Photo: Derek Haynes

Derek Haynes has provided the following:

The birth of John Thomas was registered in the September 1871 in Sunderland; he was one of seven children born to Thomas and Alice Butler (nee King). The parents were married in the June 1861 in the Register Office, Sunderland. They were both originally from Ireland.

The siblings of John were: Johanna, born March 1862; Mary Ellen, born June 1864; Anne, born March 1867; Alice, born June 1869; Nicholas, born June 1874; Joseph, born March 1878. All the above births were registered in Sunderland.

By the time of the 1881 census John was residing with his parents and four siblings at 9 Dene Terrace, Southwick, and his father Thomas was employed in one of the local shipyards as a Labourer. There were also four boarders residing with them, they were brothers Barnard and Joseph Quinn, their elderly father Barnard Quinn and William Brighen, a Shoemaker from Northumberland. It is also noticeable that John Thomas is using Thomas as his first name; this occurs throughout all the census returns he is on. Nicholas, born 1874, appears on the same census return as Richard.

In the December 1881 Johanna, the eldest of the family, married Barnard Quinn who had been boarding with the family. When the 1891 census was taken the roles were reversed as John Thomas and his brother Joseph were boarding with their new brother in law Barnard Quinn at 3 Ogle Terrace, Southwick.

On the 4th January 1896, John Thomas married Isabella Jane Wandless at St. Benet’s R. C. Church, Monkwearmouth. There were nine children from the marriage: Hannah born June 1896; Thomas born March 1898; Joseph P. born 29th January 1900; Richard born 13th April 1902; Newby Wilson born 27th October 1904; Alice born 15th August 1907; George V. born 4th December 1910; Elizabeth born 26th August 1913; Annie born June 1918.

1901 found the parents and three children (Hannah, Thomas and Joseph P.) residing in two rooms at 13 Church Street, still in the parish of Southwick. John Thomas was still employed as a labourer in the shipyard industry.

On the 20th October 1905 the family had to come to terms with the death of their eldest child, Hannah who, aged 9 years, passed away at the family home at 17 Varna Street. She was laid to rest on the 22nd October in Southwick Cemetery. It is known that, prior to 1911, John Thomas and Isabella lost a child, and Hannah fits the criteria. There is a problem because cemetery records give her father as John Butler a Miner. It is possible that at the time of Hannah’s death John Thomas was employed as a Miner, there may not have been any work in the shipyards so he took a job at a local colliery. The 1911 census return shows that he returned to work in the shipbuilding industry as his employment status is given as a Plater’s Labourer.

By 1911 the family had moved to the area known as Low Southwick, and it was here at 18 Camden Street that John, Isabella and their six children were living in three rooms. Also residing with them was John’s younger brother, 34 year old Joseph, a Colliery Labourer.

On the 12th April 1915, only 75 days after enlisting into the 3rd Battalion Durham Light Infantry, John was discharged. The reason given was that he was not likely to become an efficient soldier. His discharge report gives his military character as good, his service number was 11793. This did not seem to deter John from serving his country as only four months later on the 6th September 1915, aged 43 years 2 months, at a recruiting office in Sunderland, John joined A Company of the Army Service Corps. He was given the service number 129172. The only description we have of him is his height which was 5 feet 4 inches.

From the time of enlisting to 24th February 1915 John served at home, and then on the 25th February 1916 he was sent to France where he had an accident which rendered him unable to carry out his duties. He returned home on the 10th June 1916. The following is the report by the Medical Board (23/10/1916) on the accident and injuries:

Originated 16/3/16 in France. Fell down steps of his billet. Cut scalp in a flap from left partial and frontal area with injury to brain – paralysed slightly. Seven weeks later a bale of hay struck his head (rt. side) followed by partial Rt. paralysis. Speech slow and somewhat indistinct complains of headaches and giddiness. Some deafness. Refluxes. Walking is still a little ataxic at times.

It would have been while coming to terms with his injuries that John was informed of the death of his younger brother Joseph, aged 38 years, who was killed in action on the 7th October 1916 while serving with the 12th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry in France.

Because of the injuries John suffered he was discharged on the 13th November 1916 suffering from paraplegia, the cause of discharge being physically unfit. His disability was estimated to be 100% and it was recommended that he be awarded a pension on this basis.

John was described as being a good Packer and Loader, solid and reliable and of being of good character. For his service to his country he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

He returned home to 1 Wear Street, Southwick where sadly, on the 19th July 1918, he died only a short time after his wife Isabella gave birth to their daughter Annie. John was laid to rest on the 24th July 1918 in Section 2 Grave no. 396 of Southwick Cemetery.

Tragedy struck the family three years later with the death of Isabella. Aged 46 years, she died on the 17th July 1921 at the family home and was laid to rest on the 20th July in the same plot as John.

It is not known what became of the youngest children of John and Isabella; hopefully they were cared for by their elder siblings.

John’s brother Joseph is remembered with honour on the Thiepval Memorial.

John Thomas Butler is remembered at Sunderland in S140.048 page 271 and in Peter Gibson's book

The CWGC entry for Private Butler