Samuel Heakin was born in Shropshire in 1897. His parents were Richard and Mary Jane. He had six siblings, Martha b1892, Richard b1895, Walter b1901, Frederick b1904, Louisa b1908 and Charles b1910. The family lived in Wellington, where Samuel went to the Leighton National C of E School.
Samuel began work as a waggoner. They moved to Keckwick not long before the outbreak of war. Samuel, his brother and their father, all served in the forces. Samuel joined the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in November 1914. His brother, Richard, served in India with the Labour Corps and their father, Richard, was with the Royal Defence Corps.
In late September 1917, Mrs Heakin had a letter from a matron in a hospital at the front, telling her that Samuel had been wounded. He was ‘..…suffering from severe wounds on his head and face. He is very seriously ill at present, but we are doing our very best for him and giving him every possible care and attention, so I hope he will pull through.’
However, he never regained consciousness and died on 4 October 1917, age 21. He is buried in Wimereux Communal Cemetery.