Alfred Charles Buttle (Ch) J40521, Ordinary Seaman.

Alfred was born 19th March 1899 in Norwich, Norfolk to parents George Wright Buttle and Amber Bridges. The couple had a total of 13 children, of which 9 survived. Alfred was aged 2 on the 1901 census and the family lived in Oak Street, in the parish of St Martin at Oak, Norwich.

10 years later in the 1911 census Alfred was 12 years old and attended school, his parents and three siblings residing at 58 Westwick Street, Norwich.

He joined the Navy on 1st May 1915, training as a Boy 2nd Class at HMS GANGES in Suffolk, at just 5' tall, with fair hair and blue eyes, rising to Boy 1st Class on 27th August 1915.

Alfred was posted to HMS Vanguard on 20th September 1915 and was onboard the dreadnought during the Battle of Jutland, becoming an Ordinary Seaman on 19th March 1917.

He was just 18 when he died and his Star, Victory and British medals were awarded to his mother.

#178 - 137/843

Sources:

1901 & 1911 England Census

Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939 National Archives Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services; Class: ADM 188; Piece: 728

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 - FreeBMD

National Archives Admiralty and predecessors: Office of the Director General of the Medical Department of the Navy and predecessors: Service Registers and Registers of Deaths and Injuries. Registers of Reports of Deaths

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960 National Archives Admiralty: Naval Casualties, Indexes, War Grave Rolls and Statistics Book, First World War.; Class: ADM 242; 007 (1914 - 1919)

CWGC Register

Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972 ADM 171; Piece: 97

WWI Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923 Western Front Association; London, England; Pension Record Cards; Reference: 034/0145/BUT-BYL

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