David James McCurdy was born in Winnipeg on 5^th December 1886.  His father was a farmer and he became a farmer too.  

His name is recorded on two graves – one in Canada and another thousands of miles away in Sussex

On 14^th August 1914, soon after war was declared, David enrolled in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Swift Current, Saskatchewan and became a Private 51885 in Lord Strathcona’s Horse (The Royal Canadians). This regiment was formed by Donald Smith, (Lord Strathcona), a Scottish born Canadian businessman and was the last regiment in the British Empire to be raised by a private individual. 

David sailed for England on 3^rd October 1914 and on 4^th May 1915 had received enough training to be sent to the trenches of northern France. He was not to be on the front-line for long. 

On 21^st June 1915 David was in the trenches near Givenchy-en-Gohelle when he was struck in the left thigh by a rifle bullet which broke his femur and left a large ‘exit wound’.  He was evacuated to a Dressing Station in Boulogne where he stayed for three days before crossing the channel to Newhaven, Sussex.  He was then taken to London and admitted to the King George Hospital, Stamford Street (near London Bridge Station) on 27^th June.  On 1^st August he received a ‘radiogram examination’ (X-ray) and it was found that he had fragments of metal around his fracture.

He slowly recovered  and on 1^st December 1915 Dr A.H.Todd wrote on his record ‘I am of the opinion that this man’s femur is soundly united and that he is fit to ride a horse again’.  He was then discharged to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital in Bromley, Kent.    

During 1916 David was based at Shorncliffe Barracks at Folkestone.  According to his army record he was not transferred to Sussex (St Leonards on Sea) until 3^rd  July 1917. Later that month, on 23^rd July he was transferred again, this time to the Canadian Military Hospital at All Saints, Meads, Eastbourne. 

David’s Military record states that from 1^st January 1917 his wife was Martha Mirian and she was living at 25, Silverland Road, Silverhill, St Leonards on Sea. This is probably the date of their marriage although I can find no record of this.  I suspect that her maiden name was Williams – this name is mentioned in David’s Army records but crossed out.  Shortly afterwards the family (or at least Martha) were in Montgomery, Wales. On 26^th July 1917 David and Martha had a son, Jack Williams McCurdy. (note his middle name). He was christened at Forden, near Welshpool, Montgomery, Wales on 7^th October 1917. David’s occupation is shown a ‘soldier’.  It is probably that Martha was Welsh and Montgomery was  her home town. 

Martha returned to Eastbourne but on 23^rd March 1918 little Jack died aged just 7 months. Two weeks later on  7^th April 1918 Martha died age 27 years. It is probably that both died of influenza. They were buried at Ocklynge Cemetery and a large gravestone was erected which can still be seen today.   

On 1^st February 1919 William David McCurdy was born. The father was David James (now based at Cooden Camp) but the mother is shown as ‘Rosa Lilian’. The baby was baptised a month later at St Andrews (Norway) Church in Seaside, Eastbourne and the couple are shown as living at 45, Sidley Road.  On 8^th June 1919. David married again, not to Rosa but a girl called Elizabeth who lived at 16, Rutland Gardens, Harringay, North London. 

Later that year on 3^rd September 1919 David embarked on the SS Adriatic to return to Canada, arriving in Halifax on 19^th September.  Did Elizabeth travel with him?   

During the Second World War, David served again when he joined the ‘Veterans Guard’, the Canadian equivalent  of the British ‘Home Guard’

David died at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan on 17^th April 1959. Terry Miller of Moose Jaw has kindly traced his grave which shows his wife, who pre-deceased him by two years, was Elizabeth or ‘Bess’, so yes, Elizabeth did travel back to Canada where they lived out their days together.

The grave is at St Catharines (Victoria Lawn) Cemetery. 

Today the magnificent Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge stands just a short distance from where David was shot. Despite his injury he was one of the lucky ones as the area is dotted with thousands of Canadian graves. 

It is interesting how two graves, one in Sussex and one in Saskatchewan, thousands of miles distant have a connection. 

Sources: 

Canadian National Archives

Find-a-Grave,

Ancestry.Com

Canadian Newspaper Archives.

The Canadian Great War Project

Moose Jaw Family History Society