Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Henry Heslop was the third born of 4 brothers, had 2 elder sisters and 2 half siblings. His father Robert Hind Heslop born at Durham City, County Durham, August 21st 1853 and Diana Reynolds, affectionately known as Dinah, born February 11th 1859 at Easington Lane, Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, were married in 1877. They settled at Easington Lane, where Robert was employed as a mason and later went on to have his own building firm. Their 6 children were all born there, Dorothy, August 1st 1878, Lily 1883, Robert Jnr, October 2nd 1887, John George, April 11th 1888, Henry 1893 and William, December 9th 1893. Builder and contractor Robert Hind Heslop of Elmore Lane, Easington Lane, died aged 41 years, March 15th 1894, of bowel cancer, leaving his wife not only with a new born baby but also 4 children under the age of 16 with no visible means of support.
Dinah’s brother-in-law George Thornton Heslop, her husband’s youngest sibling, was living with his widowed mother Dorothy Heslop at 4, Stone Terrace, Hetton-le-Hole, at the time. A union was formed between George and Dinah, as no actual marriage has been found, from which George Thornton Heslop Jnr was born, April 1st 1897 and Margaret Reynolds Heslop, affectionately known as Maggie, in 1900. George took responsibility for Dinah, his own children and all of his nieces and nephews, bringing them up as his own. In 1901 they were living in the village of Station Road, district of Hetton-le-Hole, where he was employed as a coal miner at the colliery, Robert (14) below ground as a pony driver, Dinah was assisted by Dorothy (22) and Lily (18) looking after the household and the younger children. By 1911 the elder members of the family had married, George had been joined, working as drivers below ground, by Henry (19) William (17), Maggie (11) is listed as a scholar, although George Jnr (14) was not. They had left County Durham and were now living in 3 rooms at 53, Beaumont Terrace, Westerhope, Northumberland.
Upon the declaration of war Henry Heslop enlisted at West Hartlepool assigned as Private 5511 to the 1/5th West Yorkshire Regiment of the Territorial force. The main body of the regiment departed April 15th 1915 for France, Private Heslop did not join them until after January 1916. May 15th 1916 the battalion joined the 146th Brigade, 49th West Riding Division, as preparations were underway for the commencement of the Battle of the Somme. Due to bad weather the main attack of June 29th was delayed until July 1st when the division participated at the opening Battle of Albert which raged from July 1st-13th 1916.
Private 5511 Henry Heslop West Yorkshire Regiment was killed in action, July 2nd 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,316 names inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval France, commemorating men of Britain and South African forces who were killed on the Somme before March 20th 1918 who have no known grave. Private Heslop was 23 years of age and single.
His mother Dinah, of 10 Silkey Lane, Chirton, Northumberland, received all monies due to him from the Army, his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal, she also applied for a pension not only having lost her son Henry but also his brother Private George Thornton Heslop who died in 1918. Her son-in-law Private Thomas Brownless Northumberland Fusiliers survived the conflict.
The war years took a heavy toll on the Heslop family, Dinah not only lost her two sons but George Thornton Heslop died aged 57 years, November 27th 1917 of stomach cancer and was buried, December 1st 1918, within Preston Cemetery, North Shields, Northumberland.
Diana Heslop-Heslop nee Reynolds died November 20th 1931 in the district of Tynemouth, Northumberland, aged 72 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Henry Heslop is remembered at Westerhope on W77.01 and at Whorlton on W53.01
