Tuhia he tomokanga mō tēnei wāhanga - I whakahoutia te 5th Battalion i te tau 1939 hei 2nd Line duplicate o te 4th Battalion i te wā i whakapirihia ai te rahi o te Army Territorial. I te timatanga, i tukuna te 5th Buffs ki te 37th Infantry Brigade, he waahanga o te 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division, he taarua tuarua o te 44th (Home Counties) Division. Heoi, i te 26 o Oketopa 1939, i whakawhitihia ki te 36th Infantry Brigade o te wehenga hei utu mo te 2/6th East Surreys. Ko te 5th Buffs, me te 6th me te 7th Royal West Kents, i noho ki te 36th Brigade mo te toenga o te pakanga. Ka rite ki te 2nd me te 4th Battalions, i mahi tahi me te BEF i Parani i te tau 1940 ka whawhai ki te Pakanga o Parani ka nekehia atu ki Dunkirk. He nui nga mate i pa ki te 12th Division, na te mea he iti noa te whakangungu o te nuinga o nga tangata, kaore hoki he puhipuhi, he roopu tautoko ranei. Whai muri i tana hokinga ki Ingarangi, i whakakorehia te wehenga i te Hurae 1940, na te mate i mate ai. I te tau 1942, i whakawhiwhia te 36th Brigade ki te 78th Division hou, ka uru ki te Operation Torch, nga whakaekenga a Allied i Awherika ki te Raki, i whai ake i te pakanga i Tunisia, i reira te 78th Division, hei waahanga o te British First Army, i wehewehe i a ia i te wa o te hopu nui o Longstop Hill. I whawhai te wehenga i te pakanga o Sicily
, hei wāhanga o te British Eighth Army. Ko te 5th Buffs me te toenga o te 78th Division i uru ki nga pakanga i Itari ka mahi ki reira tae noa ki te 1945 Offensive.