No.4985 – Private Benjamin Butler – 28th Battalion AIF
Benjamin Butler was born in Fremantle in 1885 to Thomas & Ellen Butler and after attending the local schools Ben took up work as a labourer. The family lived in Norfolk Street During the 1890's. The family then moved to Midland.
On the 3rd of March 1916 he offered his services to the AIF at Swan Barracks in Perth and despite being rejected due to bad teeth just 14 days previously, he was this time accepted for service in the AIF. Ben was found to be 5 feet 2 inches in height; weight of 115 lbs; chest measurement of 33 to 36 inches; dark complexion; blue eyes and black hair. His religious denomination was Roman Catholic.
After a short time in No.1 Depot, Ben was assigned to the 13th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF. This group trained in WA until the 18th July 1916 when they departed Fremantle on the H.M.A.T. “Seang Bee”. The ship arrived at Plymouth England on the 9th September 1916 and the men were disembarked and were sent to the 7th Training Battalion Camp at Rollestone on the Salisbury Plains. Ben had a period of leave from the training camp in October 1916 but got into trouble for overstaying his leave for 24 hours. He was fined 8 days pay and had to undergo a period of detention.
On the 2nd November 1916 Ben proceeded to France and marched into the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples. He stayed here for just over a month and on the 10th December 1916 was officially taken on strength of the 28th Battalion. The 28th Battalion were in the vicinity of Flers and they would spend the winter months in this area.
In late February 1917 the Germans began to pull back to their prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line, however their withdrawal was gradual, and they continued to hotly contest the advance of the Australian and British troops.
On the 26th March 1917 the 26th Battalion was tasked with the capture of Lagnicourt, however resistance was fierce and the 28th Battalion sent B & D Companies to assist. The 28th’s war diary states that;
“The fighting in the village was severe and the enemy later launched two counter attacks – The first nearly succeeding owing to there being no troops of the division on the right. This attack was repelled partly by the efforts of a party under 2nd Lieut Jerry who after destroying the enemy returned with only one man left and of the whole of his party (he was later wounded by a shell and died that evening…The losses of the 26th and 28th were heavy but the enemy suffered more.”
There is no eyewitness account as to Ben’s death but this may be because all of Lieutenant Jerry’s party became casualties. Unfortunately, Ben’s remains could afterwards not be located and he is thus commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Ben’s father, Thomas Butler, of South Terrace Fremantle would receive a fortnightly pension of 20/- per fortnight after his son’s death.
