Barton Olney (Major)

[manxmangt]

Does anyone have anything on Major Bart(on) Olney, Sussex regiment, he was my Great-uncle.

I know he served on the Western Front during some or most of the war, he was a regular officer long before the conflict started.

[steve fuller]

Hi manxmgmnt & welcome to the forum

His Medal index Card (MIC) can be downloaded for £3.50 here:

http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchive...1&resultcount=1

Description Medal card of Olney, B N

Corps Regiment No Rank

Royal Sussex Regiment Major

Date 1914-1920

Catalogue reference WO 372/15

Dept Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies

Series War Office: Service Medal and Award Rolls Index, First World War

Piece Nolan P - Pickering S M

Image contains 1 medal card of many for this collection

Getting the MIC should tell you what Btn he served in & from there you can at least find out what actions he would have seen during his service. Each Btn kept a War Diary too, and as he's a Major, he may get a mention in the diary; may even have written some entries himslf perhaps? I dont have Sussex unit diaries myself, but someone on forum may have?

Did he survive the war do you know?

Also, check local papers from the time (on microfilm usually & held at local libraries / archive storage areas such as County Halls).

And if you find he was especially active or wounded in a specific engagement, this site & forum should be able to give you loads of extra info on it. The Pals on forum have huge collective resources, including schools registers and all sorts.... Him being a Major may be quite fortunate too, as theres likely to be a bit of info on him around!

Best of luck to you

Steve

[manxmangt]

Thanks Steven.

Yes he survived tyhe war and died an old man in about 1941. As a young boy all he ever wanted to do was be a soldier, he ran away from home and signed up as a drummer boy and went to fight the Matabele in Rhodesia, his dad got him out and when old enough he was commissioned, he finished his career within a year or two of the end of the conflict.