52676 Private Joseph Heap, 2nd Border Regiment

1902 Apr/Jun Born Clayton, Lancs

1911 census. 10 Ashworth St Openshaw

1919 Aug 6. Enlisted in Border Regt. Aged at 17 years and 121 days on his form. His service record is on Ancestry, and includes the military Court of Inquiry

1919 Aug 13. Posted to 2nd Battalion

1919 Dec 29 Died Castlebar. The inquest established that

• Heap was shot by the sentry 52649 Private Thomas Partington. Both Partington and Heap were friends who had been to school together in Manchester
• There were 3 sentries Partington, Heap and Ryder
• Heap went to the cook house to get the tea for the other two sentries, when he returned he appears to have sneaked up behind the sentry box and the sentry, Partington, mistook him for an attacker and shot him

There was also a Military Inquiry, which also did question Pte Partington and reached the conclusion

Buried Clayton St Cross Churchyard, Lancs.

British soldiers died in Ireland