Sir James Ramsay Montagu Butler
1889-1975. Son of Montagu Butler. Regius Professor of Modern History; Vice-Master. Served in both World Wars.
Like his father, Butler was educated at Harrow and Trinity. A brilliant scholar, he won a number of prizes, including the Chancellor's Medal in Classics and the Craven Scholarship. He became president of the Cambridge Union and gained a double first class in Classics and History. When World War I started in 1914, he joined the Scottish Horse. This was a regiment in the Yeomanry, and it saw service in the Middle East, first at Gallipoli and then Egypt. Butler next gained a position in the Directorate of Military Operations in the War Office and ended the war serving in the general staff of the British forces in France. His service led to the award of the OBE and he was twice mentioned in dispatches.
After the end of the war Butler returned to Cambridge. In 1922 he stood as a Member of Parliament for Cambridge University. His greatest achievement during his short tenure in the House of Commons was the passage of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Act 1922 which put into law the proposals of the Royal Commission established in 1919 to review the organisation and constitutions of the universities and the statutes of their colleges. He was defeated in the 1923 general election by his cousin Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler. Promotion to tutor came in 1928, and a lectureship in history in 1929; he was made Senior Tutor in 1931. He was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History in 1947, holding the chair until 1954 when he was appointed Emeritus Professor. The following year he was elected Vice-Master of Trinity, holding the post until 1960.
In World War II Butler returned to military service in the Army Intelligence Corps. From 1942 he worked in the field of civil affairs and military government, with particular focus on France. After the conclusion of hostilities, he was appointed editor United Kingdom Military Series of the History of the Second World War by Clement Attlee. He wrote two of the volumes concerning grand strategy published within that series. In 1958 he was given a knighthood for his work on the books.
| Memorial inscription | Translation |
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JAMES RAMSAY MONTAGU BUTLER EQ. AVR. IN COLLEGIO NATVS MAGISTRI FILIVS MOX |
Sir James Ramsay Montagu Butler was born in the College, being son of the Master, and was successively Scholar, Fellow, Lecturer, Tutor, Vice-Master, and Regius Professor of History. He was Chief Editor of a history of World War II. Ascetic himself but a generous host to others, he was loved and esteemed by all the Fellows. Still active in his old age, he died in 1975 at the age of eighty-five. |
James Ramsay Montagu ButlerBrass located on the north wall of the Ante-Chapel. |
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