11394 Private Samuel Butler, 2nd Battalion, West Riding Regiment

Identification

Assuming that this man was born in Liverpool, the BMD records show there were 2 Samuel Butlers born in Liverpool in the period 1880-1900. One born in 1891 and one in 1895. The one born in 1891 died the same year so the 1895 birth could be the correct Samuel.

Deciding which military record was likely to be Samuel's was more tricky. In the CWGC database there were 3 entries for Samuel Butler, 2 entries for Sam Butler and 4 entries for S Butler. I discounted the entries with a middle name as there wasn't one on the memorial and none of them had links to the local area.

Of these possibles there didn't seem to be a likely candidate. Cross referencing them with the UK Soldiers died in the Great War database didn't show any connection to Liverpool. It did turn up a record for Samuel Buttler though, from Liverpool. Checking the medal card for this man I found that on the medal card his name was spelled Butler and the address for his next-of-kin was Liverpool. On the evidence I have, it is most likely that this man's name was spelled incorrectly and he is the Samuel Butler from the war memorial.

Family Information

It turned out that both the birth records I had found for Samuel Butler in Liverpool were from the same family and they had plenty of connections to St James’ Church.

Samuel's father (also Samuel, as was his grandfather) was first married to Mary Hannah Grace in St James Church in 1885. They lived at 15 Emerson St. Their daughter Ann was christened on 28th December 1886, she died in 1888 aged 1. Their daughter Mary Ellen was christened in St James, Toxteth on 24th October 1888. On 4th March 1891 their son, Samuel Butler, was christened in St James, Toxteth, at this time their address was 4 Hyslop St, he died the same year.

Mary Butler died in 1893, aged 29.

On 16th April 1894 Samuel Butler senior remarried to Sarah Morris. Their son Samuel Butler (our soldier) was born on the 22nd February 1895 at 3 Chilton St, Liverpool.

In the 1901 census the family (parents Samuel and Sarah Butler, children Samuel 6, Mary 12 and Hannah 2) were living at 6 house 1 court Chesterfield Street, one of the streets directly adjacent to St James. This address shows that it was one of Liverpool's many notorious 'court dwellings' and the census records that this family of 5 lived in 2 rooms. Samuel's occupation was ship scraper.

In 1902 Samuel's brother Isaac was christened in St Cleopas Church, Toxteth, at this time the family lived at 6 Grey St, Toxteth.

In 1905 Samuel's sister Eleanor was christened in St James Church and the record shows that the family were living at Stanhope Cottages, Upper Stanhope St very close to the church.

The 1911 census shows the parents Samuel and Sarah Butler living at 23 Wolfe Street (Toxteth) which was a house with 6 rooms. Their daughter Mary had died since the last census but they had 2 more children, Eleanor and Isaac. Samuel was not at home with them. A search of the census shows that Samuel Butler was in the Northampton Society's Reformatory for Boys, Tiffield, Towcester, Northamptonshire. This was basically a young offenders institute, boys could be sentenced to go there by magistrates. The summary page for this institution shows that the 'Boys or Inmates Rooms' consisted of 10 rooms for 97 boys. The ages of the boys on the census ranges from13-18 and they were all employed in the reformatory, the occupations available to them were labourer, farm hand, apprentices and tailors, carpenters and shoemakers. Samuel's entry says that he was a carpenter.

You can read more about the reformatory at the Children’s Homes website.

Military Information

Samuel Butler's service papers haven't survived so we know little about his military service. His Medal Index Card shows that he was in the West Riding Regiment, rank Private and regimental number 11394. It shows that he first entered the theatre of war 2b(Balkans) on 5th Sept 1915 and was eligible for the Victory Medal, British War Medal and 1915 Star medal. A note on his medal index card and medal roll shows that Samuel Butler's 1915 Star was returned - possibly they couldn't find his next of kin to deliver it.

The medal rolls confirm that he only served with this regiment. The register of soldier's effects shows that Samuel was reported missing in action and later presumed died on or since that date.

Death and Commemoration

The CWGC entry and the UK Soldiers Died in the Great War entry both have the incorrect surname spelling of Buttler but the regiment, regimental number and date of death match so they are referring to the same soldier as the medal card.

Samuel Butler has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.

Arras Memorial, France, photograph by A Taylor

Click here to go to the CWGC page for him. (Opens in a new window.)

At the time of Samuel's death the 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) were part of the 4th Division, 12th Brigade.

