Name
William (Bill) Butts
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
19/11/1914
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
2504
Hertfordshire Regiment
'E' Coy
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 54 and 56.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, 4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, Holy Saviour Church War Memorial, Radcliffe Rd., Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
He was born in Houghton in Hampshire, lived in Hitchin and worked at Russell's Tanyard for eleven years. Bill's home was at 6, Verulam Road, Hitchin and he had a brother.
William was born around 1884 in Houghton, Hants. His parents were William, born in Canterbury and Emily, born in Peckham.
In 1891 the family were living in Sparsholt, Hampshire. The parents were William (30), who was working as a parchment maker and Emily (29). Their children were Isaac (12), George (10), Ada E (7), William (5) and Frederick (3).
Wiliam and Emily have not yet been found in 1901 or subsequent census, however some of their children have. In 1901 their eldest son Isaac, was living at 21 Boston Road, Old Brentford and working in his father’s trade as a parchment maker. He had married Fanny Alice Jacobs in 1899 and with them were: his brothers William working as a labourer and Frederick, his sister Ada and a young son Isaac (1).
By 1911 Isaac and Fanny had moved to 6 Verulam Road, Hitchin. Isaac was still a parchment maker. With them were, their children: Isaac, now 11, Joseph (9), Dorothy (8), Archibald (3) and Emily (1). Also present were his brother William, now 26 and also a parchment maker and his sister Ada now 27.
Officially William Butts was recorded as born Houghton, Hants. And living in Hitchin when he enlisted in Hertford.
Wartime Service
He had served for four years in ‘E’ (sic) Company of the Hertfordshire Territorials, enlisting in Hertford and given the Regimental Number 2504. It is more likely that he was in ‘G’ Company serving the Hitchin area where he lived rather than ‘E’ Company who generally came from the Letchworth area.
The War Memorial al the Drill Hall, Bedford Rd, Hitchin states that he had been a member of No. 4 Company in the 1st Battalion of the Regiment - the Herts Regiment had adopted the Guards' method of numbering Companies.
He had volunteered in August 1914 and went lo France in November 1914 and was killed by a shell a fortnight later in action during his first engagement at Ypres. He was the first Territorial from Hitchin to be killed in action. It was said that "He had a genial disposition and was popular at work and eagerly accepted the opportunity of coming to close grips with the enemy".
The Herts were a Territorial Force unit under Lieut Colonel the Viscount Hampden. They left Bury St. Edmunds on the 5th November 1914 and went to Southampton, Le Havre and arrived at St. Omer on the 9th November. They joined the 4th Guards Brigade and thereafter called themselves the ‘Herts Guards’. They marched through Ypres and sustained their first casualties before stopping on the Menin road. They then took over trenches at Nonne Bosschen near Ypres. They were not involved in any major incidents at this time but did suffer casualties from shell-fire and sniping.
Lieut. T Bevan, who was nearby, wrote: “The Germans were shelling at us very heavily at the time, a one large high explosive shell pitched right in front of your brother’s position. It killed that man next to me and knocked me senseless for a time. What happened to you brother I don’t exactly quite know. It was towards evening when it happened and when I came to I started to dig in the trench next to me. About a foot underneath I found a man, but not your brother; he had been killed. I then went to your brother’s trench, which had been completely blown in, and started digging. I dug some way down and then we relived by another regiment. Of course there is some slight chance that you brother may be all right, but I am afraid this is very improbable.”
He has no known grave and is remembered on Panels 54 and 56 of the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Belgium.
Additional Information
The North Herts Gazette records 'Bill' as the first Hitchin Territorial to fall in battle. He is mentioned in the story of William Sell, which can be found here in the Archive at: Archive - Hertfordshire Men & Women - Individuals Stories - William Sell (MM) - Biography Include others from the Herts Reg.
After his death £3 8s 5d was authorised to go to his brother in 8 July 1915 and later a war gratuity of £3 was authorised to be paid to him on 27 June 1919.
Isaac also enlisted, in 1915, but he was released as unlikely to make a good soldier.
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild, Dan Hill
