William Harry Butler was born on February 13, 1922, in Dolores, Colorado. He was the son of William Lester Butler and Mary Magdalene Jenkins Butler.

William Harry served in the 862nd Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot on the B-17 #44-8304 during World War II. He was Killed in Action on January 10, 1945, when their bomber crashed off the end of the runway at Debach and exploded. The airplane had a severe power loss on take-off and crashed at Rookery Farm in Monewdon, England. Four members of the crew were Killed in Action, and five men survived and returned to duty.

1Lt Butler is now buried in the Greenmount Cemetery, Durango, La Plata County, Colorado, USA. He also has a cenotaph located in Summit Ridge Cemetery, Colorado.

Airmen who perished were:
Pilot: William H. Butler
Co-pilot: Sidney B. Jones
Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ray H. Beeles
Tail gunner: August B. Muenzer

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, b17flyingfortress.de