Remembering World War I Yarmouth Connections

Name: Charles Henry Durkee Regimental Number: 283469 Rank: Private Service: 219th Battalion (Home Guard) “C” Company Place of Birth: Lake George, Yarmouth Co., N.S. Date of Birth: August 8, 1875 Date of Enlistment: April 12, 1916 Place of Enlistment: Yarmouth, NS Address at Enlistment: Beaver River, Yarmouth Co., N.S. Prior Military Experience: 29th Battery, CFA Age at enlistment: 40 Height: 5 feet 8 inches Complexion: Medium Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Dark Brown Marital Status: Married Trade: Farmer Religion: Baptist Next of Kin: Ella May Durkee (Wife) Beaver River, NS Date of Death: March 18, 1918 Age at Death: 42 Cemetery: Port Maitland (Beaver River) Cemetery, NS Grave Reference: L.101. N.B. Commemorated on Page 402 of the First World War Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on August 30, 31 Commemorated on the Yarmouth War Memorial Charles Henry Durkee was the son of the late Cyrus M. and Mary E. Durkee and the husband of Ella May Durkee. of Beaver River, N.S. Charles had a daughter, Anna Vivian and a son Private Forrester Durkee who was stationed in Halifax at McNabs Island with the Canadian Artillery. Charles enlisted with the 219th Battalion in 1916. He was stationed with the Special Service Company at Halifax, NS in October of 1916. On December 6th 1917, at the time of the Halifax Explosion, Charles was on duty at the Wellington Barracks and incurred a severe head injury and lost vision in his left eye. Hospitalized, an operation was performed on March 17, 1918 to remove a splinter of bone from his brain. He did not recover from the operation and died the following day.