Name
Arthur Manners Courteen
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
3229
Queen Victoria’s Rifles
9th (County of London) Battalion
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
Arthur Courteen was one of three brothers that served during the Great War. Arthur served with the Queen Victoria Rifles, as did Harry Courteen, whilst Hubert Courteen joined the Royal Flying Corps. Their parents, Henry and Louisa Courteen had four sons and two daughters, and in 1891 lived at Bottesford near Grantham. By the time of the 1911 Census the family had moved to Trent House, Rectory Road, Rickmansworth, where Henry was employed as a Consulting Engineer. It is not known how the family was linked with Abbots Langley, however the three brothers were all listed in the Abbots Langley Parish Magazine Roll of Honour throughout the War. In the January 1919 Parish Magazine commentary the Vicar “welcomed home” Harry Courteen which indicated that at some point between 1911 and 1914 the family re-located to Abbots Langley.
Arthur Courteen was born in the winter of 1892 at Leicester, and in 1911 worked as a Clerk. He was first listed in the Roll of Honour in March 1915, serving with the “Victoria Rifles” - 9th Battalion Queen Victoria’s Rifles (QVR). His Medal Roll indicated that he landed in France on 6th June 1915, and remained there until 23rd August 1915. It is not known if he was wounded, or taken sick and invalided back to England, however the Medal Roll noted a second period in France between 13th January 1917 and 5th October 1918, so it was possible that he was wounded for a second time. Arthur survived the War and was demobilised on 13th May 1919.
His brothers both survived the War too. Harry was captured on 1st July 1916, presumably during the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, when the 9th QVR was in action at Gommecourt. He returned home in January 1919. Hubert Courteen joined the Royal Flying Corps and survived the War.
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
