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Arthur Butler (historian)

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Arthur Graham Butler
Maj A G Butler.jpg
Arthur Butler, when a major in the Australian Army Medical Corps, 1916
Born(1872-05-25)25 May 1872
Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia
Died27 February 1949(1949-02-27) (aged 76)
Academic background
Academic work
Main interestsAustralian military history
First World War
Notable worksOfficial History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918
Military career
Service/branchAustralian Army
Years of service1912–1920
RankColonel
Unit9th Battalion
Commands held3rd Australian General Hospital
3rd Field Ambulance
Battles/warsFirst World War
AwardsDistinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (2)

Arthur Graham Butler DSO, ED (25 May 1872 – 27 February 1949) was an Australian soldier and military historian. He was the main author of the Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918, part of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918.

Born in Queensland, after Butler finished his schooling he obtained degrees in medicine and surgery from Cambridge University. He was working as a general practitioner in Brisbane when the First World War broke out and immediately joined the Australian Imperial Force. Posted to the 9th Battalion as a regimental medical officer, he served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. He ended the war as commander of the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbeville. On his return to Australia, he was asked to write the official history of the Australian Army medical services, a task that took 20 years to complete and resulted in the three volume Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918. Troubled by partial blindness in his later years, he died in Canberra at the age of 76.

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Efficiency Decoration

Efficiency Decoration

The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twenty years of service as an efficient and thoroughly capable officer. The decoration superseded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration and the Territorial Decoration.

Military history

Military history

Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships.

Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918

Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by C.E.W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes and was published between 1920 and 1942. The first seven volumes deal with the Australian Imperial Force while other volumes deal with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force at Rabaul, the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Flying Corps and the home front; the final volume is a photographic record.

Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state situated in northeastern Australia and is the second-largest and third-most-populous of the Australian states. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia, and New South Wales to the west, southwest, and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean; to its north is the Torres Strait, separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea. With an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi), Queensland is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity; it is larger than all but 15 countries. Due to its size, Queensland's geographical features and climates are diverse, including tropical rainforests, rivers, coral reefs, mountain ranges and sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in the semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior.

Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of South East Queensland, which includes several other regional centres and cities. The central business district is situated within a peninsula of the Brisbane River about 15 km (9 mi) from its mouth at Moreton Bay. Brisbane is located in the hilly floodplain of the Brisbane River Valley between Moreton Bay and the Taylor and D'Aguilar mountain ranges. It sprawls across several local government areas, most centrally the City of Brisbane. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite.

First Australian Imperial Force

First Australian Imperial Force

The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. The infantry division subsequently fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, with a newly raised second division, as well as three light horse brigades, reinforcing the committed units.

Gallipoli campaign

Gallipoli campaign

The Gallipoli campaign was a military campaign in the First World War that took place on the Gallipoli peninsula, from 19 February 1915 to 9 January 1916. The Entente powers, Britain, France and the Russian Empire, sought to weaken the Ottoman Empire, one of the Central Powers, by taking control of the Ottoman straits. This would expose the Ottoman capital at Constantinople to bombardment by Allied battleships and cut it off from the Asian part of the empire. With Turkey defeated, the Suez Canal would be safe and a year-round Allied supply route could be opened through the Black Sea to warm-water ports in Russia.

Abbeville

Abbeville

Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps

The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian colonies and was first deployed to South Africa as a small detachment of personnel supporting the Australian Commonwealth Horse during the Second Boer War. The corps has participated in every Australian Army operation since then, including wars and peacekeeping operations. The "Royal" prefix was granted in 1948.

Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory at the northern tip of the Australian Alps, the country's highest mountain range. As of June 2021, Canberra's estimated population was 453,558.

Early life

Arthur Graham Butler was born in Kilcoy, in Queensland, Australia, on 25 May 1872 to William Butler and his wife June née Graham. His parents were both English emigrants, and his father was working as a station manager at the time of his birth. He was educated at Ipswich Grammar School before going to England to study medicine at Cambridge University. He obtained degrees in medicine and in surgery and then returned to Kilcoy to work as a general practitioner.[1][2]

In 1902, Butlet shifted his practice to Gladstone and two years later, married Lilian Kate Mills; the couple had a daughter. After several years at Gladstone, Butler undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Sydney after which he practiced medicine in Brisbane.[1]

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Kilcoy, Queensland

Kilcoy, Queensland

Kilcoy is a rural town and locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Kilcoy had a population of 1,898 people.

Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state situated in northeastern Australia and is the second-largest and third-most-populous of the Australian states. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia, and New South Wales to the west, southwest, and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean; to its north is the Torres Strait, separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea. With an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi), Queensland is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity; it is larger than all but 15 countries. Due to its size, Queensland's geographical features and climates are diverse, including tropical rainforests, rivers, coral reefs, mountain ranges and sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in the semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior.

Ipswich Grammar School

Ipswich Grammar School

Ipswich Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Ipswich, a city situated on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia. The school is sited on the eponymous Grammar School Hill, with its original buildings occupying the crown of the hill. Some of the Ipswich Grammar School Buildings are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery is a undergraduate medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kingdom. The historical degree nomenclature states that they are two separate undergraduate degrees. In practice, however, they are usually combined as one and conferred together, and may also be awarded at graduate-level medical schools. It usually takes five to six years to complete this degree.

Gladstone, Queensland

Gladstone, Queensland

Gladstone is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Gladstone has an urban population of 34,703, and together with Boyne Island and Tannum Sands, had an estimated population of 50,317 at August 2021. This urban area covers 246.1 km2 (95.0 sq mi).

University of Sydney

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six sandstone universities. The university comprises eight academic faculties and university schools, through which it offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.

Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of South East Queensland, which includes several other regional centres and cities. The central business district is situated within a peninsula of the Brisbane River about 15 km (9 mi) from its mouth at Moreton Bay. Brisbane is located in the hilly floodplain of the Brisbane River Valley between Moreton Bay and the Taylor and D'Aguilar mountain ranges. It sprawls across several local government areas, most centrally the City of Brisbane. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite.

First World War

On the outbreak of the First World War, Butler enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He was already experienced in military matters, having joined the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1912, serving as a medical officer in the Citizen Military Forces with the Moreton Regiment.[2][3][1] He was appointed the medical officer, with the rank of captain, for the 9th Battalion. He was among the first Australians ashore at Gallipoli on 25 April, landing at Ari Burnu under machine gun fire.[4] While he was treating wounded soldiers on the beach, he noted several Australians shooting up the slopes from the cover of a bank. He encouraged them forward, leading a party up the slopes.[5] Moving inland, he set up a medical post between 400 Plateau and Bolton's Ridge, treating the wounded and rallying troops.[1][6]

He remained on the Gallipoli peninsula until October, receiving a promotion to major during this time.[1] Earlier in the year, for his services at Gallipoli, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[7] In February 1916, in Egypt, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Services for the I ANZAC Corps and several months later was deployed to the Western Front. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in November 1916. In February 1917, Butler became commander of the 3rd Field Ambulance, and was present for the battles at Bullecourt and Passchendaele. During this period, he was twice mentioned in despatches. In November, much to his displeasure since he preferred to remain at the front, he was sent to London to organise the AIF's medical records there. In the middle of the following year, he returned to France as a temporary colonel and commander of the 3rd Australian General Hospital, based at Abbeville. He remained in this role until the hospital closed in June 1919.[2] He was discharged from the AIF in February 1920 having spent the previous several months in the Australian War Records Section at the headquarters of the AIF in London. His rank of colonel had been made substantive by the time of his departure from the AIF.[1][8]

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First Australian Imperial Force

First Australian Imperial Force

The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. The infantry division subsequently fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, with a newly raised second division, as well as three light horse brigades, reinforcing the committed units.

Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)

Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)

Captain (Capt) is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines and in both services it ranks above lieutenant and below major with a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. The rank of captain in the Royal Navy is considerably more senior and the two ranks should not be confused.

Distinguished Service Order

Distinguished Service Order

The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. Since 1993 it has been awarded specifically for 'highly successful command and leadership during active operations', with all ranks being eligible.

