BUTCHER, Sidney
No. 12197, Private, Sidney BUTCHER
Aged 31
7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Died of Illness on 23rd February, 1918, at home
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Born in Exning in Q2-1886 [Newmarket 3b:568], he was the 3rd son of John and Sarah BUTCHER (née SHAW) of New Row, Exning. 1891 census...at High Street, Exning were Sidney [4]...his mother Sarah A. [45],widowed, a charwoman born in Chippenham...his brothers George [21], a farm labourer born Exning and Edward [10] a scholar, born Exning. There is some doubt about dates here since the only death of a John Butcher registered locally was in 1882. His sister Maud is a servant at 5 All Saints Terrace,Newmarket, sister Louisa [12]was a servant at 1 Acacia Cottages, Park Lane, Newmarket. This is the sister mentioned in "our Exning Heroes". Sister Emily has died,aged 16 1901 census...at the School House, Exning were Sidney [15] a sewerage labourer, his mother Sarah and brother Edward, now a bricklayers labourer 1911 census...at Vine Terrace, Exning were Sidney and his brother Edward, both single and both general labourers. Their mother had died in 1911, just before the census His Army records and "Our Exning Heroes" give his age at death as 35, but all other records make him to have been 31 years old. He enlisted on 25th August 1914 giving his age as 28 and 4 months. He weighed 156 lbs (71 kg), was 5'4" (162.6 cm)tall with a chest of 38" to 40" (96l.5 to 101.6 cm). The address he was using was his sister Louisa Fussey at 22 St Philips Road,Newmarket. His remaining records are scraps of paper really, little of his service history has survived. His misconduct sheet has though. 7 days confined to barracks for going absent without leave 8th to 9th November 1914 and he went awol again on 15th April 1914, but the Newmarket Police apprehended him on the 16th April, another 7 days CB,[probably giving himself home leave before leaving for France]. He was out in France on 30th May 1915, and invalided home on 27th June 1915 He was discharged on as no longer fit for war service on 5th October 1915 due to pulmonary tuberculosis aggravated by conditions of service life Sidney's entry in "Our Exning Heroes" reads as follows: Butcher S. 7th Suffolks Sidney Butcher, the brother of Mr. Butcher of Lacey's Lane, joined up at the commencement of the war. He went out to France in the following May, was gassed and invalided home in March,1916. He was for a time in Hampstead Hospital, and it was there he received his discharge as no longer fit for military service. He came back to Exning in August of the same year, and remained at home all winter. In the April following he went to the Sanatorium at Bury, and eventually came back and stayed with his sister, Mrs. Fussey, in St.Philip's Road, where he died of consumption in February, 1918, at the age of 35. He at one time worked for Mr. Jeffery, sen., and when war broke out was employed by Mr. W.P.King. He was in the Exning football team, and usually played in goal. . |
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