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Born in Perth, Western Australia, George, known as Jim, arrived on the 19th August 1910 to James Richard and Susan Harriet Butler. His step-siblings included Maudie, Frank and Billy.
His father, James, a strongly opinionated man, was the Secretary of the Builders’ Labour Union. Prior to Jim Jnr’s arrival, James had served in South Africa with the Third Imperial New South Wales Mounted Rifles. Then with the outbreak of the Great War, he enlisted to serve in November 1915 as 79312, manipulating his actual age. At that stage, young Jim had just turned five years old. James Snr claimed in the Daily News of November ’15 that “While it is very gratifying to read of the magnificent way in which the Australian troops acquitted themselves at the Dardanelles, I am of the opinion, as one who has had previous experience in active service, that the impetuosity of our young fellows caused a good deal of unnecessary sacrifice of life and energy. I have a son who is most anxious to enlist, but I absolutely refuse to allow him to do so until the older and more able section of manhood of this State have placed their services at the disposal of the Empire.'
James became a sergeant in the 44th Battalion. He served in France where he won the DCM for distinguished service in the field for his splendid gallantry in heavy shell-fire near Ploegstert Wood in 1917. Two months later, he received a gunshot wound in the right hand and was also gassed. He returned to his unit and subsequently was admitted to hospital with a war disability, which continued to affect him in the ensuing years. Young Jim was seven when his father was presented with the DCM by the WA Governor at Claremont Showgrounds in February ’18. His citation read ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He had frequently shown great coolness and determination under difficult conditions. More than once he saved an awkward situation by taking charge under heavy fire and controlling men of his own and other units by his example and leadership.’ The ‘other men’ included New Zealanders and British soldiers as well as Australians.
Post war, James Snr was credited for the success of Westralian R.S.L. through his fierce determination, rough and ready eloquence, rare judgement, and drive of the Perth Sub-Branch and later, State Secretary. He was also the driving force as Manager behind the RSL Trading Company, an all-Diggers’ concern which was established with the object of lowering the cost of clothing, primarily to the Digger, but also to the general public. He sold both ready-to-wear and made-to-measure suits, working clothes and other essentials. Boots were made by the Returned Soldiers Limbless and Disabled Boot Factory, from the best of material and best workmanship, thus keeping many returned disabled men in employment. The employees were solely of men who had "done their bit" overseas, while the employees were either returned men or dependants of those who have been killed while fighting for the Empire.
Aged 59, James Snr died in December ’31. Jim had just turned 21 years old. Fittingly James was awarded a huge funeral largely attended by many who were associated with him in the early days of the League and was representative of many battalion associations and sub-branches. He was buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery and a tribute is also in the WA Garden of Remembrance at Nedlands.
Within eight years, Jim’s mother Susan also died on the 1st November ’39 and was buried in the Church of England Portion of the Karrakatta Cemetery with James Snr.
Jim was highly influenced by his father’s service to the community, his country and to fellow soldiers. Inevitably, he was an active foundation member of the new local Leighton Beach Surf Club where he was appointed inaugural Captain. He headed an unusual request of locals for a disused windmill tower to be repurposed as a lookout tower for the lifesavers. In its opening year (1935) Jim was also the chief instructor and a tribute to his leadership was made with him being named the Club’s first Life Member. He was presented with two inscribed framed photographs, one of the winning team in the New South Wales trophy contest, and the other of the 12 foundation members. Jim also instituted an award, named the ‘Jim Butler Patrol Efficiency Trophy’. He was justifiably proud of the new club winning the New South Wales trophy in the first few weeks of its formation, an exceptional achievement against the oldest established surf clubs. Similarly, Jim expressed pride in the service the Club was already giving to locals. In subsequent years, Jim filled the role of ambulance officer, treasurer, committee member and Association delegate. He headed many appeals for funding to erect a club house and for vital equipment. Jim was tireless in his efforts of training other instructors to pass their examinations. The Sunday Times observed that his ‘early training for a doctor stands him in good stead.’
Even in those years, shark sightings were common. However, the initially poorly equipped young Leighton Club members had no shark gun to dispatch a 10-foot-long shark, so instead formed a circle between the shark and swimmers as the latter headed for the beach.
