BUTLER, Herbert
| Service Number: | 3126 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 52nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gawler, Tasmania, Australia, 3 August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Ulverstone, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Ulverstone State School, Tasmania |
| Occupation: | Farm hand |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Mouquet Farm, France, 4 September 1916, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Serre Road Cemetery No.1 Plot VII, Row E, Grave No. 4, Serre Road Cemetery No 1, Beaumont Hamel, Picardie, France, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France, Rue-David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, Bethune, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ulverstone Primary School War Memorial, Ulverstone Shrine of Remembrance |
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Three Butler brothers enlisted from Gawler, near Ulverstone, Tasmania, at about the same time in mid-1915 and all left Australia with the 10th reinforcements of the 12th Battalion AIF. Charles Henry, Herbert and Morton Butler all transferred to the 52nd Battalion in Egypt together on 3 March 1916. All three were made Corporals the same day.
Charles Henry and Herbert were both killed on 4 September 1915 when the 52nd Battalion made an attack on Mouquet Farm suffering heavy casualties. It took many months for them to confirmed as killed as both were listed as missing. Herbert’s body was discovered in 1923, and his identity disc, a pendant, and a damaged watch were returned to his father in August that year. Herbert’s remains were buried in the Serre Road Cemetery in France. Morton was present during the battle and survived, and knowing the terrible circumstances of the fighting and the chances of his brothers being found alive, wrote a letter home to his parents telling them to prepare for the worst.
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