A SUPERB 21st LONDON REGt
(IMMEDIATE) "VIMY RIDGE"
MILITARY MEDAL
& 1914-15 Star Trio.



To:
1539 Cpl R.BUTLER.
21/LOND. R. T.F. & 142 Coy, Machine Gun Corps.

(Butler joined the T.A. in late January 1914)

This very early 'Immediate' "VIMY RIDGE" Military Medal was personally awarded to Cpl Roderick Butler at the Brigade's Church Parade and presentation of honours ceremony by the Divisional G.O.C. on Sunday 25th June 1916. This was a month after the events at VIMY RIDGE during which it was won.

The award was published in the London Gazette of 10th August 1916 which was only the second MM awards gazette of the Great War.

[VIMY RIDGE]
The Spring of 1916 saw the division move to the Vimy Ridge sector near Arras. It was a quiet spot to begin with, but by April 1916 intensive mining operations had been commenced by both sides.

On 20th May the Germans attacked and gained some ground from the division. The 21st and 24th Londons counter-attacked on the evening of 23rd May. The 24th were held up, but the attack by "A" Company of the 21st (First Surreys) succeeded in recapturing a section of the old front line which they held for about an hour while causing heavy casualties to the enemy.

It was most probably in the heat of this daring and determined attack that Cpl Butler earned his Military Medal.

However, the "A" Company flanks were unsupported and they were compelled to return with nothing much left to show for this gallant and costly action except a few yards of our old front line'.

To enable the holding of its position against German counter-attack, by the end of the action, the 21st battalion had to be reinforced by a company of men from the 22nd Londons, the divisional engineers & pioneers and by the tunnelling companies.

The London Regiment suffered 187 casualties of all ranks in this action at the famous Vimy Ridge.

Although as normal, the original MM citation for this action has not survived as it was burned in the London Blitz of WW2. It is however very clear that Gerry Butler was an exceptionally brave N.C.O.

[BATTLE OF MESSINES. 7th - 14th JUNE 1917] It is interesting to read from the slightly later 142 Coy MGC War Diary of 7th - 10th June 1917, (Butte de Warlencourt. Battle of Messines) which carries another account of the then Sgt Butler's bravery in action with men & machine guns under his command.

"7th June 1917..........two guns attached to the 21st London Bn were in the charge of Sgt. Butler & Sgt Sermon in the absence of an officer. The right gun of the two, under Sgt Butler, left the assembly trench with the first wave with a view to missing the barrage. Sgt Butler was wounded by a German bomber just as he had passed the first objective, but managed to bring his assailant down with a revolver bullet. A few seconds later, *Pte Thomson was fatally wounded in the chest by a bullet. The rest of the team under Pte Moore carried on until held up by machine gun fire from the German third line....."

(* Two other 142nd men mentioned in this action are:)
23178. Sgt Charles Sermon. M.M. Killed in Action. 2.12.1917
81394. Pte W. Thomson. Killed in Action. 7.6.1917

As well as the action at Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Messines, Sgt Butler also took a prominent part in several major actions, including the Battles of the Somme, Arras, Passchendaele, Cambrai, Amiens and Bapaume.

An outstanding IMMEDIATE award to a greatly collected regiment for VIMY RIDGE, which is one of the most famous actions of The Great War.


ALL MEDALS EF. Trio is complete with original ribbons and a full research file

£1450