In 1933, with the addition of son John, Ernest moved the family to 76 King Edward and when baby Edward arrived in 1935, they settled at 301 Cedarvale Avenue. George was presumably a member of Danforth Park's Class of 1934 and he continued school at East York High School. He had a job for three months as a delivery boy for a grocery store. George and his siblings attended the Sunday school at the Danforth Mennonite Church on Danforth Avenue near Woodbine. In 1930s Toronto, Sunday was truly considered the day of rest. No stores were open and no sporting events nor movies were allowed on that day. Most kids, mainly for something to do, attended Sunday School at a nearby church, regardless of the denomination. One Sunday Ernest went with his children. Shortly thereafter the Ford family converted to the Mennonite faith and became active members of the congregation. Ernest was soon asked to teach Sunday School.

 

George left school in the middle of Grade 11, in 1936. He worked for a while at odd cement and carpentry jobs and in 1937 he began working in Markham for various Mennonite farmers as a tractor driver and farm hand. He would earn $7.50 a week plus board working on the farm of a Mr. Hoover in 1943. George liked to read, especially digest magazines, and he gardened, hunted and sang in the church choir. A cheerful soul who smiled easily, he was a small man – 5'3” and 121 lbs, but was wiry and was rarely sick. In 1940 another brother, Harold was born and the Fords moved again to 156 Barker Avenue on the northwest corner of Barker and Cedarvale.

 

Mennonites have strongly held beliefs about nonviolence and when the war started in 1939, this put their beliefs on a collision course with the Canadian government which deemed that every eligible man was supposed to join the military. Eventually a compromise was made and Mennonites as conscientious objectors became involved with first aid training, labour service at non-combatant areas and pacifist military training at military camps. George, as a farm worker, was able to delay his enlistment in the Canadian forces and when he finally signed up on April 8, 1943, he stated that although he was a Mennonite, he wasn't a conscientious objector.

 

George hoped to become a signalman in the army or to take some other trade training. Unfortunately due to the tremendous need for infantrymen, he learned to be a rifleman at camps in Toronto, Orillia and at Camp Borden near Barrie. On July 22 he was given two weeks' leave before shipping out and spent it in Toronto with his family. He embarked on August 24 and set foot in Britain on September 1. Once there, the army finally gave George the opportunity to train as a signalman. In battle, his responsibility would be communications between the front lines and headquarters and to keep those lines of communication functioning.

 

On January 21, 1944, George qualified as an infantry signaller and less than a week later was assigned to the Algonquin Regiment of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps. The Algonquins had been in England since June 1943, training in southern England for the coming invasion of Europe. The regiment was part of the 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade of the Fourth Canadian (Armoured) Division. The Algonquins entrained for Inveraray, Scotland on Loch Fyne in the Western Highlands, arriving on February 13. The regiment took part in exercises of attacking beaches from landing craft, also night manoeuvres and simulated battles with live ammunition. They arrived back at their camp in southern England a few weeks later.

 

The regiment continued intensive training and exercises and on April 11, the officers were told that no more leave was to be granted, hinting to them that a major campaign would soon be launched. On April 17, the Algonquins moved to a more comfortable camp a few miles further north and continued their amphibious assault practice. On May 17, the regiment broke out their spit and polish for an inspection by Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Twelve days later, on the 29th, American General Eisenhower visited, giving the men a pep talk.

 

D-Day was June 6, but the Algonquins were not a part of it and were told that their role would be to push inland and hold ground. On July 12th, an advance reconnaissance party was sent from the regiment to Normandy. Early on July 18 the regiment moved out, knowing that their deployment was imminent. They arrived at the marshalling area east of London on the Thames and on the 19th, German buzz bombs were landing nearby. They boarded the M.S. Coombe Hill on the 20th. George and the Algonquins landed on Juno Beach on July 22, 1944. There they were informed of their mission to join the inland battle to close the Falaise Gap, south of the city of Caen. The Germans had been surrounded about 30 kilometres inland with the exception of the gap, which was a small escape corridor that the Germans were viciously defending. The Allies figured the gap would be closed if they drove south to meet up with the Americans.

 

The Canadians planned Operation TOTALIZE, to capture high ground north of Falaise. The operation began on August 8, spearheaded by the tanks of the Canadian Armoured Corps. The Algonquins assembled in fields near the village of Ifs. The first phase of TOTALIZE was a success and the Canadians penetrated several kilometres, but were stalled by the afternoon while the army waited for Allied bombers to blast enemy targets. The German Panzers (tanks) took advantage of the pause to block a strategic road.

 

In the very early morning of August 9, the Canadians counter-attacked. Two forces would move forward. B, C and HQ companies of the Algonquins, along with the British Columbia Regiment, a tank regiment, were to take up position on strategically important Hill 195 in the Quesnay Wood. They became the second force, known as Worthington Force, after their leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Worthington. They set out at 0230 hrs and proceeded south, knowing that they had to take Hill 195 before dawn. The Germans had not yet been cleared out of the town of Bretteville-le-Rabet and the Worthington Force came under heavy fire. Worthington ordered the men to go around the east side of the village to avoid the barrage. Dust from the tanks and fog made visibility poor. Worthington had them continue to move quickly, to avoid detection. Because Worthington didn't stop to determine his position, the force ended up on the wrong road and didn't know it. Just before dawn they saw a hill ahead of them and assumed it was Hill 195. It was Hill 140, six kilometres northeast of their objective.

 

Worthington radioed his position to headquarters, on what he believed to be Hill 195. He didn't realize that he was camped along the new German defensive line. Once the Germans learned of the force's presence, tanks converged on the Canadians. German mortar fire began at 8 am. Worthington asked for artillery support, and when it arrived, it realized that Worthington Force wasn't on Hill 195. Worthington had also left them open to friendly fire from RAF planes which strafed them before the Canadians could identify themselves. The RAF pilots didn't report the incident and consequently an opportunity to send support was lost. A group of Polish tanks also mistook them and fired on them. To give the Canadians credit, they successfully kept the Germans at bay. Late in the afternoon Worthington was killed by a mortar. Several Canadians made a dash for freedom back to the Allied lines and some Canadians were taken prisoner. The two regiments were decimated, the Algonquins with 128 dead or wounded.