Albert Butcher

A Private with 9th Bn., Albert died on 25th of September 1915 at the age of 27. 

Albert was born at Ilketshall Saint Andrew, Suffolk, in 1889, a son of James and Mary Ann Butcher. Albert was baptised at Saint Andrew’s Church, Ilketshall, on 23 March 1889, and his family lived at Ilketshall. In 1891 his family lived at Ilketshall Saint Andrew. By 1911 Albert was lodging with Elizabeth Frost, at The Street, Lound, and working as a cowman on a farm.  

Albert volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment and was posted to the 9th Battalion. Henry arrived in France with the 9th Battalion on 31 August 1915. 

Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 9th Battalion’s involvement in the Battle of Loos from 25 to 27 September 1915, pages 121-122:

At 8 p.m. on 25 September the 9th Battalion moved off and began to wend its way, in a double line of platoons, across the battlefield of Loos. A steady advance – not towards the 9th Division as originally intended, but in the direction of Vendin-le-Vieil – was maintained, the battalion passing in turn over its own support line, its own front line, the German front line, and the German support line. About midnight the advance was held up, the battalion digging themselves in between that hour and dawn, with the German support line still behind them. At 5 a.m. they were ordered back to that line.
During the forenoon of the 26th an order was received for an attack at 11 a.m. with the 9th Battalion to support the 72nd Brigade, following some 600 yards behind. Unfortunately, however, this order was not received until 11.25 a.m., whereupon Lieutenant-Colonel, passing a message down the line, ordered the battalion to advance immediately. Without hesitation each section mounted the parapet and began pushing forward under heavy artillery fire towards the objective of the previous evening. 
The advance continued until the leading line reached a point about two hundred yards or so beyond the Hulluch-Lens Road where it was definitely checked. At 5 p.m. the right flank began to give way. For three hours the centre held on to the road, and during that time the flanks advanced and retired twice. Then the left flank, coming under a heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of Hulluch, was forced back. Here most of the 9th Battalion’s casualties occurred.
About 2 a.m. on the 27th the battalion was relieved.

The Battalion’s casualties were: 
Officers, one killed, six wounded
Other ranks, nine killed, two died of wounds, 81 wounded, 45 missing

Although some records suggest that Albert died ‘on or since 2 October 1915 - death presumed’ in fact this was a blanket term used for all of the men of the 9th Battalion who were reported missing at Loos on 25-26 September 1915.