George Thomas Rolph was born on February 28, 1910 in London, England to Henry and Maud Rolph. While records don’t provide information specific to when he relocated to the area, records show that as of 1934, Rolph was serving with the 46th Durham Regiment. He listed his mother’s name as next of kin, and it was noted on his enlistment record that she remained living in England.
In the very earliest days of World War II, on Oct 27, 1939, Rolph went to Trenton to enlist. He was initially assigned to the Midland Regiment, which was a domestic Canadian Army unit, tasked with guarding critical Canadian infrastructure and providing coastline defense. Rolph, specifically, was tasked with guarding the RCAF base in Trenton.
On June 30, 1940, Rolph was re-assigned to the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment and underwent basic infantry training at both Picton and Camp Borden. On December 20, he was transferred back to the Midland Unit. With this unit he spent time guarding federal buildings in Ottawa, was sent to Saint John, New Brunswick to assist with creating harbour defense, in the Chippawa and Allanburg area near Niagara where he acted as a guard for the hydro generating facilities and the Welland canal.
By April, 1942, Rolph was in Edmonton, Alberta and was transferred to the A3 District Depot in Kingston, ON. This was where he undertook his training with the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders (SD&GH). On May 2, 1942 he was en route to England, arriving on May 12, and there joining the 3rd Divisional Reinforcement Unit.
The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders were sent onto Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, with Rolph among the unit who landed as part of the 9th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division.
The invasion itself was successful, a proud moment for Canadians, however fierce fighting for the control of the French city of Caen, followed as the Germans sought to block further Allied access into Normandy.
Rolph’s unit was the first to enter the city on July 9, 1944. Rolph however, had been killed in action the prior day. He was 34 years old.
Prior to his death, Rolph had been awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. He was also awarded (likely posthumously) the 1939-1945 France and Germany Star, along with the Defence Medal and the War Medal.
George Thomas Rolph is buried at Beny-Sur-Mer Military Cemetery in Normandy, France. His name is inscribed upon the Orono Cenotaph.
Courtesy of the Orono Weekly Times with special credit to Carol-Ann Oster
To subscribe to the Orono Weekly Times, please visit: https://www.oronoweeklytimes.com/