Sgt. James Butler . British Army Royal Artillery from Belfast James Butler served with the Royal Artillery.
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Pte. James Butler . British Army 65th Regiment Royal Artillery from Belfast In 1939 in Belfast, my father James Butler joined the Royal Artillery as a gunner. He served in Egypt, Ceylon, and Burma. In 1945, he was mustered to the Royal Engineers. When he was demobbed, he worked in the R.E.M.E. in Hollywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.
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John Butler . Navy HMS Ayreshire My father, John Butler RNVR who passed away in March 2008, was sent to HMS Royal Arthur for his training. He was posted to HMS Ayreshire as a signalman on completion of his training. His most memorable undertaking he related to me came from his ship's part in the north Atlantic convoy PQ17.
The photo is of class 219. My father is in the back row 5 from the left.
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P.O. John William "Lofty" Butler DSM.. Royal Navy HMS Cossack from Copnor, Portsmouth, Hants. My Dad, J.W.Butler joined HMS Cossack in 1938 as an AB and left as Petty Officer, Capt 'B' MTG. He recieved the DSM for action in Second Battle of Narvick, when he was responsible for putting out of action an effective shore battery when Cossack was aground and on fire, his gun crew were dead or injured and he had to move some bodies to be able to fire his gun. Dad was also a member of the boarding party which rescued the British prisoners aboard the Altmark. I am very proud of my Dad xx
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Drvr. John Tyson Butler . British Army 205 Company Royal Army Service Corps from 'The Glen', Seascale, Cumberland Unable to supply personal details as my father-in-law, John Butler did not speak about the war.
All the information is gathered from his army record and other sources.
He was called up on 26th February 1942 and moved with 21st Army Group to France on the 26th June 1944.
I only know the general movements of 502 Coy from a book I acquired, 'D day to VE day with the R. A. S. C.@ by C.J. Tatham, Major, R. A. S. C. which is an account of landing in France and the Journey to Berlin.
- 27th February 1942 TOS of 42 Armd Div Tps Coy RASC.
- 26th March 1942 TOS 10 Armd Bde Coy RASC
- 20th July 1942 unit re designated 30 Armd Bde 502 Coy RASC
- 11th December 1942 attached to 71st Inf Bde Coy
- 1st July 1943 Driver training at Ampleforth House
- 20th June 1944 moved to France with 502 Coy
- Various attachments and assignments
213 Field Ambulance
53 RHV
51 RHV
- 25th August 1945 Retuen UK to C Coy 2H Bn RASC
- 21st Sept 1945 disembarked Bombay
- Various duties until
- August 1946 returned to UK
- 10th October 1946 released from service to reserves
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Aircraftman 2nd Class Joseph Harrison Butler . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve from England (d.1st April 1945) Joseph Harrison is remembered on the Nassau Memorial in the Bahamas.
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Sgt. Joseph A. "Gussie" Butler MM.. British Army Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (d.23th Nov 1944) Joseph Butler was a tank comander. He served in the North African Campaign as well as the D-Day Landings and Europe.
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JS Butler . British Army Kings Own Scottish Borderers JS Butler served with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Sgt. Lionel Wembley Henry Butler . Royal Air Force 166 Squadron from Edinburgh (d.27th Sep 1943) My great uncle, Lionel Butler, was an air gunner with 166 Squadron according to the Commonwealth War Graves. He died aged 19 in 1943 and I am looking for some more information on his brief time served during the war.
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M Butler . British Army M Butler served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Pte. Maurice Arthur "Reece" Butler . British Army 5th Battalion Royal East Kent Regiment from Goudhurst, Kent My father, Maurice Arthur Butler, known as Reece, enlisted at Cranbrook, Kent in the Territorial Reserve on 2nd Feb 1939. When war was declared he enlisted as Private 6287454, 5th battalion, The Royal East Kent Regiment - The Buffs. He was initially stationed at Dover, guarding the Folkstone to Dover railway tunnel although his preference was cooking so he became batman to the company commander.