Jim married Nancy (Annie) Pitman of Perth with the young couple having a precious son, Peter. They moved to Henley Beach a seaside suburb of Adelaide with Jim working as a Financier with a Motor Dealer. However, with the outbreak of WWII, Jim chose to follow his father’s example to serve his country, enlisting as a 30-year-old at Wayville on the 5th May ’41. He had previously served with the Militia 10th Battalion as S17352 in the latter part of 1940.
Jim was initially allocated to the 2/10th Battalion with the rank of Lieutenant before heading to the Middle East, arriving in October ’41. Soon after, Annie and young Peter returned to live with her parents at Stirling Street in Perth. In the meantime, Jim attended Regimental Officers’ School, completing his qualifications to be a Lieutenant by the end of June. This, despite contracting pneumonia, followed soon after by bronchitis which caused him to be evacuated to hospital. He recuperated in the Officers’ Hostel but was affected by bilateral Nasal Polyps, then a form of kidney stones and renal Colic.
By June ’42 Jim was transferred to the 2/48th Battalion reinforcements where his leadership skills continued to be recognised. He was part of the offensive at El Alamein to destroy a nest of machine guns. At that time, fierce fighting was underway in the massive assault to take Trig 29. Darren Paech in Adelaide to Alamein described how Captain Robins’ company was reduced to roughly 16 men as it approached within 50 yards of what appeared to be two low mounds with a saddle in between, believed to be Ring Contour 25. Suddenly flares whooshed up from behind one of these mounds and the survivors of D Company – lit up and caught in the open – were hit with a wall of lead. “Three Spandaus started shooting from the hump on the left and two more and a couple of 3-inch mortars from the right. At first it came in waist high, but when we went down like wet sacks, they sent the stuff skimming just over the ground,” recalled 32-year-old survivor Private Cliff Thompson. The survivors had nowhere to go.’
Unbeknown to Battalion Headquarters at the time, all members of D Company had either been killed (16 men) or wounded, leaving just six to carry on. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan wrote that the remainder were “met by a murderous fire from the mounds. D Company immediately went to ground, but the Germans swept the area where they lay in the open. Captain Peter Robbins, a very gallant soldier, was amongst the first to be hit by a Spandau bullet, which killed him instantly. ‘Chuck’ Fowler, who never left Robbins’ side, was next to fall. The remnants of the company were being cut to pieces.” Privates Doug Whyte, Arthur Wilson, Ernest S. Schubert, Sergeant Ronald Ide and Eric Montgomerie were all killed in this exposed position.”
John Glenn described that day as the ‘bloodiest fighting in the history of the 2/48th Battalion’ with ‘only forty-one weary troops remaining in the field’, that night was pronounced as the climax of the Alamein Battle. Glenn’s final summing up was ‘Truly it can be said of these men, “They fought themselves and their enemy to a standstill until flesh and blood could stand no more, then they went on fighting.” ‘When next the sun drove away those shadows from the desert, death would have reaped a rich harvest of gallant men.’ This was all that remained of these proud Rats of Tobruk. In total 48 men from the 2/48th lost their lives in this battle. In added high praise about those who tended the wounded and collected those killed in action “It says much for them that not one man was missing in their search over the four thousand yards from Trig 29 to the Blockhouse, or in the attack of 3,600 yards to Ring Contour 25.” An horrific battle for the proud and very brave 2/48th Battalion.
Darren Paech in Adelaide to Alamein described how a small group from D Company later went looking for the bodies of their mates who had been killed in attack on Ring Contour 25. In re-tracing their steps, they knew the German forces would have placed them in a shallow trench. The men spent ten days searching before finding their mates lying together in one grave. “We took them out and did the job properly, burying them in a row – Bill Kibby, Peter Robbins, Rod Ide, Doug Whyte, Chuck Fowler, with Eric Montgomery just behind. We couldn’t say much, but I guess we all knew, every man of us, that if it hadn’t been for Bill Kibby we might have been lying there with them’ recalled Private Cliff Thompson.
