British George Cross recipient. The George Cross is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the UK honours system, the George Cross is equal in stature to the Victoria Cross, the highest military gallantry award. This has been the case since the introduction of the award in 1940. It is awarded for acts of the greatest heroism or for most conspicuous courage in circumstance of extreme danger, not in the presence of the enemy, to members of the British armed forces and to British civilians.
He was a sub-officer in the Gibraltar Dockyard Fire Service, and was in charge of the appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire which had broken out on board a lighter. He managed, single-handedly, to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board the naval armament vessel, N.A.V. Bedenham, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter, although the fire was out of control and liable to cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment. The citation for his medal read: "Bedenham had, by this time, been abandoned, but Henderson remained at his place of duty alone, doing what he could to prevent the explosion, although he must have known that his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-Officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death."
He was a sub-officer in the Gibraltar Dockyard Fire Service, and was in charge of the appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire which had broken out on board a lighter. He managed, single-handedly, to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board the naval armament vessel, N.A.V. Bedenham, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter, although the fire was out of control and liable to cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment. The citation for his medal read: "Bedenham had, by this time, been abandoned, but Henderson remained at his place of duty alone, doing what he could to prevent the explosion, although he must have known that his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-Officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death."
British George Cross recipient. The George Cross is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the UK honours system, the George Cross is equal in stature to the Victoria Cross, the highest military gallantry award. This has been the case since the introduction of the award in 1940. It is awarded for acts of the greatest heroism or for most conspicuous courage in circumstance of extreme danger, not in the presence of the enemy, to members of the British armed forces and to British civilians.
He was a sub-officer in the Gibraltar Dockyard Fire Service, and was in charge of the appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire which had broken out on board a lighter. He managed, single-handedly, to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board the naval armament vessel, N.A.V. Bedenham, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter, although the fire was out of control and liable to cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment. The citation for his medal read: "Bedenham had, by this time, been abandoned, but Henderson remained at his place of duty alone, doing what he could to prevent the explosion, although he must have known that his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-Officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death."
He was a sub-officer in the Gibraltar Dockyard Fire Service, and was in charge of the appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire which had broken out on board a lighter. He managed, single-handedly, to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board the naval armament vessel, N.A.V. Bedenham, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter, although the fire was out of control and liable to cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment. The citation for his medal read: "Bedenham had, by this time, been abandoned, but Henderson remained at his place of duty alone, doing what he could to prevent the explosion, although he must have known that his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-Officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death."
Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine
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