Although born in London, Peggy Butler was brought up in Devon where her father served as a captain in the Royal Engineers. She was an ambulance driver during World War I with the Women’s Legion. After the war she worked in an office in London and it was there that she took up fencing. She picked up a foil for the first time at the age of 28, and in her first appearance at the British Foil Championships in 1926, reached the semi-final. The following year she went all the way to the final before finishing second to Muriel Freeman. However, in 1928, she gained revenge over Freeman and won the title at the third attempt. It was the first of four British titles for Butler who went on to win the title in the three successive years, 1930-32. She was runner-up in the Hutton Cup in 1928, but won it in 1929 and 1931. Butler did not defend her title in 1932 when she was out of the sport for some time with an injured right arm. She was still fencing competitively into her late-30s.
Great Britain