During
World War II, Butler served with the
Grenadier Guards and fought in France and Belgium. Following the surrender of Belgium, he managed to sail to England after withdrawing to France from Belgium with the surviving Guards battalions. He was later posted as an officer with the 6th Battalion Grenadier Guards to Damascus as part of the
Western Desert. He was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order for his gallantry during the
Battle of the Mareth Line in March 1943. Butler was the commander of the company leading the attack on the German 90th Light Division of the
Afrika Korps. Butler was taken prisoner along with two fellow officers, who were both killed when they attempted to escape, by the Germans. Butler himself made several attempts to escape but was not free until the
surrender of Italy, when Butler and another officer managed to escape from the
prisoner of war camp in
Modena. Reportedly, Butler walked for over 400 miles, crisscrossing the
Apennine Mountains before meeting the
British Army. Following the death of his father in March 1955, Butler succeeded to the title 12th
Baronet Butler of Cloughgrenan.
The Crown Jewels and Coronation Ceremony (1989). ==Personal life==