Although Butterworth had lots of work he often felt that his life had no purpose. When World War I broke out, Butterworth felt that he could be useful so he joined the British Army. He was killed by a sniper in 1916 at Pozières leading a raid during the Battle of the Somme. His body was not found, and his name appears on the Thiepval memorial, near the site of the Somme. He was awarded the Military Cross, and a trench was named after him.