Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthOctober 16, 1891
Place of BirthBuckhurst Hill, Essex
CountryEngland
Marital StatusMarried
Trade / CallingLabourer
ReligionChurch of England
Service Details
Regimental NumberK25935
Service Recordsee images below
ForceRoyal Navy
BranchRoyal Navy
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Date of EnlistmentMay 1, 1915
Age at Enlistment23
Theatre of ServiceEurope
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathAugust 18, 1961
Age at Death70
Buried AtLake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario
Plot14E-12-1

Jefford, Albert Ernest

Albert Ernest Jefford was born on 16 October 1891 in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, England. His parents were Ernest Jefford, an agricultural labourer, and Lydia Ann Brown. Siblings included: Lydia (b. 1882; married William Webb), Edith (b. 1884; married John Haggett), Alice Matilda (b. 1887), James William (b. 1897; served in WW1) and Dorothy May (b. 1906; married Alfred John Lund).

Albert was educated in England and as a young man joined the Grenadier Guards, an infantry regiment of the British Army. The 1911 England Census shows him as a private with the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards living in Wellington Barracks, London. This barracks was across the street from Buckingham Palace. In the first quarter of 1915 Albert married Winifred Joanna Roper in Isle of Wight, Hampshire. Shortly after, he joined the Royal Navy in Portsmouth on 01 May 1915.  Albert trained at Portsmouth and served as a stoker on the Victory II, Empress of India, St. Vincent and Courageous. His family recalls that he was injured during service. Albert was demobilized on 26 March 1920. He earned three medals – the Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Winifred and Albert had four children: Denise Roper(b. 1914; married Ernest Anderson), Winnifred Maude (b.1915; married James Higgins), Doris (b. 1919; married Neil McDermid) and Leo (1920-1923).

The family immigrated to Canada in 1927, arriving on the ‘Pennland’ on March 19th. They took the train to Winnipeg and settled in Basswood, Manitoba where Albert worked at farming. His wife, Winifred died on 25 April 1931 in Minnedosa, Manitoba. In 1936 Albert married Florence Bywater. They had two children: Sandra who married Ray Simpson and Ronald.

In 1939 Albert enlisted with the Provost Corps and served until 1959. The Provost Corps provided military police support for the Canadian army. In 1957 Albert and Florence were living in the Charleswood area of Winnipeg and Albert’s occupation is listed as ‘civil servant’. He was a member of the Masonic Order, the Charleswood Lodge #163, and the Charleswood Legion. Albert’s marriage to Florence dissolved and in 1959 he moved to Kenora, Ontario to live with his daughter, Winnifred Higgins. While there, he worked at the Lake of the Woods Hotel and joined the Anglican Church and the Kenora Branch of the Canadian Legion.

Albert Ernest Jefford died on 18 August 1961 in Kenora.  He is buried in Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora.

Photographs courtesy of Albert’s granddaughter, Janice Edwards


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