Help Needed, Olga Houses Location Please.

[17107BM]

Hello Pals.

 

Thought this was going to be a straight forward bit of research for our trip in June, but not to be. Our small party wish to visit the site where, 8133 Sergeant Joseph Lister won his Victoria Cross taking Olga House single handed and taking One hundred German prisoners in the process. 

From what i have read, Olga House or Houses, was  a collection of Bunkers and fortified farm houses, as most on the Salient were.

The 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers made there attack 9th October 1917, and Lister and his men were under heavy Machine Gun fire and in fear of loosing there barrage cover unable to keep up. At that point Lister dashed forward and took the German Machine Gun post alone, saving his men from there fire and saving lives.

This is a local man to us. He is buried in Willow Bank Cemetery, Reddish, Stockport. An old descendant has asked one of our party,that if possible could he get a picture of the area, and he passed the task on to me, given I was setting the agenda for the trip.

 

Would welcome any information or research that Pals have.

 

Thanks.

[johnboy]

There is some info on him and possibly a war diary. The diary may give trench map refs.

 

http://www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk/LancashireFusiliersVictoriaCrosses.htm

[IPT]

Found this - http://poelcapelle14-18.be/OlgaHouse

 

[kenf48]

The war diary for the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers for October 1917 has the operation order and battle narrative for the 9th October attached as appendices.  They include map references but no map.

 

There is a list of awards for the action on the 9th in the body of the diary but Sgt Lister's VC is not mentioned.  A note on the Battle report says recommendations will be submitted later.  This list does not appear to have survived.

 

 

 

The diary can be downloaded from TNA http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4555451

 

or on this link on Ancestry if you can get the war diaries on the Australian Edition

 

The Brigade diaries usually have maps but they appear to be missing, at least on Ancestry.

 

Ken

 

 

[17107BM]

Thanks for all your prompt replies, I'll go through them now.

 

Big Thanks Pals.

Gary. 

[IPT]

It's somewhere in the vicinity of Conde House and Senegal Farm, North West of Poelcapelle, I reckon.

 

 

 

[clk]

Hi 17107BM,

 

This map from the 29th Division HQ (General Staff) war diary of the time shows Olga Houses at about U.18.b.6.3.

 

 

 

Hopefully this link will open up on the trench map square, and will allow you to 'blend' the view to see how it fits into he modern landscape. Good advice (if needed) on how to read a trench map is here on the LLT.

 

Regards

Chris

Edited 14 April , 2017 by clk

[17107BM]

Hello all.

 

Many thanks for all your contributions and help. Felt I was never going to find the place.

You have indeed saved me.

Cheers all.

 

Gary.