His battalion left for France on the 19th April 1940 and, although they were a working battalion, they quickly became involved in conflict but it is not clear where he fought. He said, in a roughly typed story he produced many years later, “we were sent to France where we were surrounded by Jerry. Four of us got away and tried to reach the coast. We traveled by night hiding by day in woods (close to) the village of Frevent. We were captured in a wood close to the coast and taken to Lille Prison. From there on to Germany to Stalag VIIIB, from there he moved to Teshen when VIIIB became 344.”
In his belongings was a notebook titled “Poems, collected at Birkental No 36 working party and No 6”. I cannot find any reference to Birkental, so I don’t know what sort of camp this was or when he was there. There are about 18 contributors to the collection, as well as my father: - Alec Wilson,
- George Roast (Hastings),
- Drum Major A Wilson,
- Tich Crane,
- A K Nash,
- W G H Brown,
- Sgt F R Creer,
- L/Cp N Farrar,
- G R Gratton,
- Denis L Hoy,
- Sapper P T Brice,
- Gunner A Maxwell,
- William Mitchell,
- L/CplBetteridge,
- Bernard A Kettle,
- Pte McCready,
- Frank Nicolson
- Maurice A Savill
.
In his time as a POW he spent much of it at a work camp E149 at Buchenlust. Parts of this story are not clear, even though his parents kept nearly 130 letters and cards sent by him from the camp. He became Stage Manager at the theatre (The Teschen Empire) so it is likely he was at Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf, then moved to Techen when it became VIIIB in 1943, and also spent time at E149. His movements are not clear from the letters as they are all addressed from Stalag VIIIB. We have copies of the programmes for the theatre productions and many photographs.
In a very small address book he recorded the last stages of the long march:
April 22nd, Sunday. Crossed the Danube (P)
April 29 Sunday. Released by Yanks. Thank God.
May 7. On air field
May 8. Ditto. Germ plane surrendered. War over. Civvy billets
May 9. Flew to Reims F
May 10. Arrived in England at Ford nr Brighton
He went on to have a long career as a telephone engineer with the GPO. He died after a long illness following a stroke, passing away in 1978.
If anyone can help to fill in the gaps in this story I would be most grateful.
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P/O. Murray Anderson Butler . Royal Air Force 42 Squadron from Newcastle, Ontario, Canada (d.21st June 1940) Pilot Officer (Navigator) Murray Butler was the son of Floyd Allison Butler and Isabelle Mignonette Butler of Newcastle, Ontario, Canada.
He was aged 27 when he died and is buried in the Hajaardemaal Churchyard in Denmark.
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N Butler . British Army Sherwood Foresters N Butler served with the Sherwood Foresters British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Pte Patrick Butler . British Army 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers from Manchester Patrick Butler joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1944. He trained in India and fought in Burma 1945. He transferred to the 2nd Battalion and served as part of J Force the first units in the Japanese occupation forces based in Kure, Japan 1946.
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Sgt. Richard William Butler . Royal Air Force 106 Squadron from Bedworth, Warwickshire (d.26th Jul 1942) My father was a Lancaster pilot with 106 Squadron, based finally at Coningsby in Lincolnshire. His squadron leader at that time was Guy Gibson. My father and mother both volunteered in 1939, my mother joined the WAAF and at the time of my father's death was also based at RAF Coningsby. My father was trained as a pilot in Medicine Hat in Canada, then at OTU Kinloss. He was lost on a bomb laying operation in the Bay of Biscay at the mouth of the Gironde River near Bordeaux. Only two of the crew survived, Adams and Church, the rest were killed when the plane was shot down by a flack ship. Coningsby was the last posting for my mother as she left the WAAF on compassionate grounds because she was pregnant. Prior to that she had been based at Stafford and occasionally used to commute (beyond the permissible distance) at weekends to visit my father at RAF Kinloss. RAF Conningsby was their first posting together.
