Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookor hurdling and the broad jump. In 1912 he won the championship of British Columbia for hurdling, and the following year became champion hurdler of Canada. He was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French's Despatches [London Gazette, 22 June, 1915]. [Illustration: =Gerald Coussmaker Heath.=] =HEATH, VOLTELIN PERCY=, 2nd Lieut., Royal Horse Guards, only _s._ of Sir James Heath, of Oxenden Hall, Market Harborough, 1st Bart., M.P., North-West Stafford (1892-1906), by his wife, Euphemia Celina, 2nd dau. of Pieter Gerhard Van-der-Byl, of Cape Town, and Elsenwood, co. Surrey; _b._ Clayton, Newcastle, co. Stafford, 10 Jan. 1889; educ. Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford; gazetted to the Royal Horse Guards, 21 Oct. 1911, and promoted Lieut., 13 April, 1912; left for France with the Expeditionary Force in Aug. 1914; was wounded in action at Néry, near Compiègne, 1 Sept., during the retreat from Mons, and was taken to the Château Baron, where he died, 4 Sept. following, and was buried in the garden of the Château; _unm._ His Colonel, Viscount Crichton, wrote: "Volly was wounded yesterday in a skirmish we had. He led his troop most gallantly, and first got a bullet in his thigh, breaking the bone, and then was hit again in the head, so we had to leave him behind. The doctor tells me when he got up to him he was conscious and most awfully plucky." Lieut. Heath took a Second in History Schools at Oxford, and was a great leader of all social and political movements of the time. He was Master of the Oxford Drag for two years, and Capt. of the polo team, and in 1914 played for his regt. in the Inter-regimental Polo Tournament. [Illustration: =Voltelin P. Heath.=] =HEATLY, HENRY FRANCIS=, Lieut., 2nd Battn. Yorkshire Regt. (attd. 2nd Battn. East Lancashire Regt.), _s._ of Henry Louis Heatly, of 89, Tufnell Park Road, London, Artist, by his wife, Kate Sophia, dau. of Charles Simmonds; _b._ London, 30 Aug. 1890; educ. University College School, and London University (B.Sc.), and on leaving the latter received a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the 2nd Yorkshire Reserve of Officers, 2 April, 1913, and joined at Farnborough. On the declaration of war, he joined the 3rd Battn. at West Hartlepool; was attached to the 2nd East Lancashire Regt. in Oct. 1914; went to France with them that month, and was killed in action at Croix-Barbée, 22 Feb. 1915; _unm._ Buried in the East Lancashire cemetery there. Major A. A. Sanders wrote: "He was on duty with the company under my command on Monday, 22 Feb., and at about 2 p.m. he went with an Engineer officer to visit and inspect an advanced trench which is situated at no great distance from the German lines. He was talking to the Engineer Officer, Lieut. Drew, and also a subaltern, Lieut. Daw, of my company, when inadvertently he must have raised his head above the level of the parapet, and he was shot in the head by a German bullet. He became unconscious immediately, and passed away about five minutes later. Your son has been with my company ever since we left Hursely Park. He was a very good officer and very brave and fearless, and popular with the men under his command. I feel his loss in my company very much." Both at School and University he took a keen interest in the O.T.C. At school he was the best shot during his last year, winning the Thompson Silver Rifle, and shot for the school three successive years in the Ashburton Competition at Bisley. He gained the "A" Certificate at school, among the first under Lord Haldane's scheme for Reserve of Officers, and the "B" Certificate at the University. [Illustration: =Henry Francis Heatly.=] =HEATON, EVELYN=, Private, No. 58005, 20th Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest _s._ of William Heaton, of 33, Victoria Road, Garswood, Lancashire, Colliery Engine Winder, by his wife, Anne, dau. of Joseph Barton; _b._ Ashton-in-Makerfield, co. Lancaster, 5 Aug. 1893; educ. Ashton Church of England School; went to Canada, 8 Aug. 1913, and in 1913 became Assayer of Silver at the McKingley Darragh Mine, Cobalt, Ontario; volunteered after the outbreak of war, and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Jan. 1915; came over with the second contingent, 24 May, 1915; went to France, 13 Sept. 1915, and was killed in action at Dickebusch, near Ypres, 14 Nov. 1915; _unm._ A comrade wrote: "Will you forgive me intruding on your sorrow just to tell you how much we, Tim's comrades, sympathise with you in that sorrow, and how fully we share it with you. We have lived, shared blankets and grub with him, ever since he came to us in Toronto. And we got to love him for his cheerfulness, his courage, his generosity. There isn't a man in the section who has ever had a quarrel with him. On our route marches in training, when we were cold and wet and tired--almost played out--it was Tim's smile and Tim's song that earned for us the name of the 'singing section.' There was not a nicer fellow, a kinder fellow, or a cleaner fellow than Tim, and I would like you to know, as I do, that he was an example to us all, not only in cheerfulness under hardship, and courage under pain, but clean living in barracks. In all the months he was with us there isn't an episode that you would not be proud to know of. And there isn't a man that isn't keenly feeling the loss of our lovable laughing Tim. He was shot coming in on Sunday morning. Our trenches here are all filled with water and caved in, and there is an open space of perhaps 20 ft. that a man must cross to get to his gun. Three men crossed in safety, but the Germans must have seen and they got him just about half-way across. The bullet broke his arm and spine, though we didn't know his spine was broken at first. He laughed when we went to help him, saying he had got his ticket for England. But he felt his legs dead, and he knew though no one told him. He was singing to himself going down on the stretcher, and never a word about his pain, nor was there to the end. He only lasted a few minutes after we got him to the dressing station. The stretcher-bearers say he was the best wounded man they have handled. So he died as he was, ever an example to the rest of us. And we, who loved him and miss him hourly in our work and fun, want to offer you, his mother, our deepest sympathy in your bereavement. And we wanted to tell you how he died bravely in his duty. Throughout this letter I have used the name we gave him, the one we knew him best by, though, of course, I know his real name was Evelyn. In Toronto there is a big firm, Timothy Eaton & Co., and we adopted that name for him because of the similarity in Heaton and Eaton. This letter is written by one of his comrades on No. 4 gun. The sentiments are those of us all; it is at the request of the others that I am writing." [Illustration: =Evelyn Heaton.=] =HEATON, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 5698, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards, eldest _s._ of William Heaton, of 1/11, Stoke Street, Birmingham, by his wife, Alice, dau. of John Gregson; _b._ Birming |