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Remembered Today:

Not found on the CWGC website.


Tony Lund

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I have not been able to find anything more in the Times or the Huddersfield papers, but there is a second report in the Holmfirth Express.

The only extra information it gives is that he was due to be demobilised shortly and he was buried with full military honours, and that this information came from the same officer who wrote the original letter informing the family of the death. This would suggest that the funeral took place in Ireland, certainly there is no mention of a burial in Holmfirth.

The Express have been asked to publish a letter asking local people for information and I shall do the same with the local website. A librarian says that there are people with this surname living in the right area, but obviously that does not mean they are relatives but they might turn out to be.

Tony.

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Hi Tony,

Great to see a photo of Pte Heppenstall.

I recived a call back this morning from Rev Sherlock of St Marys C of I in Castlecomer. He is on the register at the church and is buried in the grave yard attached to the church. He was buried on the 29th September 1919 but in the register he is named as George Heppensal, aged 22, Yorkshire Hussars so he is your man. Rev Sherlock also told me that another man was buried the next day, a Frank Lord, aged 22 also of the Yorkshire Hussars. Both men were listed as being from Coolbawn Camp which was about a Mile from Castlecomer, this would be in line with the report that a number of men were involved in the incident. There is no grave ref number in the register so a search of the graveyard would have to be done to find him.

I will keep looking for info on the incident itself to see what else we turn up.

His death cert is in the post which you shoud get before the weekend.

Regards,

Sean

Tony, I have just checked the CWGC site and Frank Lord is listed at St Marys so it is very strange that Pte Heppenstall is not.

Sean

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I missed a bit:

According to the Holmfirth Express he was close to his 25th birthday, this tallies with a birth registration in the December quarter of 1894. So the death certificate is two years out.

Tony.

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Thanks again Sean, that is very good news. I wonder if he has a private headstone.

Yes, I see Frank Lord is on the register, very odd that one should be and one not.

Tony.

Frank Lord.

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Hi Tony,

Martin Barrett responded to my request for info on Pte Heppenstall. Martin lives in Castlecomer, he is a member of the Irish Army but he is also a local historian, his main interest is army operations in the area since 1900. He actually gave a talk last Friday evening and the death of private Heppenstall formed part of that lecture, below is a cut out from a local paper.

Martin told me there is a cross in St Marys Churchyard With three names on it, Pte Heppenstall, Cpl Lord and he could not recall the other name. He was waiting on a reply from the CWGC as to why no headstones had been put in place and why Pte Heppenstall and the other man was not on the CWGC site.

I will ask him if he can get a photo of the Cross.

By any chance do you have a photo of the memorial with Pte Heppenstall's name on it as he himself is trying to build up an over all picture of the men who died in the incident and I would put it on my own files as well.

Regards,

Sean.

Note the spelling of George's name.

Sean

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Sean,

Thank you again and thanks to Martin Barrett and Reverend Sherlock. I have emailed photos of the memorial, but there is definitely no more information to be had from here unless a relative should turn up in answer to local appeals for information.

I don’t think the CWGC need to put up a headstone if the man’s name is already there. We have a Canadian who died of wounds and was buried at Holmfirth in 1915 and who was given a headstone by the hospital staff, so he did not get the CWGC one. I think it is a matter of whether the names are legible, but no doubt Terry will know the rules and enlighten us.

The information given by the newspaper is very good, thanks again for that.

Tony.

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If there is a private memorial in place, CWGC will not erect an official stone.

Tony

When you have all the evidence, send it to me as we discussed and we can get this underway.

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Hi Tony,

Below is a photo of the Cross at St Mary's Castlecomer,

It reads" Sacred to the memory of Cpl F Lord, L/Cpl A Walsh , Pte W G Heppenstall who lost their lives through an explosion in Castlecomer 25 September 1919. Erected by their comrads of the 2nd / 1st (A P W O) Yorkshire Hussars."

I think L/Cpl A Walsh is on the CWGC site as having died on the 6-10-1919 and is buried in Durham, and is only commemorated on the cross as he died in the same incident. So it looks as Pte Heppenstall is the only name of the three not on the CWGC site.

Best of luck.

Sean

post-8617-1165849473.jpg

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Hi tony

Glad to hear of the outcome re Pte Heppenstall one more found. Anyone need help from the kilkenny Area give us a Shout glad to help

Martin Barrett

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Thank you Martin, also thanks to Sean for the photo and inscription, I have only just spotted it; and that newspaper cutting is very useful to me.

You have both been very helpful.

There has been no response to the Holme Valley Express appeal for information about him so far even though he has been mentioned in both the last two issues, but there is plenty of time yet. Sometimes people post newspaper articles to friends who have left the district and I get a response a while later. We shall see.

Thanks again to everyone for your help. Not forgetting Terry.

Tony.

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