Former master of the Wilton and D-Day veteran Paul Butler has died at the age of 97.
Paul, who was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, later moved with his wife Christine to the New Forest and first started hunting on his chestnut mare Blondie.
He had many epic points with the New Forest Foxhounds under the stewardship of Sir Newton Rycroft. He then took office as point-to-point secretary with the New Forest Buckhounds and helped improve the promotion of the point-to-point at Larkhill, Salisbury.
Paul was in the Royal Navy; he landed tanks on D-Day as a midshipman, aged 17. He went in at 0600, in the first line of attack on Sword Beach.
He won many cups for the Navy running team and was invited to escort the Olympic torch through southern England en route to the London 1948 Games. He also ran for the Blackheath Harriers and won many races.
He loved racing; his beautiful dapple grey Rugantino won seven times at Devon and Exeter with Josh Gifford, and he would proudly present the Rugantino Cup in the 1960s with his mother-in-law, darling Grandma Meg.
Paul related many amusing events during his hunting career; one was a boxer dog who would often join the pack and run all day, much to the amusement of Stan Reed the huntsman and former Burley postman.
Paul joined the Wilton and had many epic points with the celebrated huntsman John Cook, including an eight-point from Odstock copse to Martin Down. He became treasurer at the Wilton and later with Lord Radnor took over the joint-mastership from the colourful character Willy Poole, a hard act to follow.
Paul was joint-master for two seasons before becoming sole master. He went about making the pack the friendliest in the area by reputation. He improved the hunt country by opening up new pieces of country like Dinton Beeches and Grovely Wood, and with Colonel Mitchell and Stuart Tory he worked to improve the hounds. This paid off in many epic points, including a memorable 10-mile point from Sixpenny Handley to the outskirts of Shaftesbury.
Paul later became chairman of the New Forest Beagles and used his connections with the Wilton to open up the former Chilmark country around Salisbury. He was also involved in fundraising for the beagles and helped develop the team chase.
Paul spent his final years in Portugal and at the age of 97 completed a 230-mile sponsored walk in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund, lending credence to his firm belief that the difficult is there only to be achieved. Donations can still be made via Paul Butler’s JustGiving page.
He is survived by his children Anthony and Jan, and grandchildren Alexander, Daniel, Edward and Mariella.
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