John Arthur Butcher
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | c1895 |
| Place of Birth | West Perth, Western Australia |
| Death | 4 Aug 1979, aged 84 |
| Place of Death | Bassendean, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 20 years, 8 months |
| Description |
5'8¾" (1.75m) tall ; 126 lbs 57.153 kg ; dark complexion ; brown eyes ; black hair |
| Occupation | Bush carpenter |
| Religion | Church of Christ |
| Address | NOK Maida Vale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr John Robert Butcher |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 5062 |
| Date of Enlistment | 10 Jan 1916 |
| Rank | Driver |
| Unit/Formation | 16th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement transferred to the Camel Corps and later to 2nd Field Squadron Engineers |
| Date of Embarkation | 31 Mar 1916 ‒ 24 Apr 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A9 Shropshire Fremantle to Egypt |
| Date of Return | 26 Jul 1919 ‒ 22 Aug 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | HMT Burma |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Monument | Kelmscott Congregational Church Honour Board |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
War Service
After about 10 weeks of basic training in the 42nd Depot Company at Blackboy Hill camp, John was allocated to the 16th reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion and travelled with them to Egypt, where on 24 Apr 1916 he entered the 4th Training Battalion.
On 5 May 1916 he was transferred to the Anzac battalion of the Camel Corps at Tel-el-Kebir, and a fortnight later he was allocated to their 2nd Company, and embarked in Alexandria for El Salloum on the western border of Egypt where his unit were dealing with pro Turkish Senussi tribesmen. In late 1916 they were transferred to operations in the Sinai Desert. John remained with them until 17 Jun 1918 when he returned to Moascar and in July joined the Central Training Depot before being re-assigned to the Engineers 2nd Field Squadron.
He spent a week with the Engineer's training unit from 17 - 23 Jul 1918 before joining the 2nd Field Squadron proper on 25 Jul 1918 at Jericho where it was repairing bridges and constructing defensive positions. On 3 Sep 1918 he was appointed a Driver, before a short stay in hospital with malaria from 10 - 18 Oct 1918.
Back in Australia his only blemish was an AWOL charge from 10:30pm on 20 Sep 1919 until 10:30 pm 21 Sep 1919, for which he forfeited a day's pay. Discharged by 5th Military District on 12 Aug 1919.
Post War
During 1922 John married Annie Elizabeth Winch. Annie died on 1 Oct 1968 in Bassendean.
Electoral Roll entries - 1921 - 1977 at 51 Ida street West Guildford, trainee carpenter and then from 1925 a joiner
Notes