WWI/WWII grouping. Cort. Royal Navy. Cornwall. Dogger Bank, Spanish Civil War, Husky, Sinking of the Scharnhost.

Medals correctly named J32765 WH Cort AB RN
WWII medals unnamed as issued

William Henry Cort was born to William and Ellen in Shadwell, London on the 17th of May 1898.

We find the family living in 1911 living at Biscovey Moors, Par Moor, Fowey, Cornwall.

William enlisted for service on the 3rd of November 1914.

He served aboard HMS Africa from March 1915 until 1918 as a part ofthe 3rd Battle Squadron whos main mission seemed to be sweeping the North Sea in search of Germanys Grand Fleet after the Battle of Dogger Bank to which HMS Africa turned up after the sinking of Blucher.

We see in 1921, he is aboard HMS Valhalla and based in Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland.

He married Mary Denny in 1930.

Serving on various ships interwar, we see he is entitled to his LSGC in January 1938 and the medal was disposed to his ship HMS Hardy.

HMS Hardy Spanish Civil War
HMS Hardy played a significant role during the Spanish Civil War, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. The ship spent considerable time in Spanish waters, patrolling and enforcing the policies of the Non-Intervention Committee. Hardy was berthed in Palma, Majorca, on 23 May 1937 when that port was bombed by the Spanish Republican Air Force, but was not damaged. After the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, she began a refit in Devonport Dockyard between 2 June and 29 July. The ship was in Malta when World War II began in September.

We note in 1939, he is noted as living at 2 Claremont Court in Devon. Records state him to be a Royal Navy Pensioner serving in the Royal Navy Reserve.

He was at HMS Drake at the start of WWII and later HMS Vulture before his posting to HMS Duke of York in September 1941 where the new ship was deployed protecting the Atlantic and Arctic Convoys. In October 1943, the Duke of York played a small roll in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, her job was to protect the allied aircraft carriers.

William was present at the sinking of the Scharnhorst at the Battle of the North Cape aboard HMS Duke of York.

This V-class battleship transported Churchill to the United States in 1941, took part in the convoy duty and in 1941 took part in the Invasion of North Africa. There is a lot more interesting history to this ships WW2 actions including its action in December 1943 and the sinking of the Battleship Scharnhorst. HMS Duke of York hit the German battleship a number of times silencing one turret and a boiler room and took part in the latter 10 hour action in sinking the ship

William was present at the sinking of the Scharnhorst at the Battle of the North Cape.

The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle on 26 December 1943, part of the Arctic campaign. The German battleship Scharnhorst sailed to implement Operation Ostfront, an attack on Arctic convoys carrying supplies from the western Allies to the Soviet Union. Scharnhorst was brought to battle and sunk by the battleship HMS Duke of York and its cruisers and destroyers. The Norwegian destroyer HNoMS Stord played a notable part in the sinking. The result increased the British advantage in major surface units. The battle was the last between British and German big-gun capital ships. It was also the penultimate engagement between battleships in history, the last being the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944.

William was pensioned off in September 1945.

He died in 1967.

Its a pity that both the silver BWM and LSGC are missing from the grouping, they could very well had found the melting pot many years ago.