Editing George Butterworth (section)

==First World War==
[[File:Stèle à la mémoire de George Butterworrth 5.jpg|thumb|Memorial to George Butterworth at the [[Pozières Memorial]], inscribed:<br/>{{smallcaps|One of "the lads that will die in their glory and never be old"}}]]
[[File:Plaque, Deerhurst Church.jpg|thumb|Plaque, Deerhurst Church]]
At the outbreak of the [[World War I|First World War]], Butterworth, together with several of his friends, including Geoffrey Toye and [[R. O. Morris]], joined the [[British Army]] as a [[Private (rank)|private]] in the [[Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry]], but he soon accepted a commission as a [[Subaltern (military)|subaltern]] (2nd Lieutenant) in the 13th Battalion [[Durham Light Infantry]], and he was later temporarily promoted to [[lieutenant]].{{sfn|Barlow|1997}} He was known as G. S. Kaye-Butterworth in the Army.{{sfn|Barlow|1997}} Butterworth's letters are full of admiration for the ordinary [[miner]]s of [[County Durham]] who served in his [[platoon]]. As part of [[23rd Division (United Kingdom)|23rd Division]], the 13th DLI was sent into action to capture the western approaches of the village of [[Contalmaison]] on [[Somme (river)|The Somme]]. Butterworth and his men succeeded in capturing a series of trenches near [[Pozières]] on 16–17 July 1916, the traces of which can still be found within a small wood. Butterworth was slightly wounded in the action. For his action Temporary Lt. George Butterworth, aged 31, was awarded the [[Military Cross]], gazetted 25 August 1916, though he did not live to receive it. The citation for the medal reads as follows:

{{Quote|For conspicuous gallantry in action. After his captain had been wounded, Butterworth commanded his company with great ability and coolness, and with his energy and utter disregard of danger he set a fine example on the front line. His name had previously been brought to notice for good and gallant work.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29724|page=8461|date=25 August 1916|supp=y}}</ref>}}

The [[Battle of the Somme]] was now entering its most intense phase. On 4 August, 23rd Division was ordered to attack a communications trench known as Munster Alley that was in German hands. The soldiers dug an assault trench and named it 'Butterworth Trench' in their officer's honour. In desperate fighting during the night of 4–5 August, and despite [[friendly fire]] from Australian artillery, Butterworth and his miners captured and held on to Munster Alley, albeit with heavy losses. At 04:45 on 5 August, amid frantic German attempts to recapture the position, Butterworth was shot through the head by a [[sniper]]. His body was hastily buried by his men in the side of the trench, but was never recovered for formal reburial following the fierce bombardments of the final two years of conflict.

When his brigade commander, [[Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft|Brigadier General Page Croft]], wrote to Butterworth's father to inform him of his death, it transpired that he had not known that his son had been awarded the Military Cross.{{sfn|Barlow|1997}} Similarly, the brigadier was astonished to learn that Butterworth had been one of the most promising English composers of his generation.{{sfn|Barlow|1997}} Brigadier Croft wrote that Butterworth was "A brilliant musician in times of peace, and an equally brilliant soldier in times of stress."<ref>{{cite book |last=Page Croft |first=H. |title=Twenty Two Months Under Fire |url=https://archive.org/details/twentytwomonthsu00crof |year=1917 |publisher=John Murray |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/twentytwomonthsu00crof/page/237 237]}}</ref>

There is confusion about exactly what award(s) Butterworth received. It is said that he won the MC twice, but this is incorrect. This misunderstanding may have arisen because Butterworth's bravery was regularly in evidence during the Somme campaign. Firstly, he was [[mentioned in despatches]] early in July, and was then recommended for the MC "for conspicuous gallantry in action" on 9 July at Bailiff Wood, then again – successfully – "for commanding his company with great ability and coolness" when wounded on 16–17 July. Brigadier Page-Croft also mentioned to Butterworth's father that he had 'won' the medal again on the night he died. However, the Military Cross was not awarded posthumously at the time, and so he could never have been awarded it twice.{{sfn|Copley|1985|loc=contains much information on Butterworth's war record, including sources for all military quotes.}}

Butterworth's body was never recovered (although his unidentified remains may well lie at nearby [[Pozières Memorial]], a [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] cemetery), and his name appears on the [[Thiepval Memorial]].{{sfn|Barlow|1997}} George Butterworth's ''The Banks of Green Willow'' has become synonymous for some with the sacrifice of his generation and has been seen by some as an anthem for all 'Unknown Soldiers'. Sir Alexander Butterworth erected a plaque at [[St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst]], Gloucestershire in memory of his son and of his nephew, [[Hugh Butterworth|Hugh]], who died at [[Loos-en-Gohelle|Loos]] in 1915. (The Rev. George Butterworth, the composer's grandfather, had been vicar of St Mary's in the previous century.{{sfn|Barlow|1997}}) Sir Alexander also arranged the printing in 1918 of a memorial volume in his son's memory. His name is one of the 38 on the [[Royal College of Music war memorial|War Memorial]] at the Royal College of Music.

Almost all Butterworth's manuscripts were left to Vaughan Williams, after whose death [[Ursula Vaughan Williams]] lodged the original works in the [[Bodleian]], Oxford, and the folk song collection with the [[EFDSS]].{{sfn|Barlow|1997}}