A man who was killed after transferring into his younger brother's regiment following a nasty break-up has been remembered following the centenary of armistice.

In the early 1900s the Enefer family was well known in Loughton.

John Enefer was a "formidable man" and on call 24/7 in his role as sergeant of the town's police station, according to his great-great granddaughter Samantha Carter.

Along with a daughter called Florence, he fathered two children, the eldest named after him and the youngest called Harry.

Speaking the day after the 100th anniversary of WWI armistice Mrs Carter said: "The first born son was always named John. Our family history shows this back to the 1600’s.

"John and Harry initially signed up together with the Essex regiment and went to war in 1914.

"John had a sweetheart that he couldn’t wait to marry, but unfortunately they were away longer than planned and no word was sent home, so she presumed he had died and decided to marry another suitor.

"I believe at that time there was a shortage of men and this was quite common."

When the brothers returned home to Forest Road in Loughton John was devastated to discover his sweetheart had left him.

Concerned about his older brother's mental wellbeing, Harry - who had recently moved to the Gloucestershire regiment - managed to get John transferred "so he could keep an eye on him."

The brothers were sent back to war, where John was shot and killed on August 8, 1917.

Harry also was shot but only lost his little finger, which was enough to relieve him of his duties.

Mrs Carter added: "Harry held the guilt that he had failed his brother and never spoke about the war until just before his death in 1980.

"This only came about when my younger brother, who was 6 at the time, told him he was playing war and his name was John and he’d just been shot.

"This made my grandad emotional and then he spoke a little of what had happened.

"Ironically my brother Stuart was born on the August 8, the day that John died, although officially it is down as the 9th."