| Personal Details | |
| Date of Birth | Probably January 1896 |
| Place of Birth | Massachusetts |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Trade / Calling | Farmer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Service Details | |
| Regimental Number | 2381603 |
| Service Record | Link to Service Record |
| Battalion | 5th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment |
| Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Branch | Canadian Garrison Regiment |
| Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
| Address at Enlistment | Warrenton, Massachusetts |
| Date of Enlistment | March 27, 1918 |
| Age at Enlistment | 22 |
| Theatre of Service | Canada |
| Prisoner of War | No |
| Survived War | Yes |
| Death Details | |
| Date of Death | May 12, 1950 |
| Age at Death | 54 |
Gold, Ephraim
Private Ephraim Gold enlisted in Winnipeg in March 1918 and served in Canada for six months. He was discharged for medical reasons in September 1918.
According to his attestation Ephraim was born in Massachusetts on 11 June 1896, although other records give his birth date as January 1896. For the 1900 U.S. census, at age four, he was listed as a boarder living with Mr. and Mrs. B. Pease in Worthington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The household included three other boarders, boys aged 7, 10 and 12. At the time of the 1910 census Ephraim, age 14, was living in Pelham Town, Hampshire County with Jason Keep, a mail carrier, and his wife Myra. Two other boys, aged 10 and 12, were listed as boarders and all three of them, including Ephraim, were recorded as wards of the state.
Ephraim moved to Canada in August 1916, crossing at St. Albans, Vermont with his destination listed as Quebec and his occupation farm labourer. He apparently spent some time in the town of Fort Frances, in northwestern Ontario, and by early 1918 he was in Winnipeg. He attempted to return to the U.S. in March 1918 but his request was deferred. He enlisted in Winnipeg on 27 March, signing up with the 1st Depot Battalion, Manitoba Regiment. His medical exam on 30 March found him fit for overseas service. For next of kin he listed the Great War Veterans Association in Winnipeg and he said his parents were both deceased.
Just two weeks after enlisting Ephraim was in Quebec City where he came down with the measles. He spent more than two months in a military hospital, from 15 April to 26 June, recovering from the measles but also suffering from tinnitus and pain in his ear. On 26 June he was moved to a convalescent hospital and on 17 August, when he returned to duty, he was attached to the 5th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment. His medical category had been changed to C1, fit for duty in Canada only. He was in the hospital again for two weeks in September, getting specialist treatment for an ear infection. He was discharged in Quebec on 23 September, due to being medically unfit for further war service.
When the 1921 census was taken Ephraim was living in the town of Norman, now part of Kenora, Ontario, and working as a sawmill labourer. About five years later he returned to Massachusetts and found employment with the Wallace Construction Company. He tried to return to Canada in 1933 but his request was rejected. In 1942, when he completed his U.S. WW2 draft registration, he was living in Clearwater County, Idaho and working for Potlatch Forests, Inc. Ephraim passed away in Orofino, Clearwater County on 12 May 1950, at age 54.
By Becky Johnson
