His 104th birthday caught the attention of our local media – and with a wonderful personality and tales to tell, we can understand why the press all want to talk to Captain Bryan Butchard!
BBC Radio Wiltshire and ITV West Country both visited for interviews, and the story of Capt Butchard’s birthday and his enjoyment of his third Coronation also made the pages of the Salisbury Journal and Wiltshire Life magazine.
Royal Navy veteran Captain Bryan Butchard celebrated his 104th birthday just six weeks before sitting down to watch his third Coronation.
Capt Butchard has seen the reign of five monarchs; he witnessed King George V lying in state, followed by his funeral in 1936, and watched Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation procession along Oxford Street.
Capt Butchard joined his fellow Amesbury Abbey residents in a marquee on the lawn to watch the Coronation on a big screen.
“I enjoyed it very much,” he said.
“I think His Majesty has made a wonderful start. He has got good presence, speaks well, and has a vast amount of knowledge. I’m sure it is going to be a wonderful reign.”