Alfred Heaton
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Alfred was the fourth son of Benjamin and Charlotte Heaton (née Fletcher). His father Benjamin was born in about 1840 in Norwell and his mother Charlotte was born Newark, Nottinghamshire. They were married at Norwell St Laurence in January 1889 and had nine children who were all born in Norwell: William Edwin b. 1880, Harry b. 1882, Sarah Elizabeth (Elizabeth) b. 1883, Benjamin Joseph (also k/a Joseph) birth registered 1885 (J/FM), Ellan (also Helen) birth registered 1887 (J/F/M), Alfred b. 12 August 1888, Emily birth registered 1891 (J/F/M), Thomas b. 1893 and Arthur b. 1894 (reg. 1895). All the children were baptised at St Laurence, Alfred on 28 October 1888. In 1881, the year after their marriage, Benjamin (39) a labourer, Charlotte (21) and their first child William were living on Middle Street, Norwell, and continued to live in Norwell throughout their married life. By 1901 Benjamin was recorded on the census as an army pensioner. In the home on the night of the census were his wife Charlotte, a charwoman, and five of their nine children; Helen, Alfred, Emily, Thomas and Arthur. Elizabeth (Lizzie) was a kitchenmaid at the Cadland Inn, Chilwell, Nottingham (licensee George Brentnall) and Benjamine was a waggoner at Park Lidgett Farm, Ossington, working for Samuel Gibson, farmer. William and Harry have not yet been traced on the 1901 Census; William joined the Lincolnshire Regiment in about 1902/03 and Harry joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1901. Benjamin snr. died in 1909 and was buried in St Laurence churchyard on 10 March. His widow Charlotte with two of her sons, William (31) a railway labourer and Arthur a farm labourer, were still living in Norwell in 1911. Also in the household was a lodger, a navvy with the Trent Navigation Company. Of Charlotte's three daughters, Sarah Elizabeth married John Hallam in 1906 (Long Eaton St Laurence) and they were living in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, with their four children; Ellen also probably married in 1906 (Davis) while the youngest daughter Emily married Sidney Hough, a farm waggoner, in 1908 and they and their three young daughters were living in Norwell. Benjamin, a labourer with the Great Northern Railway, had married Hannah Matilda Naylor in 1909 and they and their infant daughter were also living in the village. Harry, who had been discharged from the Grenadier Guards to the Army Reserve, had married Laura Thorpe at Grimsby Register Office in 1907 and they and their two sons were living in Clee, Grimsby, where he was fourth hand on a steam trawler (fishing). Alfred had joined the Royal Navy in 1908 and was serving in HMS Renown in 1911 although when the census was recorded he was a patient at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, Hampshire. Thomas, had joined the Sherwood Foresters in January 1909 (11058 Private) and was serving with the 1st Battalion in India. The eldest son, William, died in July 1912, drowned in the River Trent while working as a dredger for the Trent Navigation Company. (See 'Extra information'). Charlotte Heaton married secondly William A Ingrey in 1916. She died at Norwell in 1932. There was a report in the Newark Herald on 8 July 1916 which recorded that the Heaton family had six sons either serving, or having served, in the Army or Navy. One son, Alfred, had died at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916. The report also mentioned that their late father had served in the 107th Foot. According to the newspaper report, William Edwin had joined the 1st Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, served in India for eight years and had been a reservist for 1 year 4 months at the time of his death in 1912. The dates suggest that he enlisted in about 1902/1903. No record of his regular army service has yet been traced, but he joined the Militia at the age of 18 in December 1896; 5586 Private 4th Bn. Derbyshire Regiment. The record only shows enlistment details. Harry, a collier, enlisted in the Grenadier Guards (9544) on a Short Service engagement (3 years with the Colours, 9 years Army Reserve) on 3 June 1901. He joined in London but transferred to the Army Reserve 'B' in June the following year and was discharged in June 1913 on completion of 12 years service. Harry, who by then was married and living in Grimsby, then attested on a Territorial Force engagement on 24 November 1914 but transferred to embodied service in 1915 and was posted to the Lincolnshire Regiment. He was transferred to the Army Reserve on 31 January 1917 'at the request of Ministry of Munitions' for employment with Firth & Sons Ltd, Sheffield, with which company he had started work on 24 January. Harry had served with the 13th Bn/265463 and 2/5th Bn/20198 in the UK. Harry was discharged in 1919 and returned to live in Grimsby with his wife and children. Benjamin Joseph was working as a boatman on a dredger (canal company) before enlisting in January 1915. Only his discharge documents survive and this records his last unit, the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, to which he transferred in 1915 (1025909 Army Orndance Corps). Benjamin probably served in an infantry regiment before this as after serving in the UK from 18 January 1915 to 1 July 1915 