Arthur James Basil Butcher and S F Johnson
Location
St. Mary’s
Kempsey
Worcestershire
WR5 3JH
St. Mary’s is located between Lane’s End and Squire’s walk.
Details on cross:
Cross commemorates two men, very difficult to read – See below
Text type (tags, carved) GRU Tag on top of upright, brass plate to Lt Butcher
Cross dimensions in mm
Shaft Height 899mm
Cross beam width 529mm
Width of wood 83mm
Thickness or depth 66mm
Other information
Mounting to wall: Metal bracket on top of upright, hanging on screw in wall.
Detailing: – see below
CWGC links
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2853352/BUTCHER,%20ARTHUR%20JAMES%20BASIL
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/302061/JOHNSON,%20S%20F
Bottom of the cross is missing or has rotted away.
No varnish or paint on cross, but polishing of plate on bottom of upright has discoloured the wood slightly.
An interesting cross in that it has two names on it, with the latter being added later. Looks like Capt Johnson has been buried with Col Butcher but some months later.
2nd Lt Arthur James Basil Butcher 17th Bn King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
Born 27 Apr 1884 Hydrabad, Bengal India.
Son of Col. Henry Townsend Butcher, (R.A.) and Annie Susan Butcher; husband of Gertrude Theresa Tanner. They married on 11 dec 1913, of Eastern Lodge, Kempsey, Worcester. His father also fell in the 1914-1918 War and his brother; Trevor Aveling Butcher fell in the 1939-1945 War.
Captain S F Johnson – 3rd Bn. attd. 2nd Bn Border Regiment
Son of George Frederick and Blanche Evelyn Johnson, of Streatham, London; husband of Helen Marguerite Robertson, of Montreal, Canada. Severely wounded at Festubert, 1915.
Survey and Photographs courtesy of Mike Edwards
Survey date 11/08/2016
