James Courtney was a son of John Courtney and Ellen Kane. He was born on 15 February 1888 at Timaru, in the South Island of New Zealand. Courtney moved to Auckland and he married Elizabeth Amy Cartwright in 1911, they had one daughter, Joyce Dean Courtney, who was born in 1921.
James Courtney was a Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion of the Wellington Regiment in World War I.
His first feat of gallantry in the field occurred at the beginning of July 1916, in France. Number Manitoba"s Land wiring was one of the infantryman"s most important and dangerous duties. Sergeant James Courtney, he was promoted to Lieutenant later, was in command of a wiring party when hostile machine gun fire was directed at them.
Two men were killed and two were wounded.
Courtney ordered the remainder of the party back, he himself carrying one of the wounded mentor The other walked in by himself, but in ignorance of this Courtney went out again with the stretcher-bearers to find him.
He found the body of one of the dead men and brought it in. Then finally he went out to search the ground to ensure no one was left in Number Manitoba"s Land.
All this was done under continuous heavy machine gun fire and whilst he was negotiating his own wiring.
On 4 November 1918 during operations near Villereau, Courtney was in charge of a leading platoon when the advance was held up by machine gun fire, he personally reconnoitred forward, and then leading a party of his own men to the flank, rushed the machine gun, killing a number of the crew and taking the remainder prisoners, also capturing the gun. The capture of the gun saved many casualties. After returning to New Zealand James Courtney farmed at Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty of the North Island.
He died 22 June 1934 at age 46, and is buried at the Te Puke Cemetery.