he then served in the Dardanelles. He was evacuated from the Dardenelles in 1915 to Imbros then embarked at Imbros on 29 January 1916 for Alexandria, disembarking 3 February. He then embarked on 26 June for BEF France where he transferred to the Army Ordnance Corps as a 'hammerman' on 8 November 1916. He was granted leave 8 December 1917-21 December 1917. He served in the UK from 20 July 1918 and was discharged to the Army Reserve on 10 March 1919, He was discharged to The Lock House, Sandiacre, where he had been living with his wife and family before the war. Thomas, an agricultural labourer, joined the Sherwood Foresters in 1909, serving initially with the 2nd Battalion (11058) then posted to the 1st Bn. on 20 September 1910: Home 14 January 1909-19 September 1910 (1y 249d). India 20 September 1910-2 September 1914 (3y 348d). Home 3 September 1914-3 November 1914 (62d). BEF France 4 November 1914-19 March 1915 (135d). Home 19 March 1915-13 July 1917 (2y 117d) Total 8 years 181days. He was wounded at Neuve Chapelle on 11 March 1915, suffering 'a gunshot wound to the right arm with fracture of the lower end of the humerous'. He was medically evacuated to the UK where he was deprived of his (unpaid) lance corporal stripe on 14 June 1915 for (1) drunk (2) assaulting a patient in hospital. He had previously been deprived of a lance corporal stripe in January 1915 (appointed November 1914) for 'irregular conduct.' Thomas transferred to the Durham Light Infantry (34138) on 26 August 1916 and to the West Yorkshire Regiment (46636) on 27 January 1917. He was discharged from the army on 13 July 1917, 'no longer physically fit for war service' and issued with Silver Badge No. 216578. He was awarded a pension of 13/9d weekly with a 28 week review. Thomas had married Florence McDonald at Gateshead in October 1916 while serving at home. In December 1927, Thomas was charged with (1) Armed night poaching and (2) Attempted murder, and the details of his military service was provided by the Infantry record office to the West Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary in preparation for the trial which was held at the Leeds Assizes in 1928. He was sentenced to three years penal servitude in March 1928 after being found guilty with two others of 'wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm' after a 'poaching affray' between four armed poachers and four gamekeepers, two of whom were shot, one seriously. A fourth poacher was acquitted. (Leeds Mercury, January/March 1928) Arthur, a farm servant, joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class (K11133) on 28 April 1911 on a 12 year Continuous Service Engagement. He served in HMS Minotaur from 25 May 1912 to 17 December 1917 (Leading Stoker, May 1917); HMS Minotaur was the flagship of the Battle Fleet's Second Cruiser Squadron (Rear-Admiral HL Heath) at the Battle of Jutland. Arthur transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve on 16 May 1920 (Po.B/12178).
Alfred joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 12 August 1908 on a 12 year Continuous Service Engagement. He was advanced to Stoker 1st Class on 16 December 1909, to Acting Leading Stoker on 20 May 1915 but reverted to Stoker 1st Class on 26 October the same year. Alfred served in the following ships and shore establishments: HMS Nelson, 6 October 1908-31 December 1908 (Stoker 2nd Class). HMS Hecla, 18 April 1909-14 June 1909. HMS Achilles 15 January-11 November 1910 (Stoker 1st Class 16 December 1909). Victory II, 12 November 1910-28 November 1910. HMS Renown, 29 November 1910-14 August 1912. Victory II, 15 August 1912-13 November 1912. HMS Princess Royal, 14 November 1912-21 November 1913. Victory II, 22 November 1913-2 August 1914. HMS Invincible, 3 August 1914-31 May 1916 (20 May 1915 Acting Leading Stoker, 26 October 1915 Stoker 1st Class). Service record annotated ‘N.P. 4060/1916. D.D [Discharged Dead] 31st May 1916. Killed in action.’ His last ship, the battlecruiser HMS Invincible (Captain AL Cay RN), was launched in 1907 and in 1916 she was the flagship of the Grand Fleet's Third Battle Cruiser Squadron (Rear Admiral the Hon HLA Hood) with HMS Inflexible and HMS Indomitable. Alfred was killed at the battle of Jutland when HMS Invincible was sunk by shell fire (Derfflinger) with the loss of all but six of her complement of over 1,000. His body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire. Alfred's brother youngest brother Arthur joined the Royal Navy in 1911 and served in HMS Minotaur at the Battle of Jutland; he survived the war. 'Naval Battles of the First World War' Geoffrey Bennett (Classic Penguin, 2001), extract: 'At 1829 Derfflinger fired her last salvo ... One shell struck Invincible’s Q turret and after an interval of seconds, Q magazine, followed by P, blew up. Since she was 567 feet long and sank in less than 30 fathoms, an officer on the Indomitable ‘saw her two ends standing perpendicularly above water, the ship appearing to have broken in halves, each resting on the bottom.' The survivors were clinging to the floating wreckage … Six only were rescued by the destroyer Badger; but the gallant Admiral, Captain AL Clay, and more than 1,000 officers and men did not sacrifice their lives in vain: they left four of Hipper’s ships in a worse state than the surviving British battlecruisers.’
