AN EXCESSIVELY RARE & COMPLETE “ROYAL NAVY”
(Gunner’s) 1914-15 Star Trio, with KHEDIVE’s Sudan Medal.
To:W.A. CORTIS. H.M.S SCOUT.
(& GNR, HMS SEAFLOWER “MINESWEEPER” (1914)
[THE MEDALS]
1914-15 Star: GNR W.A. CORTIS. R.N.
Pair: CH. GNR. W.A. CORTIS. R.N.
Khedive’s Sudan: W. A. CORTIS. AB. H.M.S. SCOUT. 1896.
[BIOGRAPHY] William Arthur Cortis, 1875-1945
William was born in Cornwall on 25th February 1875 and enlisted into the R.N. as Boy 2nd Class No. 154354, on his 18th birthday on 25th February 1893. Prior to enlistment he had worked in a Printing Office. He signed on for 12 years with a theoretical discharge date of 1905 at age 30.
(SERVICE IN THE GREAT WAR)
William had continuous service throughout the Great War. He was 39 years of age in 1914 at the outbreak of war and served in various shore training establishments and in sea going ships.
HMS VERNON (Later named HMS ACTAEON, a 50 Gun Hulk)
(Served as a base for The Torpedo Training School, Portsmouth)
HM TRAWLER SEAFLOWER. (Minesweeper)
HMT SEAFLOWER (ex-OSPREY II) An Admiralty trawler, minesweeper, Adty No 1. Built 1908 Goole SB, 275grt, purchased April 1909. Armament: 1-12pdr AA. One of six trawlers purchased pre-war as minesweeping training ships for men of the fishery reserve, served later with the Auxiliary Patrol. Based at Chatham or Sheerness 1914. On outbreak of war, allocated to the patrol organisation as a minesweeper. Renamed SEA ROVER 1.20. Sold 1920 as HEINRICH BEERMAN.
This trawler was a vessel engaged on important and dangerous patrolling and minesweeping duties in the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and off the East Coast of England.
During his 28 years of service in the Royal Navy, William Cortis was promoted right through the ranks from Boy 2nd Class, Boy 1st Class, Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, Leading Seaman, P.O.2 , P.O.1 with a commission as Lieutenant on 1st June 1916
William was discharged on 18th June 1921 aged 46. He died of heart failure & myocardial degeneration on 3rd March 1945 aged 70. He left the then considerable sum of £3409 1s 1d
*SPECIAL NOTE*
Odd Khedive Sudan singles to R.N. men with no other entitlements are very rare, but do occasionally show up, but after exhaustive research we can only find just one other complete Royal Navy “Trio & Khedive Sudan” group having been sold in the last 20 years, which was a similar group to Ldg Smn L.P. Hollinghurst R.N. also of HMS Scout which was sold at DNW as Lot 328 on 25th November 2015.
Clearly, with only 288 Khedive Sudan Medals awarded to Royal Navy men who served in just two small ships, HMS Melita & HMS Scout, there were even fewer men with service in “Sudan” who also went on to serve in The Great War. Hence a tiny numbers of possible groups. We estimate that there were only ever about 50 such groups, with only a very tiny number of extant survivors today.
This outstanding group comes with copies of the service record & confirming medal rolls.
All the medals are on original silk & cotton ribbons and are practically “mint state”, and having never been worn by the recipient, or cleaned, they all still have their original surfaces tone & lustre.
£2995 with quality part-exchanges welcome ....call us on 01342-870926
To:W.A. CORTIS. H.M.S SCOUT.
(& GNR, HMS SEAFLOWER “MINESWEEPER” (1914)
[THE MEDALS]
1914-15 Star: GNR W.A. CORTIS. R.N.
Pair: CH. GNR. W.A. CORTIS. R.N.
Khedive’s Sudan: W. A. CORTIS. AB. H.M.S. SCOUT. 1896.
[BIOGRAPHY] William Arthur Cortis, 1875-1945
William was born in Cornwall on 25th February 1875 and enlisted into the R.N. as Boy 2nd Class No. 154354, on his 18th birthday on 25th February 1893. Prior to enlistment he had worked in a Printing Office. He signed on for 12 years with a theoretical discharge date of 1905 at age 30.
(SERVICE IN THE GREAT WAR)
William had continuous service throughout the Great War. He was 39 years of age in 1914 at the outbreak of war and served in various shore training establishments and in sea going ships.
HMS VERNON (Later named HMS ACTAEON, a 50 Gun Hulk)
(Served as a base for The Torpedo Training School, Portsmouth)
HM TRAWLER SEAFLOWER. (Minesweeper)
HMT SEAFLOWER (ex-OSPREY II) An Admiralty trawler, minesweeper, Adty No 1. Built 1908 Goole SB, 275grt, purchased April 1909. Armament: 1-12pdr AA. One of six trawlers purchased pre-war as minesweeping training ships for men of the fishery reserve, served later with the Auxiliary Patrol. Based at Chatham or Sheerness 1914. On outbreak of war, allocated to the patrol organisation as a minesweeper. Renamed SEA ROVER 1.20. Sold 1920 as HEINRICH BEERMAN.
This trawler was a vessel engaged on important and dangerous patrolling and minesweeping duties in the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and off the East Coast of England.
During his 28 years of service in the Royal Navy, William Cortis was promoted right through the ranks from Boy 2nd Class, Boy 1st Class, Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, Leading Seaman, P.O.2 , P.O.1 with a commission as Lieutenant on 1st June 1916
William was discharged on 18th June 1921 aged 46. He died of heart failure & myocardial degeneration on 3rd March 1945 aged 70. He left the then considerable sum of £3409 1s 1d
*SPECIAL NOTE*
Odd Khedive Sudan singles to R.N. men with no other entitlements are very rare, but do occasionally show up, but after exhaustive research we can only find just one other complete Royal Navy “Trio & Khedive Sudan” group having been sold in the last 20 years, which was a similar group to Ldg Smn L.P. Hollinghurst R.N. also of HMS Scout which was sold at DNW as Lot 328 on 25th November 2015.
Clearly, with only 288 Khedive Sudan Medals awarded to Royal Navy men who served in just two small ships, HMS Melita & HMS Scout, there were even fewer men with service in “Sudan” who also went on to serve in The Great War. Hence a tiny numbers of possible groups. We estimate that there were only ever about 50 such groups, with only a very tiny number of extant survivors today.
This outstanding group comes with copies of the service record & confirming medal rolls.
All the medals are on original silk & cotton ribbons and are practically “mint state”, and having never been worn by the recipient, or cleaned, they all still have their original surfaces tone & lustre.
£2995 with quality part-exchanges welcome ....call us on 01342-870926