In December 1950, the Sunday Dispatch wrote of him: "People who do not know the Reverend William Francis Buttle feel sorry for him as he trundles his ancient bicycle through London’s East End or shuffles along the grey streets in shoes several sizes too big for him and clothes from which the linings hang in ribbons.

Canon Buttle, at 72, is the Church of England's most fantastic Parson – solicitor, real estate operator and shrewd share speculator – a legendary figure who some call a saint, and some a miser.

"Frank Buttle was perhaps the first person to challenge the abuses of baby farming – the taking in of infants to nurse for payment – and to offer the very practical alternative of adoption.

[citation needed] Buttle subsequently raised £1 million to create an endowment meant to support 1000 children each year.

Later that year, the full amount was raised and the two "Buttle Trusts" he had originally established in 1937 were amalgamated and became operational.