to demobilisation. To say that it completely attains its object is to give it less than its due. It is in reality much more. “Mutatis mutandis”, it is an epitome of the life of any of the best territorial battalions from 1914 to 1919. The reason why the majority of books on the war are unsatisfactory and untrue is that their authors are either journalists or would-be journalists. They strive to give the public what the public is supposed to want – “purple” passages, isolated incidents, lurid and harrowing descriptions – with the result that their work is already voted stale and unprofitable. In this book the author has steadfastly resisted all temptations of “ fine writing”, he has preserved his sense of proportion throughout, and has given us a plain and unvarnished account of the daily work, the joys and sorrows, the life in the line and out of it of one of the finest battalions of the first Territorial Division to cross the Channel. It is to books like this that the student of history in days to come will turn for a true account of the doings of our hard-fighting and seldom praised County Regiments. It is a pity that there are so few of them. So much for the book in general. But to us Merchant Taylors it has a much more intimate appeal, for it gives us a glimpse of the work in France of Old Boys who, a few months before, had been working and playing beside us at the School. We read how Lieut. J. C. Barrett, V.C., “literally covered with wounds,” after disposing of three enemy machine-gun posts and their teams and overcoming the bombing-parties which assailed him, extricated his men from a perilous position before he, refusing all help, made his own way back to the Aid Post. We learn how the late Second-Lieut. W. M. Cole, M.C., accompanied by his corporal, stalked a German sentry, shot him, noted his regiment for purposes of identification, and made his way back to our line under heavy machine-gun fire – a feat well described as “a very fine piece of patrol work, calling for courage, initiative and cunning of a high degree.” This gallant young officer, whom we remember with deep affection, died of wounds ten days later, on the day on which the Military Cross was awarded him. The names “A” Company (Petch) and “ C ”Company (Banwell) have a familiar ring about them, – we note with pride that these two officers – the former thrice, the latter six times wounded – together with the author of the book, are three out of the four officers of the battalion who won the MC and bar. Finally, we deduce a great deal concerning the author himself, who sailed to France with the 5th Leicestershires, and returned to England in command of their “cadre” in June 1919. He had during that time served throughout the war with his battalion and filled every possible place in it. We feel that he was the best man to write its history and that he could not have done it better.”

An article about him appeared in the autumn 2019 edition of the Regiment's The Green Tiger regimental journal.

This page was last edited on 14.10.2019.

Date of Birth : 1.6.1880

Place of Birth : West Ham, Essex

Date of Death : 29.9.1918

Place of Death : nr Bellenglise, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France

Civil Occupation : Anglican Priest

Period of Service : 1916-18

Conflicts : WW1

Places Served : France