Private G. Heppenstall was stationed in County Cork, Ireland. He died of his injures when 2 barrels of gunpowder they wewre handling exploded.
A letter from his officer to his parents says “Please accept my sincere condolences and regrets at the untimely death of No. 60817 Private G. Heppenstall. I feel sure it will be a source of gratification to you to know he died doing his duty. It was a pure accident for which no one was to blame. Pte. Heppenstall was a good soldier and an excellent man, and I can assure you all possible precautions were adopted to avoid anything of the nature of an accident happening.”
1895 Born Clowne, Derbyshire
1901 census living at Law Slack Bar, Hepworth
1911 census living at Little Lane, Hepworth, Near Huddersfield
1916 He had enlisted and served most of that time in Ireland. Before the war he was a piecener at Dover Mills.
1919 Sep 27. An explosion at Castlecomer and the Holmfirth Express reports the death of Private George Frederick Heppenstall, son of Mr. J. W. Heppenstall from the Brent House area of Hepworth, Holmfirth.
He is on the register of St Marys C of I in Castlecomer and is buried in the grave yard attached to the church. As is Frank Lord.. Both men were listed as being from Coolbawn Camp which was about a mile from 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."
1919 Sep 29. Buried Castlecomer Church of Ireland churchyard. Private George Frederick Heppenstall is also named on the Hade Edge section of the Holme, Holmfirth and New Mill Memorial.