George Oakes Curphey F 41559; Officer Lieutenant West Nova Scotia Regiment; Canadian Intelligence Corps July 14, 1912 Quebec City, Quebec September 19, 1939 Bridgewater, NS Deep Brook, Annapolis Co., NS 27 5 feet, 9 inches Farmer and lumberman Church of England Single Violet Emmeline Curphey (Mother) Deep Brook, NS August 14, 1943 31 Milan War Cemetery II. C. 9. Commemorated on Page 150 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 29 Lieutenant George Curphey was the only son of William Frederick Curphey (1863 - 1939) and Violet Emmeline (Oakes) Curphey (1872–1960). He enlisted with the West Nova Scotia Regiment in September, 1939 and was posted to “B” Company at Bridgewater. On October 13, 1939 he was posted to Battalion Headquarters at Halifax. He embarked Canada at Halifax and arrived in the United Kingdom on January 1, 1940. In England he obtained his Commission as a Lieutenant on November 24, 1940 having attended the 1st Course at the Officers’ Cadet Training Unit, Canadian Training School at Bordon from August 5, 1940 to November 23, 1940. He departed England for the Mediterranean theatre of war on January 23, 1943, attached to the British Army and disembarked on February 1, 1943 and posted to 1st infantry Base Depot. Serving with the Canadian Intelligence Corps he was taken prisoner on February 22 1943. He died while a prisoner of war the result of an allied air raid over the prisoner of war camp on August 14, 1943. He was buried in the Milan War Cemetery. On the night of August 12 and 13, Bomber Command launched its heaviest raid on Milan. 504 bombers (321 Lancasters and 183 Halifaxes) took off from English bases, and 478 of them reached Milan and dropped 1,252 tons of bombs (670 explosive bombs and 582 incendiary bombs), including 245 4,000-lb blockbusters and 380,000 incendiary devices, over the city. This was the heaviest single air raid ever suffered by an Italian city. On the night of August 14 and 15, with fires were still raging from the previous bombing, another bombing was carried out by 134 Lancasters dropped 415 more tons of bombs.

Monument in Memory of Lieutenant George O Curphey 1912-1943 Located in Old Saint Edward Cemetery Clementsport, Annapolis Co., NS