Jim was initially placed on the seriously injured list with gunshot wounds to his chest, at the end of October with a reported bomb blast to his chest, affecting his right lung. John Glenn lists the casualties from the unit’s war diary. From B Company, Lieutenant S.S. Caple, in a gallant assault on a post just south of the road was killed. Lieutenant G.J. Butler wounded and evacuated. Lieutenant K.F. Allen wounded and continuing on to the final objective. Major G.S. Edmunds who was gallantly leading a six-man company, was badly hit as he charged forward into the enemy posts. ‘
Back home, the November ’42 issue of the Chronicle carried the extensive list of affected men from the 2/48th.
Jim finally left the Middle East and returned to Australia via Freemantle. With Annie having returned to the West the two were able to briefly have some time together. Jim then headed to Queensland to prepare for the tropical conditions of New Guinea and to face a very different enemy. He left Townsville and arrived in August ’43. However, three months later, in November he was severely wounded again. This time he sustained injuries to his left shoulder and a compound fracture of his left leg. Aged 33, he died of these wounds sustained on 23rd November ’43.
John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan describes the chaotic conditions that day. ‘The 22nd November was the day “on which the enemy was most active with his shelling. A considerable number of shells had landed in the vicinity of the jeep-head at Jivevaneng, and further along the road, the intention probably being to deny us full use of the track. With parts of the road continually under observation from Sattelberg, the Japanese must have been aware of the amount of jeep traffic taking up supplies to forward troops. Whether they were firing at random will never be known but, nevertheless one shell made a direct hit on a tree above battalion headquarters, spraying the whole area with shell fragments, and inflicting a number of casualties. Major Reg Batten, the battalion second-in-command, Captain Hugh Treloar, the adjutant and Lieutenant G.J. Butler, the pioneer officer, were all badly wounded, and all died within twelve hours. Sergeant Lane, who was in a nearby trench, was killed instantly. The regimental medical officer, Captain Yeatman was wounded and sent to hospital. Others who died of wounds on the 22nd November were K.S. Kelly, L.M. Semmens and A.R.J. Lindsay. Casualties were mounting fast.”
In the meticulously documented diaries ‘Derrick VC in His Own Words’ researched by Mark Johnston, Diver Derrick’s entry for that day reads; “Shelling from a Jap mountain gun near Mararua landed on our B.H.Q. killing Bn 2i.c. Major Batten, Adj Captain Treloar, Pioneer Officer Lieut Butler, MG. Sgt Lane, Drv Lew Simmons, several others were wounded, including the R.M.O.”
The News also carried the heading that South Australian men were amongst the casualties with two from the 2/48th Battalion dying of their wounds. They were SX10856 Ken Kelly and 33-year-old Lieutenant George Butler, SX12499 from Henley Beach who died the following day.
Initially Jim was buried at Satelberg, Qoaja River but in February ’44 was reburied at Finschafen War Cemetery in Plot F, Row C Grave 13. By May ’46 he was finally buried in the Lae War Cemetery Plot BB Row A Grave 1where he now rests with 39-year-old SX8894, Major Reg Batten from the 2/48th Battalion who died the same day as Jim. Nearby are other men from the 2/6th, 2/12th 2/23rd, 2/24th and 2/43rd Battalions. His family chose the inscription ‘For Freedom!’ for his headstone.
With Annie having returned to Western Australia to live at Stirling Street with her parents, the family placed a tribute to Jim in the West Australian on Friday 3 December 1943, ‘BUTLER, Lieut. George James (AIF, returned ME), died of wounds, New Guinea, November 23, beloved husband of Nancy, loved father of Peter, of 306 Stirling-street, Perth. BUTLER, Lieut George James (AIF, returned ME) died of wounds, New Guinea, November 23; Loved son-in-law of Mr and Mrs H. C. Pitman, brother-in-law of Nell (Mrs L. Tranter, 306 Stirling-street, Perth).’ A similar announcement was also placed in in the Adelaide Advertiser. Annie later publicly thanked friends and relatives for telegrams, letters, cards and personal expressions of sympathy In their recent loss of loved husband and father.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.