Ephraim Hart

A Private with 10th Bn., Ephraim died on 10th of April 1917 at the age of 41. 

Ephraim was born at Kirkley in 1876, a son of Edward and Phoebe Hart. He was baptised at Saint Peter's Church, Kirkley, on 31 December 1876. In 1881 his family lived at 5 Saint George's Road, Lowestoft. By 1891 they were living at 1 Chester Cottages, Lovewell Road, and Ephraim was a labourer at an oil mill. 

On 7 September 1899 Ephraim married Agnes Jane Short at Saint Peter's Church, Kirkley. Ephraim was a bricklayer's labourer and Agnes a domestic servant: they both lived at Kirkley. In 1901 they lived at 36 Raglan Street and Ephraim was a bricklayer's labourer. The 1911 Census shows Ephraim as a boarder at 150 London Road, and working as a general labourer, and Agnes visiting Elizabeth Southward at 36 Kirkley Park Road. Later Agnes lived at 5 Dukes Head Street, Lowestoft.

Ephraim enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Royal Fusiliers. Ephraim was posted to the 10th Battalion and arrived in France on 30 November 1916 to join the Battalion. He served with B Company. The Battalion War Diary for 10 April 1917 has:

At 4 a.m. the Battalion withdrew to Feuchy Chapel. About 10 a.m. moved to Brown Line by Railway. Advanced under slight enemy artillery and machine-gun fire until checked by intense machine-gun fire about 600 yards west of Monchy-le-Preux. Our casualties by this time were fairly heavy. Lieutenant-Colonel Rise was badly wounded by shrapnel in right arm at this point. The Battalion dug in for the night and reorganised and collected together stragglers. 

41 men of the Battalion were killed on 10 April. 

Ephraim was reported missing on 10 April 1917. Enquiries were made with the Red Cross in July 1917 and by April 1918 it was determined that he was presumed to have been killed in action on 10th April.