Joseph Lister VC

Name: Joseph Lister

Conflict: First World War

Gazetted: November 26, 1917

Service: Army

Place/date of birth: Salford, Lancashire/October 19, 1886

Rank when awarded VC (and later highest rank): Sergeant

Date of bravery: October 9, 1917

London Gazette citation:

No. 8133 Sjt. Joseph Lister, Lan. Fus. (Reddish, Stockport).

For most conspicuous bravery in attack, when advancing to the first objective, his Company came under machine gun fire from the direction of two “Pill-boxes.” Seeing that the galling fire would hold up our advance and prevent our troops keeping up with the barrage, Sjt. Lister dashed ahead of his men and found a machine gun firing from a shell hole in front of the “Pill-box.” He shot two of the enemy gunners, and the remainder surrendered to him. He then went on to the “Pill-box” and shouted to the occupants to surrender. They did so with the exception of one man, whom Sjt. Lister shot dead; whereupon about 100 of the enemy emerged from shell holes further to the rear and surrendered.

This Non-commissioned Officer’s prompt act of courage enabled our line to advance with hardly a check and to keep up with the barrage, the loss of which might have jeopardised the whole course of the local battle.

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Other decorations: N/A

Place/date of death: Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire/January 19, 1963

Grave/memorials: Willow Grove Cemetery, Reddish, Greater Manchester

Origin of VC to the Lord Ashcroft collection: Purchased privately, 1991

Current location of VC: Displayed on rotation at The Lord Ashcroft Gallery: Extraordinary Heroes exhibition, Imperial War Museum