Born in Colombo (in what is now Sri Lanka) to English parents, Butler moved back to Britain as a child.
He played in Arsenal's' reserve side in his first season, before World War I intervened.
Butler duly signed up for the Royal Artillery and served in France during the war, and returned to Arsenal after the end of hostilities.
By then he had come of age, and with the resumption of first-class football, he made his first-team debut for Arsenal, against Bolton Wanderers on 15 November 1919.
A tall, elegant and clean player, Butler initially played as a traditional "centre half" — i.e. as a central, deep-lying midfielder; he was in competition with Arsenal's' regular centre halves, Chris Buckley and Alex Graham, but by 1924-25, he was the undisputed first-choice centre half, playing in all but three games of the club's League campaign that season.