Private Frederick Arthur Jefferies
Frederick Arthur Jefferies was born in 1890 or 1891 at Turgis near Basingstoke, Hampshire, the second of four children of domestic coachman Frederick Jefferies and his wife Martha (née Arnold). At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 172 Stockport Road, Gee Cross, Hyde, Cheshire, with his parents, siblings and grandmother, and working as a packer in a cotton spinning mill.
Jefferies enlisted or was attested at Hyde on 14 December 1915. He gave his occupation as club steward. Posted to the Cheshire Regiment (No.35561), he was 'held for service at home', probably because he wore glasses due to poor vision. He was later posted to the 2/5th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (No.41228), and the London Yeomanry.
On 12 September 1918 Jefferies and 55 other men of the regiment were compulsorily transferred to the Corps of Hussars (No.81217) and posted to the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, which was then serving in France as corps cyclist regiment to V Corps. They embarked at Folkestone for Boulogne that day, joining the regiment in the field six days later.
Jefferies soon fell ill, however, and was hospitalised on 22 September. Found to be suffering from pleurisy and valvular disease of the heart, he was discharged on 25 November 1918, being 'no longer physically fit for war service' (paragraph 392(xvi), King's Regulations).
In December 1922 he emigrated to the United States.