Herbert Stephen Henderson VC (1870 – 1942)

[archie777]

Herbert Stephen Henderson was born at Hillhead, Glasgow, on the 30th March 1870. He went to school at Kelvinside Academy, Hillhead, Glasgow and served his apprenticeship with J&J Thomson Engineers, Glasgow before moving to Belfast where he worked for Harland and Wolff.

 

In 1892 he left for South Africa and worked on the gold mines for two years before moving to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where at 26 years old, he became the engineer of the Queen's Mine. When the Matabele rebellion broke out he joined the Bulawayo Field Force, initially as a scout, and served as a gunner in the Artillery Troop.

 

Henderson volunteered earlier to ride from Queen's Reef Mine to Bulawayo for help and for protection was given a revolver and one cartridge, all that was available.Once he arrived, news was received in Bulawayo that seven white men were surrounded by the Matabele at Inyati, a post 24 kilometres north-east of the Queen's Mine and 80 kilometres north of Bulawayo.

 

A small party of eleven men under Captain Pittendrigh of the Afrikander Corps rode out of Bulawayo just before midnight on Saturday 27th March 1896 to rescue the trapped men, first stopping at Jenkin's Store and then on to relieve Mr Graham, the Native Commissioner in Inyati.

 

Finding all was quiet at Jenkin's Store, the party, now increased to nineteen, rode on through the bush to relieve Mr Graham. They were riding through the Elibaini Hills when they were attacked by a strong detachment of Matabele armed with assegais and rifles. Two men were wounded before the patrol managed to throw off the attackers and made for Campbell's Store across the Bembesi, where they learned that Mr Graham, Sub-Inspector Hanley and four miners had been massacred after holding out against overwhelming odds.

As the area was swarming with warriors, mainly from the crack Ingubo Regiment, they decided to fortify the store. They had about two thousand rounds of ammunition and felt that they could withstand a night attack. Two men, Troopers Fincham and Mostert, were sent back to Bulawayo by another route for reinforcements, and got away safely to Bulawayo.

 

The same night, Sunday 28th March, a second stronger patrol, under the command of Captain MacFarlane, left Bulawayo to effect a rescue. Their numbers consisted of thirty horsemen; fifteen from the Afrikander Corps under Commandant van Rensburg and Captain van Niekerk and the remainder from the Rhodesia Horse volunteers.

Riding through the night with only a brief halt at Queen's Reef Mine, they pushed on to Campbell's Store. Heading the patrol as scouts and advance guards were Troopers Celliers and Henderson. In the early hours of Monday the 29th, the patrol was attacked in dense bush about 8 kilometres from Campbell's Store.

 

The Matabele opened fire at close range, and although the darkness and thick bush favoured the Matabele, the accurate return fire from the patrol enabled them to fight their way through the ambush.

 

A running fire began which lasted about 30 minutes, before the patrol rode across the open veld and dashed up the river bank to the store to the relieved cheers of the besieged men. It was only then that they realised that Troopers Celliers and Henderson were missing. Celliers and Henderson had been ahead of the main body when the Matabele sprang the ambush.

 

Celliers was shot through the knee and his horse hit in five places. Subjected to heavy fire and cut off from the main party, the two men swung their horses off the track and headed into the dense bush. After a wild gallop lasting a few minutes they reined in their horses to hear sporadic firing above the shouting of the Matabele.

Celliers' horse finally collapsed from its wounds. Henderson dismounted, lifted the injured Celliers onto his own horse and led it away from the noise of battle. Celliers, in great pain, and suffering from loss of blood, appealed to Henderson to leave him as it would be suicidal to try to walk to Bulawayo through rough country thick with marauding bands of fierce Matabele; but Henderson refused to listen.

 

He led the tired horse into thick bush, where he treated the injured man's wound as best he could. They had no food with them, but managed to catch some sleep although they were uncomfortably close to the Matabele.

For two days and two nights Henderson trudged through the bush leading the horse carrying his injured companion. Both were suffering from hunger and Celliers was in intense agony. Tuesday the 30th March was Henderson's birthday and he said later, that did he want to spend another birthday like that again as he weaved his way through the Matabele Impis which encircled Bulawayo.

On Wednesday morning, a bone-weary Henderson walked into Bulawayo with his horse and injured companion. Celliers had his leg amputated, but died in hospital on the 16th May 1896.

Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey, Administrator of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) at a general parade on the 3rd June, referred in his address, to Henderson's gallant conduct and brave feat. Captain MacFarlane, the leader of the patrol, wrote a letter to the Administrator of the British South Africa Company, recommending Henderson for the award of the Victoria Cross. As all communication with Salisbury had been cut, the letter was forwarded to Cape Town and from there to London.

 

The award of the Victoria Cross, the first won on Rhodesian soil to Henderson was gazetted on the 7th May 1897. The citation was drawn from the letter written by Captain MacFarlane.

 

The London Gazette of 7th May 1897 states: “On the morning of the 30th March, 1896, just before daylight, Captain Macfarlane's party was surprised by the natives. Troopers Celliers and Henderson, who formed part of the advanced guard, were cut off from the main body, and Celliers was shot through the knee. His horse also was badly wounded and eventually died.

 

Henderson then placed Celliers on his own horse, and made the best of his way to Buluwayo. The country between Campbell's Store, where they were cut off, and Bulawayo, a distance of about thirty-five miles, was full of natives fully armed, and they had, therefore, to proceed principally by night, hiding in the bush in the daytime.

 

Celliers who was weak from loss of blood, and in great agony, asked Henderson to leave him, but he would not, and brought him in, after passing two days and one night in the veldt without food.”

 

Tpr Henderson was decorated with the Victoria Cross on 4 November 1897 by Sir Alfred Milner, High Commissioner for Southern Africa and Governor of the Cape Colony Milner at the opening of the Bulawayo Railway on the 4th November 1897.

 

Henderson remained in the gold-mining industry for some years and was, at one stage, the timber contractor to the Globe and Phoenix goldmine and later prospected for the German Administration in South West Africa. During the First World War, he was not permitted to leave Rhodesia on active service, as gold-mining was considered an essential service.

 

In 1924 he married Helen Joan Davidson. They had two sons, Alan Stephen Accra in 1926 and Ian Montrose in 1927. For the duration of the Second World War, Henderson had all profits from the Prince Olaf Mine given to the War Fund.

He died of a duodenal ulcer on the 10th August 1942 and is buried in the Bulawayo cemetery, his grave number is 887; his medal was donated by his family to the National Army Museum in London.

 

 

Edited June 18 by archie777