Benjamin Heaton snr. enlisted at Newark on 22 April 1858 in the 24th Foot at the age of 18. There is a record of a [Chelsea Pensioners] Proceedings of a Regimental Board on 10 April 1879 'for the purpose of verifying and recording the Services, Conduct, Character and Cause of Discharge of No. 24th/364, 35th/1035, 107th/2849, Private 107th Regiment of Foot Benjamin Foot born 1840, Norwell. Service 20 years 355 days; India 17 years 120 days. Claim on completion of second period of limited engagement. 'Conduct has been indifferent and he is not in possession of any Good Conduct Badtes, addicted to drink and absence. His name appears 38 times in the Regimental Defaulters Book and he has never been tried by Court Martial. Re-engaged Allahabad to complete 21 years of service (Private), 8 April 1868.' Benjamin was described as an army pensioner on the 1901 Census. Newark Herald, 6 July 1912: ‘Trent Fatality. Information was given to the Newark Police on Saturday night that a dredger man, in the employ of the Trent Navigation Company, named William Edward (sic), a native of Norwell, had been drowned. It appears that deceased has been employed in dredging near the Tubular Bridge, and about 6pm on Sunday he saw a fellow employee swimming in the river. Witnesses of the scene state deceased shouted to the swimmer ‘I will fetch you out, you ---.’ He then dived in, dressed as he was, and swam for a short distance. He then made for the dredger, but the current took him between the dredger and the barge. He unsuccessfully tried to catch hold of an anchor, and disappeared from sight. Sergt. Caunt, of the County Police, and Pc Rose, of the Borough Police, turned out with the drag. Yesterday afternoon a report was received at the Newark County Police-station from the constable at Clifton that the body of a man was seen floating down the stream in the parish of Marnham ...The body which was believed to be that of Heaton, was removed to South Clifton, and an inquest will be held this afternoon.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Newark Harold, 8 July 1916: ‘Norwell Family’s Fine Record. Six Sons Render Naval or Military Service. One lost in the Jutland Battle. A Norwell family, the Heatons, have a find record of service in either the Army of Navy, though it is sad to relate that one was accidentally drowned near Messrs. Quibells’ works some four years ago, while another went down with the Invincible in the recent great naval battle off the coast of Jutland. The father was Mr Benjamin Heaton, who died som considerable time since, and the mother, who has remarried is Mrs CWA Ingrey, who still lives at Norwell. Mr Benjamin Heaton, the father, served in the Army for 21 years and the records of his sons are as follows: Benjamin Heaton, served 21 years in the 107th Foot; William Edwin Heaton, 1st Lincolns, served eight years in India, was one year and four months on the reserve, when he was accidentally drowned at the bottom of the lock in June, four years ago; Harry served his time in the Grenadier Guards, and is now on home defence; Benjamin Joseph Heaton, now with the Expeditionary Force in Egypt; Alfred Heaton, first-class stoker, went down with HMS Invincible, during the fighting off Jutland, being on the same vessel as Gunner Ernest Kelham, son, of Mr AR Kelham, 5 Nicholson-street, whose death we recorded some few weeks ago; Thomas Heaton, 1st 8th Sherwood Foresters, wounded at Neuve Chappelle, now at Witbourne, near Sunderland; and Arthur Heaton, who is on HMS Minotaur, who was also in the Jutland engagement, and was uninjured.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Probate; Ingrey Charlotte of Norwell Newark Nottinghamshire (wife of William Amos Ingrey) died 23 April 1932 Probate Nottingham 26 May to Helen Hallam (wife of John Hallam). Effects £30 7s. 8d.