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Ronald John Butler . Royal Navy HMS Mauritius from Forestgate My grandad Ron Butler was on HMS Mauritius during World War 2. I loved hearing his stories. He told me a story that he snuck up on deck for a crafty cigarette and when he came back his bunk had been bombed, the cigarette saved his life. He promptly lost most of his hair due to the shock. I lost my grandad in 1999 aged just 73. So much love and respect for this man.
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TF Butler . British Army Royal Engineers TF Butler served with the Royal Engineers British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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L/Cpl. Thomas William Butler . British Army 5th Btn. C Coy. East Yorkshire Regiment from Deptford My father Tommy Butler, was in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry but transferred to the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment and served in Austria. He also talked of a best mate called Arthur Smith from Doncaster, who he believes went on to serve in the Police force. I would like to find any information about him.
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Sergeant W J Butler . RAF 59 Squadron
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Cpl. William Patrick Butler . British Army 2nd Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment from Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme My Grandad, Bill Butler, joined the North Staffs Regiment in the early part of WW2. He served in the North African campaign and was wounded and taken prisoner in an attack near Medjez on 23 April 1943.
Grandad was reported missing presumed killed in action. A requiem mass was said for him at the local Catholic church in Chesterton.
Grandad always said that the attack was against Longstop Hill, and I would like to know if anyone knows where the North Staffs were on 23 April 1943.
He said he and his mates advanced but the tank support never arrived and they were wiped out by a German attack supported by tanks. I have recently checked the CWGC website for burials of North Staffs soldiers in the Messicault Cemetery and 24 are recorded as killed on that day.
He was captured by the Germans and operated on by German surgeons who sewed up his wounds (they left a rifle bullet in his chest which stayed there for 40 years until removed in the 1970s). He remembered recovering in Carthage Cathedral and then spending time in a military hospital in Tunis. One day a German medical officer came through the doors of the ward and announced: "Gentlemen, I have a visitor for you: an officer of your 8th Army". Tunis had fallen to the Allies. Grandad was repatriated to the UK and invalided out of the Army because of the injuries to his arm.
Grandad was not one for military reunions, but he told me a lot about his wartime experiences. He seemed to have enjoyed his time in the Army, though I was never too sure quite how his experience of the fighting had affected him. He had seen his friends killed in the attack in which he was wounded and he was quite matter of fact about the deaths of young men around him.
He had a lot of respect for the Germans as soldiers and he himself had been very well treated after he had been wounded. He recounted patrolling against German paratroopers and his sadness at seeing dead Germans who from their photographs were clearly family men like himself.
In 1994, we took him and my Grandma to Tunisia to visit Messicault. He had done a bit of research on where his friends were buried. It was a very moving visit. One particularly sad moment was that he discovered the grave of one friend who he thought had survived. A strange coincidence was that this chap was buried next to distant relative of mine from my dad's side, somebody we had no idea about, also from the Potteries but in the Reconnaissance Regiment.
He died in 2003 aged 90. The priest made the point at his funeral that there are not many people who have had 2 requiem masses said for them. We often think that he was so lucky to have made it to the other side of the hill and a further 60 years of life. His friends weren't so lucky. It is a beautiful cemetery, but a sad and distant place.
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Pte. William Patrick Butler . British Army 1st Battalion Beds & Hertfordshire Regiment from Watford (d.3rd Sep 1944) Bill Butler is buried in the Florence War Cemetery.
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Cpl. Leslie James Butt . Australian Army 2/11 Battalion Stalag 8b
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Dvr. Roy "Buttie" Butt . British Army Army Fire Service Royal Army Service Corps
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Guy L. Buttars . US Army My father was captured around Thanksgiving time 1944 I think. His name is Guy L. Buttars. He was captured with about 4 others I think. If anyone remembers him, I would like to here from them. He speaks of those he was with often.
