THE SOMME OPERATION MILITARY CROSS GROUP TO LIEUTENANT W.J. BOUTALL, 4TH BATTALION LONDON REGIMENT (ROYAL FUSILIERS) (PREVIOUSLY PRIVATE, 5TH BATTALION LONDON REGIMENT (LONDON RIFLE BRIGADE), LATER MAJOR, 4TH BATTALION LONDON REGIMENT), WHO SURVIVED WW1 ONLY TO BE KILLED WHEN A GERMAN V1 ROCKET FELL ON HIS HOUSE IN LONDON IN 1944. Five: Military Cross, George V (unnamed, as issued) 1914-15 Star (420 Private, 5th Battalion London Regiment) British War and Victory Medals (Captain) Territorial Decoration, George V, with "Territorial" top brooch suspender, unnamed, as issued. Group mounted court style, as worn, generally Almost Extremely Fine, the silver medals attractively toned.
Group accompanied by photocopied Medal Index Card, and photocopied extracts from the London Gazette and the Regimental History of the 4th Battalion London Regiment.
Medal Index Card confirms Walter James Boutall as first seeing service with the 5th Battalion London Regiment as 420 Private, in France, from 25/1/1915. Boutall would have joined that battalion in the field, since it had originally landed in France as a unit on 5/11/1914. He was commissioned within nine days of landing in France, and so presumably never actually saw service with the 5th Londons. Boutall was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Battalion London Regiment, in early February 1915 (Medal Index Card states 3rd February, but Army Lists of the period give 4th February). He was promoted Lieutenant, 1/7/1915, and Captain, 3/8/1917.
Boutall is mentioned on a number of occasions in the Regimental History of the 4th London Regiment, initially as being among a number of officers who joined that battalion in the field during the months of August and September 1915. After a brief period of leave in the early summer of 1916, Boutall rejoined the battalion on 23rd June 1916, when he was posted to D Company and was appointed Assistant Adjutant to the battalion. Regimental history confirms Boutall as being present with the battalion in the front line for the opening of the Somme offensive, 1st Juily 1916. However, although he was in the front line trenches on the eve of the battle, he and another officer were withdrawn at the last moment to form part of the Regimental "battle surplus", the small group of officers and men left behind in bivouacs to the rear of the front line, with a view to their forming the nucleus of a new battalion in the event of heavy losses. On 1st July 1916 the 4th Battalion London Regiment formed part of 168th Brigade, 56th (1st London) Division. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme the battalion initially moved forward to assist the 12th Londons in the German first line, and later fought their way into the German second and third lines. The battalion was withdrawn from the front line on the evening of 1st July, with total casualties of 324 officers and men. Boutall was with the regiment when it returned to the front line on 31st July. In the autumn of 1916 Boutall was appointed Adjutant of the 4th Londons. In July 1918 he left the 4th Londons, having been appointed Assistant Staff Captain at 168th Brigade Headquarters.
Boutall's Military Cross was announced in the London Gazette of 1/1/1917. The regimental history records that it was awarded for the Battle of the Somme "For services rendered between 1st July and 7th October" 1916.
Boutall continued to serve with the 4th Londons in the post-war years, being promoted Major, 3/11/1932, and was with the 4th Londons when the battalion converted to an anit-aircraft unit in 1936. He was awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration in 1937, the award being announced in the London Gazette 19/3/1937.
Walter James Boutall was killed on 22/6/1944 when a German V1 rocket fell on his house in Dulwich. He is recorded in the Alleyn's School WW2 Casualty List.
Group also accompanied by photocopied extract from London Gazette of 10/2/1942 re the voluntary winding up of Vaus and Crampton Ltd, which records Boutall as chairman of that company. Vaus and Crampton, photo-engravers and printers, who specialised in producing illustrations for books and magazines, was originally established at the Helios Works, at Beech, near Alton, Hampshire, in 1894. The company prospered, had 25 employees by 1896, and later expanded and established premises in London circa 1909. The original premises in Beech still stand and are now used as the Beech village hall. The firm was presumably a casualty of wartime shortages and exigencies, and not needed for war work, went into voluntary liquidation.
