BUTTERWORTH, Frank Alexander
| Service Numbers: | 1249, Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 August 1915, Cootamundra , New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
| Born: | Hay, New South Wales, Australia, 27 March 1895 |
| Home Town: | Hay, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Hay District School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Killed In Action, France, 16 October 1918, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Aire Communal Cemetery IV, E, 13 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1249, 30th Infantry Battalion, Cootamundra , New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 30th Infantry Battalion | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1249, 30th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked Sergeant, 1249, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Beltana, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1249, 30th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Wounded Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Shrapnel Wound: Head, Face | |
| 29 Aug 1916: | Honoured Military Medal, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) | |
| 29 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 30th Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 May 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 30th Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 Nov 1917: | Transferred Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Seconded for Training with AFC | |
| 28 Jan 1918: | Wounded Fall in Areoplane: Fractured Alveolar Margin Lower Jaw | |
| 7 Oct 1918: | Transferred Lieutenant, No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps | |
| 16 Oct 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, Officer, No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, "The Last Hundred Days", --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1918-10-16 |
Military Medal Recommendation
At PETILLON, on the 19th/20th July 1916 this N.C.O., under heavy Artillery fire, rifle and Machine Gun fire worked hard in conveying munitions and stores to our temporary position, and later - though severely wounded in the head - assisted an officer to reorganise the men after withdrawal from enemy trenches.
Submitted 18 March 2016 by Nathan Rohrlach
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From In Memory Of
In Memory Of Lieutenant Frank Alexander Butterworth MM, 30th Battalion, of Hay, NSW.
He was a carpenter in civilian life and he enlisted on the 5th of August 1915, and was posted as a Sergeant to D Company of the 30th Battalion.
Lieutenant Butterworth was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for gallantry at Petillon, near Fromelles, France, in July 1916. Under heavy fire, he worked hard to convey munitions and stores to a temporary position, and later, though severely wounded in the head, assisted an officer to reorganise the men after withdrawal from enemy trenches.
In 1917 he transferred to the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), where he was commissioned and trained as a pilot before being posted to No. 4 Squadron, AFC. Lieutenant Butterworth was killed in action in France a month before the war's end, on the 16th of October 1918, aged 23 years.
His brother, Corporal Rupert Godfrey Butterworth, 56th Battalion, was killed at Polygon Wood on the 26th of September 1917.
The photograph of Lieutenant Butterworth was included in the video ‘You Never Came Home’.
Lest We Forget.
Information and photograph came from the Australian War Memorial. Image file number AWM P03983.001
Biography
Whilst taking off on a practice flight on 16 October 1918, Lieutenant Butterworth was seen to lose control of his Sopwith Camel bi-plane and it crashed into the ground several moments later. He was killed instantly. The next day, his body was taken to Aire Communal Cemetery where he was buried. He was killed less than one month before the end of World War One.
Click images to start slideshow.