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Does this ring any bells with anyone, please??

Many thanks.

Nicola

There are many references to the EFC rest house, if you Google it, here is one example but there are others
http://www.canadianletters.ca/letters.php?letterid=3882&docid=1

Looking at some of them it indicates to me it was some form of resting area for servicemen, either going to the front or returning from it during world war one

Hope this helps

George

That is fascinating - thank you. However, I don't know enough about WWI to be able to work out why a soldier/officer seems to be writing from Canada about the war in Europe. Have you any further thoughts, please?
Many thanks.

Nicola

Canada had thousands of Soldiers engaged in the first world war.

Here is a link to one of the memorials to Canadian Soldiers

http://pages.interlog.com/~fatjack/vimy/vimy.html

I'm giving this a little bump up in the hope that more folk are on GR at the weekend!
I have a collection of hand-written love poems to my late grandmother, born 1900, written by 'Leon Delamogue Cox, Gunner, killed just before the Armistice'.
One of them is written on headed notepaper 'E.F.C. OFFICERS REST HOUSE & MESS'.
1. I cannot trace the poor chap.
Can anyone help, please?
2. I still cannot get any further as to what/where the E.F.C. Officers Rest House & Mess could have been located.
Any WWI buffs out there, please?
Always very grateful for all help,
Nicola

I'm ashamed to say that I'm still no further with this conundrum.

I cannot find the 'E.F.C.' reference, nor can I find the soldier above with the rather glamorous name.

Any more WWI buffs out there this evening, please?

They are lovely poems and my grandmother was VERY glamorous - it would be really nice to tidy the whole thing up.

Thank you.

Possibly? From CWGC.org

COX, LORNE DOUGLAS
Initials: L D
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment)
Unit Text: 19th Bn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 27/08/1918
Service No: 3033824
Additional information: Son of Mary E. Cox, of 14, Thorburn Avenue, Toronto, and the late Edward J. Cox. Native of Colborne, Ontario.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: B. 45.
Cemetery: QUEBEC CEMETERY, CHERISY

Its the closest to the name, at any rate ;-)

There are photos of Lorne Douglas here (if he's your man)

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/535117

Try this forum, they are very good with all things war related

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php

Roy

Never tried it, but apparently you can search the Canadian Archive for WW1 Military records. IF Lorne is your man, it may give some clue as to his demise, or even his various postings.

The phrase EFC OFFICERS REST HOUSE & MESS seems to apply to any Rest House. Without a location, no one can pinpoint the one the letters were written from. It could be in the UK, behind the Lines, or possibly Canada. Its a bit like using the word NAAFI (canteen/shop) found in ALL UK army bases.

I've returned from Grandmother duties!

These lovely letters and poems were written to my Grandmother by an admirer. My Grandmother was born in 1900 and married when she was only 19 in Hove, Sussex where she was living at the time; her husband, my Grandfather, was home on leave from India where he was in the 8th & 10th Gurkha Rifles.

So, these letters must have been written before 11.11.1918 since there is a poignant note attached to them in my Grandmother's handwriting stating that Leo[n] Delamogue Cox - the author of the letters and poems - was killed just before Armistice Day.

I would guess, and it is only a guess, that he was in Europe. I know that there are various ideas in this thread that there may be a Canadian connection but I don't think this is the case.

The poems are written in pencil in a rather beautiful handwriting. It is interesting that the 'E.F.C. OFFICERS REST HOUSE & MESS' heading on the paper has been lightly crossed out in the same pencil. This may be a red herring, or perhaps he just didn't have any other writing paper where he was fighting? Perhaps he was in the trenches?

Does anyone know what the 'E.F.C.' part stands for, please?

Is there a comprehensive list somewhere of the soldiers who fell in the Great War?

It's such an unusual name. I feel sad that he was somebody's son and I can't seem to find him.

All help gratefully received, please.

Thank you.

