Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of the late Thomas Buckley, and his widow Emma Buckley (nee Royston, married on the 30th April 1893 in Kegworth, Leicestershire) a charwoman, born 1874 in Long Whatton, Leicestershire. Samuel, a schoolboy, was born in the 3rd quarter of 1896 in Kegworth, Leicestershire, and was baptised on the 16th January 1898 in St. Anne’s Church, Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire, his siblings were Thomas, a schoolboy, born 1894 and Fred, a schoolboy, born 1896, the latter two siblings were both born in Kegworth, Joseph, born 1898 in Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire and Florence, born 1900 in Coalville, Leicestershire, in March 1901 the family home was at Drapers Yard, Town Street, Long Whatton. In April 1911 Samuel was absent from the family home at Fletchin Yard, Long Whatton, residing there was his remarried mother, Emma Holman (married in the 3rd quarter of 1901 in the Loughborough, Leicestershire district), his stepfather Thomas Holman, a general farm labourer, born 1874 in Thorpe Acre, Leicestershire and his half blood siblings, Alfred Ernest Holman, born 1903, Eunice Holman, born 1905, Ellis Holman, born 1907 and Phinepas Holman, born 1908, the latter four half blood siblings were all born in Long Whatton, and his siblings Joseph, a schoolboy and Florence, a schoolgirl, Samuel was employed as a farm ploughboy and was residing as a servant at The Home Farm, Long Whatton.
The War Diary records: 2 Mar-16 - The Battalion relieved 2nd Bn. Sherwood Foresters in the left sector (Wieltje). The entry for the 3rd March recorded:- Quiet day. 2-8.00pm heavy rain which turned to snow. Snowed all night and until 4.00pm. Trenches very wet and needed a lot of drainage. The north end of B 12 had been heavily shelled and was blown in (before the relief however).
On Friday March 17th 1916 The Melton Mowbray Times & Vale of Belvoir Gazette published the following article under the heading. “DISTRICT WAR ITEMS.” – LONG WHATTON SOLDIER KILLED. The fourth Long Whatton man to make the great sacrifice for King and country is Corporal Samuel Buckley, C Company, 1st Leicestershire Regiment, notification to the effect having been received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. Holman, from Captain H. Cummins, C.S.M. In a feeling and sympathetic letter the Captain says:- “Corporal Buckley was killed on March 3rd by shrapnel. Death was instantaneous, he did not suffer in the least. He was a good soldier, and an excellent N.C.O.” The Captain says a cross will be put over his grave. Corpral Buckley was 19 years of age, and had been a soldier about 12 months before the war broke out. He was wounded in the head by a bullet on October 25th 1914, and returned to the front in January this year. Mrs. Holman has three other sons serving with the Colours, two being in France and one in England. The late father of Corporal Buckley was also a soldier. As a mark of respect to the deceased Corporal, a muffled peal was rung on the bells of the Parish Church, and the Dead March in “Saul” (Handel) was played on the organ at the Wesleyan Church, where the deceased was formerly a scholar. Much sympathy is felt for the family.