238872 Yeo Sig. William Henry Courtney Royal Navy HMS Topaze from:Cardiff William Courtney was born on the 20th May 1885 in Cardiff, his father was William Courtney and his mother was Sarah Ann Evans. He was christened on the 10th August 1885 in St Margarets Church, Roath Cardiff.
He joined the Royal Navy in Portsmouth on the 20th May 1903, his 18th birthday, for a 12 year enlistment.
William married Florence Augusta Rean between January and March 1908 in Merthyr Tydfil. The 1911 census shows William in Clarence Barracks, Spithead. His wife Florence and their daughter Phyliss Stella aged 7 months are resident at 18 Percy Road, Gosport.
When war broke out in 1914 William was serving on HMS Topaze,
a Gem Class Lt Cruiser of 3,000 tons, launched in 1904. In August 1914 she joined the 5th Battle squadron based at Portland, and from January 1915 this squadron
was based on the Channel station.
In June 1915 she sailed from Dover to Gibraltar and then on to Malta.
In July 1915 she sailed from Malta to Taranto (Italy) and then on to Brindisi (Italy).
From January 1916 until December 1917 she was attached to the Italian fleet serving in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas.
She was variously based at Taranto and Brindisi throughout 1916 for patrols in the Adriatic calling in at Valona and Corfu. She set sail for Gibraltar on the 4th of June
1916 arriving on the 7th June 1916. She was based in Gibraltar until the 27th July 1916, when she returned to her base at Brindisi arriving on the 1st August 1916.
From this base she continued her Adriatic patrols calling in at Valona, (Vlore,Albania) and Port Dukati until 22nd October 1916 when she returned to Taranto.
She remained based in Taranto performing various patrols until the 18th March 1917.
She set sail from Taranto on the 19th March 1917, she passed Port Said and transited the Suez canal on the 23rd March 1917 to arrive in Aden on the 26th March 1917.
From her base in Aden she performed patrols taking in Makalla (Sokotra patrol), Ahwah and Shukra, she returned to her base in Aden on the12th April 1917.
From Aden she contined her patrols taking in Ras Sellen and the Zubair group of islands including Centre Peak island and Kamaran island she passed through the
Kamaran passage on the 13th June 1917 and returned to Aden. She continued her patrol work until the 28th June when she rendesvous off Abu Ail for an attack on
Hodeidah which took place on the 29th June 1917 sending landing parties ashore. She stayed at Hodeidah until the 7th July 1917 returning to Aden to continue
patrolling until the 31st July 1917.
She then set sail from Aden to Bombay (now Mumbai) India arriving in Bombay on the 8th August 1917. She remained in Bombay until the 20th October 1917, making
the return trip to Aden arriving there on the 28th October 1917.
From her base in Aden she continued her patrols to Perim, Kamaran, Juba, Ras Haram and Jebel Zukur island until the 19th January 1918.
On the 20th January 1918 she set sail from Aden to Suez remaining there until the 1st February 1918.
She sailed to Port Said from Suez and returned to Aden to resume patrols, these patrols took in Perim, Khor Ghuleirfaka, Suyul Hannish and southward to Abu Ail she
returned to Suez on the 27th March 1918, and from here William Henry Courtney returned to the UK, being dicharged to shore establishment Victory in Portsmouth. On the 11th of July 1918
he was sent to Gibraltar, PulCastle until the 26th of July. He joined HMS Europa on the 8th of September 1918 until 22nd of April 1919 and was tranferred to the
Royal fleet reserve on the 21st of June 1919.
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