Neville Butler (rugby league)

Neville Butler (1917-1944) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played for North Sydney in the NSWRL competition.

Neville Butler

Personal information
Full name	Neville Edward Butler
Born	6 August 1917 Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
Died	29 November 1944 (aged 27) Berlin, Nazi Germany
Playing information
Position	Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1940–43 North Sydney 13 0 10 0 20 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1938 New South Wales 1 0 1 0 2
As of 1 March 2019 Source: [1]

Background

Butler was born in Tenterfield, New South Wales on 6 August 1917.

Playing career

Butler represented New South Wales in 1938 before signing with North Sydney in 1940. Butler played occasional games for Norths between 1940 and 1943 while he was training with the RAAF.

In 1943, North Sydney made the NSWRL grand final against Newtown. Norths would lose the match 34-7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. North Sydney's loss in the grand final was attributed to the fact that Butler along with Harry Taylor and a couple of other players did not play in the game due to their service during war time.[2][3][4][5][6]

Post playing

Butler became a Flying Officer with the RAAF after finishing his player.

Death

Butler flew with the RAAF 460 Squadron in World War 2. Butler was killed on 29 November 1944 when his plane was shot down over Germany.

References

1. "Neville Butler - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
2. "Happy 110th Birthday North Sydney". North Sydney Bears. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
3. Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. (1995 edition) ISBN 1875169571
4. "Footy stars taken on battlefield". Courier Mail.
5. "WW2 Honour Roll". www.ww2roll.gov.au.
6. "The Big Day Has Arrived: First Leg of the Frank Hyde Shield". North Sydney Bears.