Transcript of the Battalion War Diary for the 3rd May 1917

3:45am “Attack” began. Enemy’s barrage came down within 40 secs and on the front covered by the Battalion was directed chiefly on the Railway Embankment and the Road under the Railway at H.18.d.3.2 and on the front line trenches.

5:15am wounded coming back reported that fighting still continued in the Chemical Works.

5:30am wounded reported that the Chemical Works had been captured. It was decided to move battalion HQ there. Advance parties were sent forward and reported that the whole of the ground South of the Embankment was swept by heavy machine gun fire. In view of the certain heavy loss of personnel it was decided not to move forward. Bn HQ remained in the Railway Arch all day being continuously subjected to an intense fire of High Explosives and Gas Shells. Several casualties acquired but the arch was not penetrated.

10am Sergeant Thornton and Lce Corporal Elbell came back from the Battalion with a message from Sergeant Reid. They stated that the Battalion had advanced to a hill top from which they looked straight down upon a large village. (This statement was subsequently confirmed by a wounded man who also got back) at this point, which must have been the Blue Line the Battalion was swept with very heavy frontal and enfilade Machine Gun fire. All surviving officers became casualties and the remnants of the Battalion 30 men under Company Sergeant Major Bamborough fell back to the Black Line where in company with remnants of different units of the 10th and 12th Brigade about 100 men in all they dug in. the message from Sergeant Reid stated that they were “200 from the railway and 30 yards in front of the Black Line, that they had about 30 men and no officers, that there were only a few of the 10th Brigade over on the right and that the Germans were on the left, he said they were cut off and asked for reinforcements. The two NCO’s and one man mentioned above each stated separately that Sgt Reid with a party of 6 men had captured two German Machine Guns in the Black Line and had buried them.

10am this report was confirmed by the Third Army Intelligence Summary dated 5-5-17 which reported that three German Machine Guns had been in the Black Line and their detachments had been captured. (position of capture approximately I.14.c.5.4)

10.10am Message sent to Company Sergeant Major Bamborough ordering him if possible to withdraw fighting to the Chemical Works. Neither of the two NCO’s sent with this message succeeded in delivering it, various attempts made later to get the message forward all failed. It was now known that the Chemical Works group of buildings had been captured and was still held by moppers up of the Battalion, but that the Chateau and large house just North of it were still in the enemies hands. Machine Gun fire from these rendered it impossible to cross the Roeux-Gavrelle Road. During the whole day only three men crossed it ie the three men mentioned above.

10:15am message sent to 12th Infantry Brigade HQ asking for reinforcements with a view to an immediate attack through the Chateaux up to the Black Line. These reinforcements did not come up till 5pm.

11am a report was received from the 1st Kings Own that a small party of that regiment together with about 10 men 2nd Duke of Wellington’s had dug in immediately West of the Chateau but were unable to move (the survivors of the party managed to return after night fall)

11am touch with 10th Infantry Brigade had not yet been obtained and as it was uncertain where they were the Railway Arch was prepared for defence by sand bagging the Southern entrance and placing a machine gun in position there.

4pm news was received from the 12th Infantry Bde that a strong German counterattack had passed over the Black Line about 2pm. Parties of the 10th Bde were seen to be holding Ceylon and Colne trenches.

5pm two companies of Hampshire Regiment (11th Bde) reported for orders as it was now certain that we were no longer holding the Black Line and as the ground South of the Railway was still swept by machine gun fire it was decided not to attack, but to push our company forward to Calabar Trench and to keep one company in the trenches just North of the Railway Arch till dusk and then push them up to the trench just South of the Railway Embankment and West of the Chateau to rush to building. They were met by intense machine gun fire before they were able to get out of the trench and they therefore fell back.

6pm Orders were received for Battalion HQ to move to Fampoux and for the remnants of the battalion to occupy the trenches immediately North of the Railway Arch.

8:40pm move of the Battalion HQ was completed.

10pm 15 other ranks had been collected in the trenches mentioned in the last paragraph.

Casualties

Officers: 1 killed, 2 wounded, 5 wounded & missing, 4 missing

Other ranks: 9 killed, 103 wounded, 279 missing.

Samuel Butler was one of the 279 other ranks missing in action on this day, he was never found and his death was never confirmed, he has no known grave and his name is inscribed on the Arras Memorial, France.

Samuel's mother received a pension of 5shillings per week.