Gone for a Burton

[Morturn]

Does anyone know or have any suggestions as to the origin of Gone for a Burton?

A couple I had heard are:

Gone for a beer (Burton on Trent being the heart of the brewing industry)

An RAF phrase to say someone had died in a crash

Gone to join the armed forces. There was a suggestion that Burton Taylors had recruiting offices, but I cannot find any evidence of this. I know Burtons did supply army uniforms and De-Mod suites. I also understand that Montey Burton cared very much about worker welfare and built the first workers canteens and also his iconic shops.

 

[mw0njm.]

to be lost, broken, or ruined

 

[mw0njm.]

Gone for a Burton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Malvernian]

An often used phrase in our house with a dad who served in the RAF. I was taught that that origin was the "gone for a (Burton) beer" one. Initially to avoid saying that someone had died but later to refer to almost anything that was lost or beyond repair.
Bill Burton

 

[Pedrocut]

At times when my Burton was mentioned my mother would say “Burton on Trent, where the old man paid his rent.”
Could never find anyone else that said it, and the family had no connection with Burton.

 

[Radiorails]

Take your pick:

Theories behind where the phrase 'gone for a Burton' came from

It is a saying we hear often - and we like that it mentions our town

www.staffordshire-live.co.uk

 

[Stokkie]

Jonathan Green's Dictionary of Slang suggests:
go for a Burton (v.) [the precise ety. remains unknown but there are a number of suggestions. First is the elision of SE burnt ’un, i.e. a burning aircraft (and its pilot). Partridge (DSUE, 1970), and Paul Beale (DSUE, 1984) suggest: (i) a euph., going for a glass of Burton ale; (ii) Burton-on-Trent as rhy. sl. for ‘went’, as in ‘went west’ (i.e. go west under west adj.)...

Plus the previously suggested origins.
Source: https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/donklty

I like the disguised euphemism Burton on Trent rhyming slang for 'went' as in 'went west'

But I suspect we'll never find out for sure.

 

[Lloyd]

Generally seems to mean something is irrevocably broken, or a person is dead.

A few choices here: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gone-for-a-burton.html

 

[Stokkie]

 

[Stokkie]

View attachment 198187

From Daily Express 21 April 1941 among a list of RAAF slang terms. Defined, but nothing about origins.

 

[mikejee]

I would agree that immediate post war the meaning was dead or crashed. The "burnt un" would seem to fit that very well

 

[Astoness]

i remember in the 60s if we tripped up or fell over we would say he/shes gone for a burton and i still say it now

lyn