Lieutenant Colonel Tim Courtenay OBE,DL

Born at the outbreak of the Second World War, his father was a regular officer in The Royal Tank Regiment and commanded 107 Regiment Royal Armoured Corps in Churchill tanks during the battle for Caen in 1944.

He attended schools in England and joined The Royal Marines in 1959. During "Confrontation" with Indonesia he was a Rifle Troop Commander with 42 Commando in Brunei and Sarawak from 1960 to 1964. Leaving the Far East, he volunteered for service with The Trucial Oman Scouts; learning Arabic, he served in the Trucial Oman until 1970. Staff and training appointments followed before commanding a Company in 40 Commando in Northern Ireland. For this he was awarded a "Mention in Despatches". He commanded the Royal Marines Small Arms and Sniper Wing and then following Staff College he Commanded Royal Marines Reserve in Merseyside. His last appointment was as Chief of Staff to The British Military and Advisory Training Team in Zimbabwe from 1985 to 1988. He was appointed as an Officer of The Order of The British Empire (OBE).

Rifle shooting was a prime pursuit and he shot at Bisley for The Royal Marines, Devonshire and Captained the Great Britain Service Rifle Team in 1982. He was also a keen stalker of the Red Deer in Scotland.

Retiring from The Royal Marines in 1988 he entered the Fine Art world as a general valuer and auctioneer. Following this he joined The Royal British Legion as the Welfare and Fundraising Officer for Devon, caring for the ex-Service community. Finally retiring in 2003, he has become a devotee of the Battlefields of WW1 and WW2, trained as a Battlefield Guide and is a member of The International Guild of Battlefield Guides. To date he has taken over 3000 people to the battlefields of Europe. Leading both large and small groups, he is especially pleased to trace the footsteps of family members and visit the associated battles and cemeteries.