Owen Butt (brother of Stafford), was born in 1896, the 4th son of Daniel and Elizabeth Butt. By 1916 Daniel had moved to Rosemont, Chawleigh, Chumleigh.
| In Memory of: | Private Owen Butt 11249 |
| Regiment: | 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment |
| Enlisted: | Exeter |
| Died: | Killed in Action in France 3rd September 1916, aged 21 |
| Served: | France and Flanders |
| Remembered with honour: | Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, Somme, France |
The First Battalion Devonshire Regiment was a Regular Regiment stationed in Jersey. In August 1914 George joined the SS Reindeer and on the 21st August 1914 he sailed to France, joined the third division in action on the River Aisne, at Vailly Sur Aisne.
By the end of September casualties were nearly one hundred and he was transferred to the 14th Brigade of the Fifty Division. The Battalion was in operations near or at Givenchy and Festubert.
In the winter of 1914/1915 he was in the line opposite Messines. The Battalion was in action at Ypres, Belgium fighting trench warfare in the early summer of 1915 and moved to the Somme in July 1915.
He stayed in the Somme until Spring 1916 then moved to the Arras front, returning to the Somme in July 1916 where he joined one of the 616 British Infantry Battalions involved in the battle of the Somme from July to November 1916. This Battalion were in operations around or near Falfemont Farm near Guillemont.
Owen was killed on 3rd September 1916 when his Battalion made an abortive attempt to capture Ginchy, the appalling weather conditions being a major contributory factor. The casualty list reported a total loss of 23 Officers and 405 Other Ranks.
He is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, Pier and Face 1C.
Aged 21 years his body was never found.