Nicola

E.F.C stands for "Expeditionary Force Canteen". It was the forerunner to the NAAFI - hence there would have been a number at different locations
as per previous posting by +++DetEcTive+++

this is the link for the CWGC which shows those who fell in the Great War, and is where the info previously posted originates.

http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp

You can search by name etc
George

Thank you.

The note by my grandmother attached to the letters and poems states that Leo[n] Delamagoe Cox was a GUNNER; would this not rule out any link to him being in Canada? I thought that this was a phrase/rank used purely in the European theatre of war.

Please forgive my ignorance - WWI is not my area of expertise!

I am going to rule out Lorne Douglas Cox on the Canadian site which you have all so kindly researched for me. It would appear to be too far-fetched, since my Grandmother must have known him in the UK and during the War - surely a soldier serving in Canada during WWI would not have had leave to come back to the UK?

As mentioned above, she was only born in 1900 and was already married by 1920 after her courtship with my grandfather; LDC must have been killed during late 1918 because her note says that he was killed 'just before the Armistice'.

So if he was killed in late 1918 and she would have been barely 17 at the time, I guess we can begin to narrow down that he MUST have been in the UK between c.1916 earliest when she would have been 16 and mid 1918 just before his death.

Would this not 'rule out' him being posted to Canada at the time?

Forgive my ignorance on the subject - I think I'm flailing around a bit, trying to narrow the whole thing down in my effort to get further.

Nicola

I think you misunderstand, Nicola. Canadian soldiers fought in the European Theatre during both world wars. i.e. He wouldn't be serving in Canada.

Lorne Douglas is the only L.D.Cox killed in 1918 on the Commonwealth War Graves site.

During the war over 600,000 men joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and 424,000 went overseas to fight in Europe or were housed at military training camps in England. A large percentage of the wounded soldiers spent time at hospitals in the British Isles or travelled there while on leave. Many soldiers fell in love with the women they met during their extended stay. By war's end Canadian soldiers were marrying British and European women at the rate of 300 a week, over 1000 per month.

From http://ww1warbrides.blogspot.com/



Roy

Many Canadians were based near Folkestone

http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/othercemeteries/shorncliffe_military.htm

I know that it's nearly FOUR YEARS since this thread was active, but - terrier that I am - I am still hopeful that I may get somewhere with this very romantic love story! So just in case there are fresh eyes out there, I'd like to try just once more to see if I can find this young soldier with the very distinctive name.

One of the poems is dated 9/6/17 which is helpful to narrow down dates. And my grandmother's reference that her amour was killed just before the Armistice on 11/11/18 gives us an even narrower time slot.

I think that the 'E.F.C. Officer's Rest House & Mess' letter heading on the papers is not solvable further than the help I have already received above - it was probably the only writing paper available to this lovelorn soldier.

But I am still puzzled that his name hasn't been found yet. As above, he was a Gunner. My grandmother lived in Hove, Sussex and something tells me that they met while he was on leave perhaps visiting his parents/family in the area?? Does anyone have access to the 1911 census where he may be found somewhere in the Hove/Brighton/Sussex area please? Since my grandmother was born in 1900, I would guess that he was probably the same general age group ....

BIG thank you in advance.
:-)

I don't have much time this morning- but just putting these up to look at later:

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Name: Leo D Cox
County: Caddo
State: Oklahoma
Birthplace: Kansas
Birth Date: 2 Aug 1897
Draft Board: 2
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WW1 British Army Medal Index Cards Transcription
First name(s) L D
Last name Cox
Service number 24840, 7007038
Rank Private
Corps Royal Irish Rifles, Royal Ulster Rifles
Service record Soldier Number: 24840, Rank: Private, Corps: Royal Irish Rifles
Service record 2 Soldier Number: 7007038, Rank: Private, Corps: Royal Ulster Rifles
Archive reference WO372/5
Archive reference description Campaign Medal Index Cards and Silver War Badge Cards
Country Great Britain
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