Background
Kempster was born on 13 April 1889 in London to Joseph and Jane Kempster and was the second youngest of four sons and three daughters. His mother described him as "a jolly, laughing boy, of a very liberal and generous disposition".
Kempster was born on 13 April 1889 in London to Joseph and Jane Kempster and was the second youngest of four sons and three daughters. His mother described him as "a jolly, laughing boy, of a very liberal and generous disposition".
He was 7 ft 9.3 in (237 m) tall, had an arm span of 8 ft 4.5 in (255 m) and weighed 375 pounds (170 kg). Between 1967 and 1993 Kempster appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the tallest men in England. Shipped off to Canada by the charity, Kempster returned to England on 12 November 1904, aged 15.
He was by now suffering from a congenital knee problem leading to ligament problems and growth at the upper end of the tibia.
This uncontrolled growth was to lead to his increasing height. By 1913 he stood slightly over 7 ft 9.3 in (237 m).
In June 1911, he joined the Astley and Company"s American Circus at Chigwell in Essex as a professional giant. In March 1914 he went on a tour of Europe and differing sources alleged his height anywhere from 8 ft 4in to 8 ft 8in.
Often the circus" management would exaggerate Kempster"s height to entice more visitors.
At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Kempster was in Germany and was placed under house arrest in Berlin by the German authorities. He was released after a month and returned to Britain where he was interviewed by the London press Kempster continued to tour around Britain in 1917 and contracted influenza in Blackburn.
Kempster died, aged 29, in the Queen"s Park Hospital, Blackburn in 1918 and was buried in a 9 ft (27 m) coffin in a 10 ft (30 m) grave in Blackburn.
Case notes from the hospital state Kempster was 7 ft 9.3 in (237 m) when he died. His grave stone also calls him "The British Giant".