South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 03 January 1942
Greetings From Cairo.
A local boy who is serving with H.M. Forces in the Middle East had the privilege of broadcasting a message to his parents in the B.B. C. greetings from Cairo programme, on the Forces network on Christmas eve.
He is James Arthur Butcher, whose home is at 94, Daylands Avenue, Conisbrough. Sending greetings to his mother and father, he asked to be remembered to neighbours and friends and said that he was getting along fine and recovering from a wound in the leg which he recently sustained.
An old boy of Mexborough Secondary School, James originally intended joining the R.A.F. on leaving school and passed the necessary exams, only to fail in his medical.
He Joined the staff of Messrs. Steel, Peach and Tozer at Rotherham, and then later secured employment in the lamphouse at Denaby Main Colliery. Then he decided to join the Forces, and so in April, 1939, along with his brother George, who was also employed at Denaby Main Colliery, he volunteered for the Army. They both underwent training in various parts of Scotland before being sent to the Middle East in the early part of 1940. They have another brother. Kenneth, who is serving in the West Yorkshire Regiment, but who is anxious to secure a transfer to the Black Watch.
Their father, who is now employed by the L.N.E.R., served throughout the last war in the Royal Engineers and saw service on many fronts. Items of news, advertisements and Intimations of forthcoming events Intended for publication in this column should be sent to our local correspondent, Mr. N. Collindridge, 58. Park Road, Conisborough.