Ken Buckley was serving as a fusilier with the 10th Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers, when it was turned over to airborne duties in 1942 and redesignated as 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion.

He attended RAF Ringway for parachute training on course 25, which ran from 31 August to 8 September, and included the third intake of men from the Royal Welch. The three intakes totalled 526 men of whom 461 (88%) passed, including Ken Buckley. Of the remainder there was one fatal accident, 29 refusals (6%) and 35 injured (17 seriously).