BUTCHER, Henry John Thomas
| Service Number: | 1540 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Ipswich, Suffolk, England., date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Ipswich, Suffolk, England., 1965, cause of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 1540, 4th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 1540, 4th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 9 Dec 1919: | Discharged Australian Army (Post WW2), 1540, 13th Light Horse Regiment |
Help us honour Henry John Thomas Butcher's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He was born 1888 in Ipswich-probable birth record
Births Mar 1888 BUTCHER Harry Mildenhall 4a 729
Son of Reuben & Mary Butcher from Suffolk.
Died Suffolk 1965, aged 77 years.
Deaths Sep 1965 BUTCHER HENRY J T 77 IPSWICH 4B863
Enlisted in the AIF 13/7/1915
He was wounded in action on 18/7/1917
He had a lot of difficulty in getting his discharge in England and at first was refused but he said he was marrying a British girl who didn't want to emigrate to Australia. He had been offered to resume his previous employment and also that he had to take care of his aging frail Mother. He was finally granted a discharge in London on 9/12/1919.
Wife - Emma Maude (nee Keeley) Butcher who he married in 1919.
Marriages Sep 1919
Butcher Henry J T Keeley Ipswich 4a 2736
Keeley Emma M Butcher Ipswich 4a 2736
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
A Henry (Harry) Butcher spent some time at Rollestone-17 Feb - 29 Apr 1917 - 7th Training Battalion.
At various times the 5th, 6th, and 7th Training Battalions associated with the 2nd Division were located at Rollestone. Also the 4th, 12th and 13th Training Battalions associated with the 4th Division were also based here.
The military camp is 2.9 km to the northeast of the township on the B3086 from Shrewton to Larkhill.
Military usage of land to the northeast of Rollestone began in the early 20th century, as artillery firing ranges which were later used by the Royal School of Artillery at Larkhill Camp. Rollestone Camp was established in 1916 by the Royal Flying Corps for observation balloon training. Around this time the Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was extended from Larkhill to Rollestone and beyond; this extension remained in use until about 1923. Balloon-related usage of Rollestone Camp continued until 1939 when the site became a Royal Air Force Anti-Gas School, which closed in 1945. For several months in 1980–81 the camp was used as a temporary prison (HMP Rollestone Camp) during industrial action by prison officers. The camp continues in use as part of the Salisbury Plain Training Area.
During WW1 a Military Light Railway connected Larkhill to the London and South-western Railway spur, at Amesbury Station, crossed the Packway and terminated at Rolleston Camp, with a spur to the site of the original Fargo ammunition dump. The course of the light railway’s permanent way, though pulled up in 1935, can be traced by a line of apple trees that, it is said, have grown from the seeds of apples thrown out by troops on passing trains.
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