I ANZAC Corps

I ANZAC Corps

The I ANZAC Corps was a combined Australian and New Zealand army corps that served during World War I.

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence. Sometimes, the term 'half-colonel' is used in casual conversation in the British Army. In the United States Air Force, the term 'light bird' or 'light bird colonel' is an acceptable casual reference to the rank but is never used directly towards the rank holder. A lieutenant colonel is typically in charge of a battalion or regiment in the army.

3rd Field Ambulance (Australia)

3rd Field Ambulance (Australia)

The 3rd Australian Field Ambulance was a company of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during the First World War. The 3rd Field Ambulance was deployed to Gallipoli, Turkey, on 25 April 1915. It is primarily known for being the company John Simpson Kirkpatrick was registered in. The Field Ambulance consisted of medical personnel who would treat injured soldiers on the battlefield.

Battle of Arras (1917)

Battle of Arras (1917)

The Battle of Arras was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the Western Front. The British achieved the longest advance since trench warfare had begun, surpassing the record set by the French Sixth Army on 1 July 1916. The British advance slowed in the next few days and the German defence recovered. The battle became a costly stalemate for both sides and by the end of the battle, the British Third Army and the First Army had suffered about 160,000 casualties and the German 6th Army about 125,000.

Battle of Passchendaele

Battle of Passchendaele

The Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders, as part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917. Passchendaele lies on the last ridge east of Ypres, 5 mi (8.0 km) from Roulers, a junction of the Bruges-(Brugge)-to-Kortrijk railway. The station at Roulers was on the main supply route of the German 4th Army. Once Passchendaele Ridge had been captured, the Allied advance was to continue to a line from Thourout to Couckelaere (Koekelare).

Colonel

Colonel

Colonel is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.

List of Australian Army medical units in World War I

List of Australian Army medical units in World War I

The following is a list of Australian Army medical units in World War I.

Abbeville

Abbeville

Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.

Australian War Records Section

Australian War Records Section

The Australian War Records Section was an Australian military unit of World War I responsible for collecting and preserving records and artifacts relating to Australia's experiences in the war. The section was formed on 16 May 1917 under the command of Captain John Treloar and eventually grew to a strength of over 600 military and civilian personnel. It collected over 25,000 objects as well as paper records, photographs and works of art. In 1919 the Australian War Memorial was formed on the basis of the section's collection and Treloar was appointed its director the next year. As such, the Australian War Records Section is considered to be Memorial's parent organisation.

Postwar period

On his return to civilian life, he resumed his medical practice in Brisbane.[1] However, he was soon asked to prepare the official history of the Australian Army medical services of the First World War. It was a task that was envisaged as a single volume, to be completed in around two years, but would ultimately end up being a three volume series taking 20 years to complete. He commenced work in November 1922, based in Melbourne, and then relocating to Canberra a few years later. He took a meticulous approach to his work, and often missed deadlines, which at times frustrated Charles Bean, who was co-ordinating the production of the Australian official histories of the First World War. He was not helped by the Australian Government's refusal to fund a full-time assistant for his work.[2]

The first volume, covering the campaigns in Gallipoli, Palestine and New Guinea, was published in 1930;[2] Butler wrote the chapters dealing with Gallipoli, while Rupert Downes authored those relating to Palestine and F. A. Maguire that covering New Guinea.[9] The second volume, dealing with the Western Front, appeared in 1940, and the last, concerning problems and services, was published in 1943. He was the sole author of the last two volumes. His work was highly regarded and he dealt with topics, such as shell-shock and self-inflicted wounds, that Bean was unable or uncomfortable to in his own published works on the First World War. A target readership was military medical staff, with the clinical information contained in the books helping educate them in treatment methods. By the time of the publication of the books, current knowledge and understanding of medicine rendered much of the learnings from Butler's work redundant. None of the books sold well and several were provided to the public as presentation copies.[2]

Arthur Butler (right) and fellow military historians, Gavin Long (centre) and Allan S. Walker (left), discuss a manuscript in the Australian War Memorial library in 1945
Arthur Butler (right) and fellow military historians, Gavin Long (centre) and Allan S. Walker (left), discuss a manuscript in the Australian War Memorial library in 1945

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Official history

Official history

An official history is a work of history which is sponsored, authorised or endorsed by its subject. The term is most commonly used for histories which are produced for a government. The term also applies to commissions from non-state bodies including histories of commercial companies. An official biography is an authorised biography.

