Petty Officer "Ted" Arthur Montague Edward Durnford

Royal Canadian Navy
March 1943 - March 1946

Ted was born Sept. 12, 1924 the second son of Villiers Henry & Ada Estelle (Stella Morgan) Durnford in West Hill, Scarborough, Ontario. He married Norma Lea, Sept. 26, 1953. During World War II, Ted joined the Royal Canadian Navy in March 1943 in Toronto. He was transferred to Edmonton, Alberta where he received Electrical training. After a period he was transferred to Windsor, Ontario where he received mechanical training. He was shipped across the Atlantic to Scotland where he was assigned to the Canadian ship HMCS Stormont. Their particular assignment was to patrol the North-East Atlantic with four other ships looking for German submarines. In late 1944 they escorted a convoy of merchant ships to Murmansk, Russia. Their ship was also under heavy German mortar fire from shore and was shelled off the coast of Bordeaux, France. Ted was a Petty Officer (Electrical Artificer). He was discharged in March, 1946.

An interesting side note was that HMCS Stormont was de-commissioned and sold after the war. The ship was purchased by a Greek, named Aristotle Onassis, who converted the ship into his personal yacht.

Captain Fred Durnford

Royal Navy, Canadian Merchant Marines & Canadian Coast Guard
1943 - 1978

Fred Durnford was born in July 12, 1916 in Rencontre West, Newfoundland. He was the oldest son of John Matt and Olive (Skinner) Durnford. During WWI he was a seaman in the Royal Navy stationed in Portsmouth, England. In 1943 he was on leave in London when the building he was in was bombed. Consequently, he was buried under a pot-bellied stove he had been standing next too and suffered burns to his right hand, arm and face. He suffered through almost a 100 operations at East Grinstead Hospital. He met his first wife, Doris Bulbrook at the East Grinstead Hospital where she was a nurse working for the Royal Navy. After the war he was the skipper of the south coastal hospital ship in Newfoundland. Later, in the 1950s he was the skipper a number of Great Lake merchant ships homeported in Montreal. In the 1970s he worked for the Canadian Coast Guard. His last duty was that as the relief skipper on the CCGS Simcoe and CCGS Griffen. He was still on active duty when he passed away in 1978.

Sargent Leslie Durnford

Royal Canadian Air Force (retired)
1968-1996

Born in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1946, he is the oldest son of Capt. Fred and Doris (Bulbrook) Durnford. He was raised in Rencontre West, Newfoundland, Montreal, Quebec, and Brockville, Ontario before joining the Canadian Air Force upon his graduation from high school. He has been stationed in Toronto, ON; Moosonee, ON; Goose Bay, Labrador, northern Alberta; Comox, BC; and finally in CFB Greenwood, NS where he retired.

Chief Boatswain's Mate Cynde Durnford-Branecki

United States Navy (retired)
March 1983 - Sept 2004

Born in Montreal, Quebec in 1958, she is the youngest daughter of Capt. Fred and Doris (Bulbrook) Durnford. She lived in both in Brockville, Ontario (with her father) and Southern Florida (with her mother). After spending her high school years in Brockville, she moved back to Florida at the age of 19 and at the age of 25 she joined the US Navy. After four years active duty, she transferred to the Navy reserves and served 21 years, retiring in 2004.

Duty stations on active duty: Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, IL; USS Fulton (AS-11) YD, Groton, CT; Naval Submarine Support Facility, Groton, CT; Portsmouth Naval Hospital (activated for Operation Desert Storm). Navy reserves: USS L.Y. Spear (AS-36), Norfolk, VA; Cargo Handling Battalion 10, Williamsburg, VA; Afloat Training Group, San Diego, CA; Naval Reserve Security Force; San Diego, CA.

Master Seaman (Master Corporal) Gordon Walter Durnford

Canadian Armed Forces–Navy (veteran)
Radar Plotter/Tech
1973-1980

Colonel Dewey F. Durnford, Jr.

United States Marine Corps (retired)

Colonel Dewey F. Durnford Jr. U.S. Marine Corps, veteran of WW II, Korea and Vietnam. A fighter ace with 7 victories and holder of the following awards: Legion of Merit with Combat V, Distinguished Flying Cross (4 awards), Air Medal (10 awards) and numerous unit and campaign awards. Graduate of North High School, 1941 and the University of Maryland, 1958. Raised in Columbus, OH. Col. Durnford served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 29 years. 

Commander Harley James Higgins

United States Navy (retired)
June 1942 - July 1977

Harley Higgins started out as an AS in 1942 and by 1944 he made Chief Petty Officer. In 1937 he joined the officer ranks when he made Warrant Officer and then later promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. He retired as a Commander in 1977 after 35 years of service.

In 1957 he was detailed to handle communications for President Eisenhower’s visit to Bermuda on the USS Canberra and received a letter from the White House commending him on an excellent job. He also handled the communications for the selection of the unknown soldier from the Korean War and the burial at sea of the two that were not selected. Harley spent four years on CINCPACFLT staff during the Vietnam War. and was also the Assistant Chief of Staff at COMNAVFORKOREA. The last four years of his service were spent at the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington. He was awarded the Legion of Merit twice and the Meritorious Service Medal together with the Joint Service Commendation Medal.