Brian Dear Butler

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from John Hamblin, Researcher

Brian Dear Butler, Major 85295, MC, East Surrey Regiment attached to No. 3 Commando. Killed in action on the 11th of June 1944 aged 33

Brian Dear Butler was born at New Malden, Surrey on the 8th of February 1911, the third and youngest son of Joseph Butler, a steel and copperplate engraver, and Ellen Sarah Butler of “Copse View”, Dukes Avenue, New Malden. He was christened at Christ Church, New Malden on the 7th of May 1911 but the family were to loose one son in 1919 when his brother, Sergeant Eric Charles Butler, A Squadron, 1/1st Surrey Yeomanry (Queen Mary's Regiment), died on the 3rd of January 1919.

Brian Butler was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon after which he went on to King’s College, London University from 1928 to 1932 where he achieved a BA and a teaching diploma in 1932. He served as a Cadet Lance Corporal in the Officer Training Corps and achieved a MA in 1934. On leaving university he became a teacher at Wilson’s School, Wallington and he got married at Camberwell in 1938 to Hannah W. Butler (née Briggs) of Wimbledon.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Officer Training Corps on the 1st of February 1939 and he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in a Territorial Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment on the 1st of March 1941. He was later attached to No. 3 Commando.

He was awarded the Military Cross, which was announced by the War Office on the 27th of January 1944. The recommendation for the award reads as follows: -

"On 4 October 1943 Captain Butler was commanding a troop which was manning the Unit's F.D.Ls. For seven hours the positions were mortared and machine-gunned. During the whole period he showed outstanding courage, constantly exposing himself in order to visit his various posts. He crawled down the exposed forward slope in front of his troop in order to observe the movement of enemy tanks to our left front, to give corrections to our own artillery. Thus by disregard for his personal safety he enabled our guns to bring effective fire to bear. Later when his most advanced L.M.G. had to move to an alternative position, this officer himself went to the assistance of the No. 1 who could not alone carry all of the magazines as well as the gun. The magnificent steadiness displayed by his Troop throughout a period of 36 hours during which the positions were manned, was due entirely to his wonderful example."

At 4.30pm on the afternoon of the 5th of June 1944, No 3 Commando moved from Camp C18 near Southampton and embarked on five landing craft at Warsash before setting sail for the invasion of Normandy at 9.30pm as part of Force S.

At 8.30am the following morning they were off the beach at La Brèche, Sword Beach, where they were under sporadic shelling from the German defences. At 9.05am the first of their landing craft arrived on the beach where they had been under heavy fire during the last part of the run in, with two of their five landing craft arriving in a sinking condition.

After two days of continuous fighting they arrived at the Chateau d'Amfreville on the evening of the 7th/8th of June where they established their Headquarters. Over the following three days they sent out a series of patrols and encountered stiff resistance from enemy units in the area. At 9.33pm on the night of the 11th of June 1944, the headquarters area around the chateau came under very heavy mortar fire which killed Brian Butler and five other ranks and wounded another officer and three other ranks. The dead were buried in the garden of the chateau at 5.25pm the next day.

Mr F.C. Ward, a fellow teacher at Wilson’s School, later wrote of him: - “Brian Butler was a fine schoolmaster whom Wilson’s and teaching could ill afford to lose. He and I were in charge of School boxing and saw to it that any petty feuds were settled in the ring.”  The Brian Butler Shakespeare Prize was created by Wilson’s School in his memory and is awarded annually.

He is buried at Ranville War Cemetery Plot IVA Row C Grave 17 and he is commemorated on the war memorial at the King’s College School, Wimbledon and on the memorial at King’s College, London University.