Joseph Victor was the second son of Joseph Rowland Heaton and his wife Dorothy Bretherton. The Heatons had been yeoman farmers in the Bolton area of Lancashire from the 14th century. With entrepreneurial abilities, they turned their domestic spinning and weaving activities into William Heaton and Sons Ltd of Lostock, the largest cotton spinning company in the country.

He was educated at Eton and matriculated in 1936. He read history and graduated in 1939 with a 4th class degree.

He was gazetted to the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment on 16 February 1940.

In early 1944, the Regiment were part of the Chindits, 23rd Brigade

On 16 March 1944 a notice in The Times said, “Any information gratefully received by his mother, Mrs Unthank, Intwood Hall Norwich” [His parents had been divorced and his mother had remarried in 1943.]

He had died on or about 16 February.

He is commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial Face 13.