BUTLER, Neville Edward
| Service Number: | 14734 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 April 1940, Sydney, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Flying Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 460 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Tenterfield New South Wales Australia , 6 August 1917 |
| Home Town: | Tenterfield, Tenterfield Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Law Clerk |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Germany, 29 November 1944, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany Plot 4. Row C. Grave 6. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Coolah Memorial School of Arts HR2, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Tenterfield & District Fallen Roll of Honor WW2 |
World War 2 Service
| 29 Apr 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 14734, No. 460 Squadron (RAAF), Sydney, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1940: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman | |
| 1 Oct 1940: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Corporal | |
| 1 Aug 1941: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant | |
| 1 Sep 1942: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant | |
| 27 Mar 1943: | Transferred Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), No. 2 Initial Training School Bradfield Park, Remuster to aircrew | |
| 19 Jun 1943: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman | |
| 11 Aug 1943: | Embarked Royal Australian Air Force, Emb. Sydney for Canada | |
| 25 Feb 1944: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer | |
| 23 May 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 14734, Operational Training Units (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 | |
| 25 Aug 1944: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, Operational Training Units (RAF) | |
| 29 Nov 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 14734, No. 460 Squadron (RAAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 |
Footy stars taken on battlefield
AT one point in their lives there was no difference between the players whose stories are told on these pages and today's NRL stars. They were fit, young men in their prime and playing a game they loved.
They were first-graders or representative stars adored by the sporting public before they answered the call of their country.
They swapped football boots for army issues, balls for Lee-Enfield rifles and venues like the SCG and North Sydney Oval were replaced by grotesque theatres of war like Gallipoli and the Somme, the deserts of North Africa and the jungles of New Guinea.
These men, and men and women like them, are the reason we observe Anzac Day.
Neville Butler A NSW fullback in 1938, Tenterfield-born Butler played for Norths between 1940-43 while he was training with the RAAF in Sydney. He was flying officer with the 460 Squadron and was killed on November 29, 1944, when his plane was shot down over Germany.
Reference: David Middleton from: The Daily Telegraph April 24, 2010
Submitted 25 May 2026 by Karen Arnold
A True Champion
An article on Neville Butler was published in a History of Tenterfield Rugby League from 1918 to 1988 - 70 years.
A TRUE CHAMPION One of the best, if not the best footballer to be produced by Tenterfield was Neville Butler. He began playing for Souths in 1933 and soon became an established A grader at 15 years of age. 1934 was the year he first represented Tenterfield. Neville's performances in the full back position for Tenterfield over the next few seasons became legendary. In the late '30s his attacking brilliance and immaculate goal kicking played a major part in the Tenterfield club's emergence as one of the best football teams in northern New South Wales.
Neville was selected in group and country representative teams and became the only player in Tenterfield's history to make the NSW team at senior level while playing for Tenterfield. His performances for the state team in 1938 made him very much in demand by Sydney clubs in 1939. With the outbreak of the second World War Neville joined the airforce and was posted to England. Whilst there, he represented Combined Services on several occasions in matches against other league countries. Late in 1944, Flying Officer Neville Butler was listed as missing in action whilst operating over Germany. His family received confirmation of his death in June 1945. He was buried in Dortmund Cemetery in Germany. Neville was 27 years of age, of which he served almost 5 years in the R.A.A.F. Many good judges considered he was certain to represent his country in rugby league and it was only the advent of the war that cut short his brilliant career
Submitted 24 May 2026 by Karen Arnold
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Edward and Beatrice Mabel Butler, of Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia.
WE HAVE GIVEN OUR LIVES FOR FREEDOM AND COUNTRY
During daylight hourse of the 29th of November, 1944, Sgt. Armstrong, as air bomber, with his crew took off at 12.16 hours to carry out a bombing attack on an enemy target at Dortmund. Unfortunately no further news was received concerning the fate of the aircraft or any members of the crew.
Tenterfield Airman's
Death
Mr. Edward Butler, of Tenterfield, has received confirmation of the death of his son, F/O Neville Edward Butler, during flying operations over Germany. Word had been received some months ago that he was missing, and his father, brothers and sisters, and all his friends hoped that better news would be received. The information just to hand reveals that the four members of the crew lost their lives, and their remains lay in the Dortmund Cemetery, Germany.
Neville was 27 years of age, of which he served almost five years in the service of the R.A.A.F. He was well-known throughout the north in pre-war years for his prowess on the football field.
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