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Royal Butterfield . United States Air Force I am looking for the following crew members of the Maxwell House II (SN 42-73245). I have checked the WWII Casualties and these men were not listed on the web page and I believe the following men may have made it back from the war:
Richard Meredith Serial No: 0-728902
Thomas Stephens Serial No: 0-683542
Thomas C. Smeal Serial No: 33253233
Ewell Temples Serial No: 34444337
Charles Pero Serial No: 12168305
John F. Cook Serial No: 19148135
Joseph C. McClung Serial No: 38288140
These men were part of my uncle's crew. If you know these men or any of their family members please contact me. I do have photos of them. The men in this group who did not make it back are:
Joseph C. Rich Serial No: 0-739054
Edward Ryan Serial No: 0-672445
Royal Butterfield Serial No: 0-728565
Fred Hart Serial No: 32437482
I have the MACR from mission B that these men were on. I also have a story of this mission as witnessed from the 10th AF, 7th BG. I would like to correspond with these men or their families. I lost my uncle 2nd Lt. Rich from this crew. This crew was shot down on 27th November 1943 and some were taken prisoner. My uncle was taken prisoner and died in POW camp.
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Sgt. John Desmond Butterly . Royal Air Force 12 Squadron from Howth, Dublin (d.7th July 1943) I am named after my uncle, John Desmond Butterly, who died after his Lancaster was shot down on returning from a bombing mission on 7th of July 1943. The bomber crashed into the Firth of Forth in Scotland. My mother, John's sister, told me that there were no survivors and that the bodies were never recovered.
There is a record somewhere that John survived the crash and returned it his own country where he died of his wounds. This we believe is not true.
There is another story that his elder brother, Lewis, travelled from Dublin area to Belfast to Scotland and then bought his body back to Howth. There is a large gravestone in a cemetery just outside Howth, his home town, with a tombstone with his name on it along with names of his parents, my grand parents. Also there is the RAF memorial stone there with his name, Military number, date of death etc on it.
How can I find out if he is still in the Firth of Forth or if he is really buried in the grave outside of Howth? We are also looking into Church records etc.
Editor's Note: The Commonwealth War Graves record that John is buried in Kilbarrack Cemetery in Dublin.
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Sgt John Desmond Butterly. . RAF 12Sqd. (d.7th Jul 1943) Flt Eng. John Butterley was killed on 7th July 1943 during training in Lancaster I ED548 PH-X of 12 Sqd
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Pte. James Ernest Butterworth . British Army No 3 Regiment, 20 Squad Royal Signals from Whitworth, Nr Rochdale Jim Butterworth is my father, a driver in No 3 Royal Signals. He was at D-day + 12 approx. In his diary he reported the number of dead.
The Royal Signals recorded tank wireless traffic in Scotland and then replayed this during D-day to fool the Germans that the tanks were still in the UK.
He talked about a German plane coming over and taking out one of the wireless trucks, which meant that a regiment of tanks went off the air! An officer got into bother for that should have been better hidden. All in the truck died.
He went to Monte Cassino and parked at the Vatican when they entered Rome. The wireless trucks were not allowed to go into Germany.
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Sgt. John Bernard Butterworth . Royal Air Force w/op 15 Sqd from Greenfieid, Yorkshire (d.18th May 1942) Sgt Butterworth was killed when Stirling W7531 crashed on the 18th of May 1942, he was 22 years old.
The crew were:
- F/O Ryan
- S/L J.C.Hall DFC MiD
- F/L N.G.R.Booth
- Sgt A.Spriggs
- F/O J.P.Ryan RCAF
- Sgt R.Maycock
- Sgt J.B.Butterworth
- Sgt F.L.Sharp
- Sgt R.Nicholson
- Sgt D.J.Jeffs, the only survivor was taken PoW and held in Stalag 8b.
For the full story see Don Jeff's Story
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