General News
17 October, 2026
Veterans Voices: Military funeral honored local serviceman
In the Horsham RSL Sub-Branch Memorabilia Collection, there is a photo album that has been donated to the RSL containing photos relating to the funeral of Thomas Charles Hendy Butcher. Thomas Charles Hendy Butcher was born on December 29, 1914, to Alexina Duncan and Charles Hendy Butcher of 34 David St, Horsham.
In the Horsham RSL Sub-Branch Memorabilia Collection, there is a photo album that has been donated to the RSL containing photos relating to the funeral of Thomas Charles Hendy Butcher.
Thomas Charles Hendy Butcher was born on December 29, 1914, to Alexina Duncan and Charles Hendy Butcher of 34 David St, Horsham.
Butcher served with the 1st Armoured Car Regiment.
He was promoted from Corporal to Sergeant on September 11, 1936.
He died in October 1936 and was buried on October 21, 1936.
Butcher’s funeral was the finest military funeral in peacetime held in Horsham.
His cause of death was a car accident during army manoeuvres near Green Lake.
While in the Horsham Hospital, he died from a clot in his heart after sustaining a concussion in the car accident, according to the Horsham Cemetery Records.
The Butcher family suffered much sadness in the loss of four of their children: Harry Lascelles, 11 months, buried December 10, 1917; Joyce Hendy, 7 years, died of diphtheria and scarletina, buried March 4, 1917; Miriam, 13 years, buried December 12, 1944; and Thomas Charles Hendy, 21 years, buried October 21, 1936.
Charles Hendy Butcher died at 49 years of age and was buried on July 20, 1934.
The three younger children are buried together in Horsham Cemetery, and Thomas is buried with his father Charles.
Alexina lived until 85 years of age and was buried in the Horsham Cemetery on August 7, 1973.
Thomas Butcher’s obituary was published in The Horsham Times on Friday, October 23, 1936.
‘The sudden death of Mr Thomas Charles Hendy Butcher at the age of 21 years terminated the promising career of a popular young man of the town.
He was admitted to Horsham Base Hospital last Saturday and appeared to be progressing well, but it was found at midnight on Wednesday that he had died in his sleep.
Born in Horsham, he was the son of Mrs A. Butcher of David Street and the late Mr Charles Butcher.
The deceased received his education at the State and High Schools, later finishing his studies at Trinity College, Melbourne and proceeded to Longernong College.
After a period there, he left to join the clerical staff of Messrs Noske Bros Mill where his late father was a manager for many years.
He was well known and popular in the sporting and social life of the town, being a member of the St John’s Church of England Football team and the First Armored Car Regiment.
His gentlemanly bearing and upright character earned him the esteem of a wide circle of young and old people of the town and district, and they mourn the sudden loss of one who was entering into the fullness of a clean young manhood.
Besides his mother, there are left to mourn several brothers and sisters.
Cecile, Patricia, Cynthia, Frank, John, and Barbara, to whom the deepest sympathy of many friends has been extended.
As the deceased was a member of the Armored Car Regiment, the funeral, which took place at Horsham Cemetery yesterday afternoon, was with full military honours.
It was one of the most impressive and sad ceremonies that had been witnessed in the town for a long time, and the large number of cars and people that joined the cortege was an indication of the esteem in which all held the deceased.
After a short service at the Church of England by the Rev W. Clisch, the coffin, shrouded in the Australian flag and bearing portion of the deceased’s military equipment, was carried to the armoured car and the wreaths to the floral car by six members of the regiment, W Bushby, C. Wik, D. Brown, T. Bleakley, J Sheeny and N. Watson.
Following the presentation of arms by the first guard of honour, the cortege headed by a mounted constable and the Horsham Town Band moved off for the cemetery.
The pallbearers, who were officers of the regiment, A Griffiths, T Stewart, F Morcom, and R Huf, and the coffin bearers marched alongside the armoured car at a slow pace until Wanwunna Road corner was reached.
At the turn approaching the cemetery, the march was again made slow, and the cortege passed between guards of honour made up of the Armoured Car Regiment, employees of Noske Bros and students of Longernong College.
As the procession entered the cemetery, the band played ‘The Death March in Saul’.
After which the ceremony at the graveside was conducted by Rev. W. Clinch.
A firing Squad from the regiment then paid the last tribute by firing three volleys, and the “Last Post” and “Reveille” were sounded by Mr G. Miller; Messrs A.F. Weight & Sons had charge of the arrangements.’
On May 19, 1908, authority was given for the formation of the 'Australian Volunteer Automobile Corps'.
This Corps was disbanded in 1916, but during its short life it proved to be the forerunner, but not the ancestor, of the present-day Royal Australian Armoured Corps.
During World War I, the first Australian armoured car despatched to the war was manned by volunteers of this Corps.
On July 1, 1929, the 19th Light Horse (Yarrowee Light Horse) ceased to be maintained.
In 1935, the 19th Light Horse (Armoured Car) Regiment became the 1st Armoured Car Regiment (Wimmera Regiment), forming part of the 2nd Cavalry Division with detachments at Horsham (Army Depot Drill Hall, Baillie Street), Nhill, Dimboola, Rupanyup and Murtoa.