405825 Rifleman George Victor Kemp was born on 4 July 1897 in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Horatio Kemp and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pricilla Best. (His WWI service record records his birth year as 1896 – perhaps lying like many did to appear older than he was.) He had a younger brother David. Another brother William was killed in action during WWI. A brother Ernest served with the Canadian Postal Corps.

He enlisted with the 35th Battalion CEF in Niagara, Ontario on 15 September 1915. After further training in the United Kingdom, he was transferred to the 58th Battalion and arrived in France on 10 April 1916 to join them.

Kemp was hospitalized with influenza for much of April 1918. In May 1918 he was posted to the Canadian Corps Survey Section until contracting influenza again in February 1919, then invalided to England in March and returned to Canada in May. He was gassed in both 1916 and 1918.

He was demobilized and discharged on 27 May 1919 in Toronto.

On 23 December 1921, he married Jessie Cameron in Toronto. They had two daughters and three sons, one of whom died young.

Kemp died on 1 April 1959 in Toronto, Ontario and is buried in Prospect Cemetery Section 19, Grave 421.