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps

The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian colonies and was first deployed to South Africa as a small detachment of personnel supporting the Australian Commonwealth Horse during the Second Boer War. The corps has participated in every Australian Army operation since then, including wars and peacekeeping operations. The "Royal" prefix was granted in 1948.

Rupert Downes

Rupert Downes

Major General Rupert Major Downes, was an Australian soldier, surgeon and historian.

Gavin Long

Gavin Long

Gavin Merrick Long was an Australian journalist and military historian. He was the general editor of the official history series Australia in the War of 1939–1945 and the author of three of its 22 volumes.

Allan S. Walker

Allan S. Walker

Allan Seymour Walker was an Australian Army officer who served in First and Second World Wars, a medical practitioner, and a military and medical historian who wrote the four medical volumes of the official history series Australia in the War of 1939–1945.

Later life

Butler worked at the library of the Australian War Memorial (AWM) from 1945 to 1947, classifying medical documents.[3] Despite suffering partial blindness, which had affected his later work on the official histories, Butler continued to write, publishing The Digger: A Study in Democracy in 1945. He had previously been a co-author of National Roses of Canberra, the flower being a passion of his.[1]

He died on 27 February 1949, suffering from hypertensive cerebral vascular disease. Buried at St John the Baptist Church in Canberra, where he was part of the congregation, he was survived by his wife and daughter.[1] His papers were donated to the AWM. He himself had donated many items, including personal documents dating from his war service, to the organisation's library in the years leading up to his death.[3] His medals, including the DSO, 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal with bronze oak leaf and Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, are held by the AWM.[8]

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Australian War Memorial

Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving personnel from the Australian colonies prior to Federation. Opened in 1941, the memorial includes an extensive national military museum.

St John the Baptist Church, Reid

St John the Baptist Church, Reid

St John the Baptist Church is an Australian Anglican church in the Canberra suburb of Reid in the Australian Capital Territory. The church is located at the corner of Anzac Parade and Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the Parliamentary Triangle, and is the oldest surviving public building within Canberra's inner city and the oldest church in the Australian Capital Territory. It has been described as a "sanctuary in the city", remaining a small English village-style church even as Australia's capital grew around it. Over time, it became a focal point for Australia's governors-general, politicians, public servants and military leaders, and has hosted royalty on numerous occasions.

1914–15 Star

1914–15 Star

The 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The medal was never awarded singly and recipients also received the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

British War Medal

British War Medal

The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in silver and 110,000 in bronze, the latter awarded to, among others, the Chinese, Maltese and Indian Labour Corps.

Victory Medal (United Kingdom)

Victory Medal (United Kingdom)

The Victory Medal is a United Kingdom and British Empire First World War campaign medal.

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration

The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was established in 1899 as recognition for long and meritorious service as a part-time commissioned officer in any of the organized military forces of the British Colonies, Dependencies and Protectorates. It superseded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies in all these territories, but not in the Indian Empire.

Source: "Arthur Butler (historian)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, July 27th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Butler_(historian).

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Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gurner, C. M. "Biography: Butler, Arthur Graham (1872–1949)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Dennis et al. 1995, p. 131.
  3. ^ a b c "Official History, 1914-18 War: Records of A.G.Butler, Historian of Australian Army Medical Services". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. ^ Bean 1941, p. 253.
  5. ^ Bean 1941, p. 259.
  6. ^ Bean 1941, p. 454.
  7. ^ "No. 29180". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1915. p. 5331.
  8. ^ a b "Distinguished Service Order : Captain A G Butler, Australian Army Medical Corps, AIF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Recent Books Reviewed: War Work of the AAMC". The Herald. 17 January 1931. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
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