West Berkshire War Memorials

William Butler

Private 72476 William Butler, 121st Company, Labour Corps (54380, Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment & 23452, Middlesex Regiment).

William was born in Kingsclere, Hants in late 1876, early 1877, the son of Harry Butler, a farm labourer, and his wife, Harriet née Seward. At some point between 1886 and 1888 the family moved to Brimpton setting up home in a cottage at 47 Hyde End (later known as Rose Cottage). Between Kingsclere and Brimpton they had spent some time in the parish of Thatcham, where William’s younger brothers Charles and John were born in 1884 and 1886. Shortly after their arrival in Brimpton the last of their children, Lily Jane was born.

By the age of 14 William was living away from home, but not far, he was lodging with Rosanna Knight in Hyde End. Rosanna was a miller and may well have been employing young William as a general labourer. It is also likely that she was employing Harry, who was working as a miller’s carman according at the time of the 1891 census.

William’s closest sibling was his brother, Henry James, two years his elder.  Henry had moved to Uxbridge in Middlesex where he had found employment as an ostler at a hotel. William joined Henry in Uxbridge and in 1901, following in his father’s footsteps, was working as a carman (carter) for a local corn dealer.  On 27 December 1909 William married Lilian Maud Birch in the village of Denham, where Lilian was born (a few miles north of Uxbridge). They set up home together; by 1911 they were living at 1 Rose Cottage, George Street, Uxbridge.

When war broke out William was in his late 30s, still working as a carman, and was not among those who rushed forward to answer Lord Kitchener’s call for men. However, he did not wait for the introduction of conscription and signed up with the Middlesex Regiment on 10 December 1915. Following a medical examination he was passed fit for ‘field service at home’.  This meant that he would be assigned duties in the UK as he was not regarded as fit enough for combat service overseas.

His service record includes information about William’s appearance, he was short, only 5ft 4ins tall, but, at 12st 5lbs, he was not undernourished. A chest measurement of 43ins (unexpanded) gives the impression of a stocky man, with a fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.

As the war progressed and the Army became ever more desperate for men in France classifications of fitness were reviewed. On 5 March 1917 William was posted to the British Expeditionary Force – he was off to France.  On arrival in France he was posted to the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, who, no doubt in regard to his age and fitness level assigned him to a labour company – though his experience as a carter would have also been useful in this role.  This was at the time when the Army had just formed the Labour Corps; in May 1917 the new Corps absorbed the regimental labour companies so William found himself in the 121st Company, Labour Corps. 

A posting to the Labour Corps did not mean that the soldier would live a safe life behind the lines, labouring work was required at the front as well. Many men from the corps lost their lives, including William, who died from wounds on 13 August 1917.  He died at the No 1 Canadian Hospital in Etaples on the French coast south of Boulogne to which he had been admitted on 11 August.  It is not known precisely where he received the wounds that killed him although it seems that the 121st Company were employed around Ypres at this time. He was buried in the huge Etaples Military Cemetery in plot XXV.M.3A.

Even though he had not lived in Brimpton for many years, his parents and sister Lily were still living at 47 Hyde End, Brimpton at the time the village war memorial was erected and evidently ensured that he was remembered there.