Pte
Stanley Butwright
Information about birth
|
Place of birth: Guyhirne, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom |
Army information
|
Country: England, United Kingdom |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Private |
|
Service number: 29326 |
|
Enlistment place: Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom |
|
Units: — Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 1/8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 27/08/1917 |
|
Place of death: Springfield - Winnipeg, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
Memorial
|
Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 25 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal — 08/09/1920 |
|
Victory Medal Medal — 08/09/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Stanley Butwright was born in 1898, in Guyhirne, Cambridgeshire. He was the youngest son of Elizabeth and John Richard Butwright. His parents grew fruit in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Stanley, barely eighteen years old, enlisted. By September 1917 he served as a Private with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 1/8th Battalion, part of the 143rd (Warwickshire) Brigade of the 48th (South Midland) Division.
The Flanders Offensive opened on 31st of July 1917. Stanley’s Battalion, the 1/8th Royal Warwickshires came up from the Somme at the start of the offensive. From the mid of August onward the 1/8th participated in the fighting near St Juliaan. In the early hours of 27 September 1917 it advanced east of the ruined village of St Juliaan. The terrain over which the men had to advance was impassible on several locations. While struggling to cross the boggy plain, German machine-guns wreaked havoc on the Warwickshires. Although the Battalion was able to capture the pillbox at Springfield relentless machine-gun fire forced them to consolidate a line east of the Springfield-Winnipeg Road, short of their final objective. Many wounded kept lying in the field, as it was too dangerous to evacuate them. So when the 1/8th Battalion was relieved from their position under the cover of darkness they left many men behind.
Eighteen-year-old Stanley Butwright was one the 35 killed or 54 missing from the 1/8th Royal Warwickshires. Stanley has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
The Flanders Offensive opened on 31st of July 1917. Stanley’s Battalion, the 1/8th Royal Warwickshires came up from the Somme at the start of the offensive. From the mid of August onward the 1/8th participated in the fighting near St Juliaan. In the early hours of 27 September 1917 it advanced east of the ruined village of St Juliaan. The terrain over which the men had to advance was impassible on several locations. While struggling to cross the boggy plain, German machine-guns wreaked havoc on the Warwickshires. Although the Battalion was able to capture the pillbox at Springfield relentless machine-gun fire forced them to consolidate a line east of the Springfield-Winnipeg Road, short of their final objective. Many wounded kept lying in the field, as it was too dangerous to evacuate them. So when the 1/8th Battalion was relieved from their position under the cover of darkness they left many men behind.
Eighteen-year-old Stanley Butwright was one the 35 killed or 54 missing from the 1/8th Royal Warwickshires. Stanley has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 5
|
Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
|
CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1627782/butwright,-stanley/ Sources used |
|
Hellfire Corner http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/wegg.htm Sources used |
|
The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
|
War Diary Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 1/8th Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |