Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 91 continued ... George Oakes Curphey was born in Quebec City on 4 July 1912 to William Frederick and Violet Emmeline Curphey. While still a child, he moved with his parents and brother, William Christian Curphey, to Deep Brook in the Annapolis Valley. George joined the Annapolis Regiment, as a reserve infantry soldier, on 16 June 1930 in Bear River. He was discharged on 14 June 1933 so he could dedicate more time to farming and lumbering. Nine days after Canada declared war on Germany, George travelled to Bridgewater and enlisted in the West Nova Scotia Regiment. He was appointed as an acting sergeant in B Company and on 22 September 1939 volunteered for the CanadianActive Service Force. Sergeant Curphey arrived in England, along with the rest of the WNSR, on 22 December 1939. He was involved with several security duties while with the WNSR in England. In March of 1940 he attended a long drill instructors’ course with the British Brigade of Guards. On 23 November, having completed a 4-month long officer candidate course, he was commissioned from the ranks and returned to the WNSR for more training and security work. Lieutenant George Oakes Curphey, who went by the nickname of ‘G-O,’ was posted to the Canadian Intelligence Corps in July 1942. In January 1943 George was part of a group of Canadian army personnel – 78 officers and 63 other ranks – posted to North Africa to work with British units there. On 14 February, shortly after his arrival in Tunisia, Lt Curphey was attached to the 6th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers of the 1st British Army. On the night of 21/22 February 1943, George was part of a reconnaissance patrol sent out to a known enemy position to assess the enemy strength and level of morale, ‘with possible object of attacking it with a platoon in a day or two.’ The regimental war diary for 24 February notes "Lt Curphey, Lt Bokanowski, Special Detachment 5 Corps and 4 NCOs did not return from patrol last night. We are all sorry indeed to lose Lt Curphey. He was a Canadian sent out for 3 months to gain experience from the Canadian forces in England. He was a born leader.” George was declared missing and assumed captured. He became a prisoner of war and was eventually sent to a POW in northern Italy. Bomber Command records show “14-15 August - another operation was made to Milan by 140 Lancasters, where a successful attack was reported.” Lt George Curphey is recorded as being killed during the bombing of his POW camp that night. George was 31 years old when he was killed. After the war his remains were buried in grave 2C9 of the Milan War Cemetery. There is a monument in memory of Lieutenant George Oakes Curphey located in Old Saint Edward Cemetery, Clementsport. NS. He is also commemorated at the Clementsport Legion.
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