Edward Arthur Ormond Butler (Service number 14385) was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 15 June 1887, the son of Percy Selwyn and Ellen Margaret Butler, of Omahu Road, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. He was a parishioner of St Aidan’s church in Remuera.
Little is known about Edward Butler, but he did pass an accountant’s exam along with Stuart Graham Templeton Reid of Remuera, with a pass mark of 65%+, in 1905. [1]
Before he enlisted on 7 March 1916 at Trentham, he was an Insurance clerk with New Zealand Insurance Company in Auckland. He was 5ft 10 inches tall, with a fair complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair.
He was a Corporal with the 14th Reinforcements, Auckland Infantry Battalion, A Company, New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He embarked on 26 June 1916 from Wellington on the vessel Maunganui to England. On 23 August 1916, he reverted to Private and joined the 2nd Battalion. He left for the Western Front to Rouen, France on the 14 September 1916. He would have been fighting in the Somme Sector of the Western Front where the New Zealand forces were situated. [2] The New Zealand Division was integrated into the British garrison system. Only two of the division’s three brigades (increased to four in 1917) were in the trenches at one time. The third was stationed in reserve in Armentières, as was divisional headquarters. Each brigade spent 10–14 days in the trenches, followed by a week in reserve. [3] After wintering in the Armentières sector, the New Zealand Division moved to Flanders in present-day Belgium, in February 1917. [4]
On 21 February 1917, Edward Arthur Ormond Butler was reported missing, presumed dead. On checking with the records, his identity disc was received on 5 July 1917, through the Red Cross in Geneva ’without further details’. He had been buried by the Germans, with no date given. He was 30 years of age when he was killed. His memorial is at the Pont-Du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue, Nord, France, Grave reference, IV. E. 16. A
Helen Vail has written about Edward Arthur Ormond Butler in 100 World War One Memorials 1914 -2014. http://100nzmemorials.blogspot.co.nz/2011/02/corporal-edward-arthur-ormond-butler.html
Edward Butler is remembered on the memorial cross at St Aidan’s Church Remuera and at Aviva Insurance https://heritage.aviva.com/staff-world-wars/ .
References
1. Local and General, Star, 3 February 1905 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19050203.2.34?query=E%20A%20O%20Butler
2. Auckland War Memoria Museum Online Cenotaph http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C2053?n=edward%20arthur%20ormond%20butler&ordinal=0&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch%2F
3. New Zealand History Online. Battle of the Somme https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/the-battle-of-the-somme
4. Te Ara: the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand https://teara.govt.nz/en/first-world-war/page-5
Image Reference
1. Auckland War Memoria Museum Online Cenotaph http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C2053?n=edward%20arthur%20ormond%20butler&ordinal=0&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch%2F
These windows came from England as a gift from Alfred Bell, glassmaker to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, who owed his illustrious career to Albin Martin, who had given him drawing and painting lessons as a boy in England and set him on his path. In order to ensure that the church building and windows are properly preserved the parish vestry has employed heritage architects to oversee the work that needs to be done. .jpg)
Remuera Heritage held nine events in 2017 – a hard act to follow!