Sir David Henderson | |
|---|---|
 Henderson at some point before World War I | |
| Born | (1862-08-11)11 August 1862 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 17 August 1921(1921-08-17) (aged 59) Geneva, Switzerland |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army (1883–1918) Royal Air Force (1918–1919) |
| Years of service | 1883–1919 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Commands | Royal Flying Corps in the Field (1914–1915) 1st Infantry Division (1914) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Order of the White Eagle with Swords (Russia) Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan) |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Ian Henderson (son) |
| Other work | Director-General of Red Cross Societies |
Lieutenant-GeneralSir David Henderson,KCB, KCVO, DSO (11 August 1862 – 17 August 1921) was the senior leader of British military aviation during theFirst World War, having previously established himself as the leading authority on tactical intelligence in theBritish Army. He served as the commander of theRoyal Flying Corps in the field during the first year of the First World War,[1] and was instrumental in establishing theRoyal Air Force as an independent service.[2] After the war Henderson was the first Director-General of theLeague of Red Cross Societies.[1]
David Henderson was born inGlasgow on 11 August 1862 into a ship-owning family. His father, also called David Henderson, was a joint owner of theClydeside ship buildersDavid and William Henderson and Company.[3]
Henderson entered theUniversity of Glasgow in 1877 at the age of just 15. While there, he read engineering and in his fourth year (1880–1881) he studied civil engineering and mechanics as well as office and field work in engineering. For reasons now unknown, he left the university to train for a military career at theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst, instead of graduating from Glasgow.[3]
In 1895, Henderson married Henrietta Caroline Dundas, who was appointed as aDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1919. Their children includedIan Henry David Henderson, who also joined theRoyal Flying Corps,[4] but Ian Henderson predeceased his parents, dying in a flying accident in June 1918.[5]
Following officer training at theRoyal Military College Sandhurst, Henderson was commissioned into theBritish Army on 25 August 1883, joining theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders as alieutenant.[6]
He was promoted tocaptain on 26 February 1890, and graduated from theStaff College, Camberley in 1895. Subsequently, he was a member of the Nile Expedition of 1898,[1] following which he received abrevet promotion to the rank ofmajor on 16 November 1898.[7] Three months before the outbreak of theSecond Boer War Henderson was posted to Natal as an intelligence officer.[8]
During the opening stage of the war he took part and was wounded at theSiege of Ladysmith.[8] He received a brevet promotion tolieutenant colonel on 29 November 1900. In February 1901, the commander-in-chief in South Africa, Lord Kitchener, appointed Henderson his director of military intelligence, a post he held until the end of the war in June 1902.[9] In adespatch dated 23 June 1902, Kitchener wrote how Henderson had "invariable done his best to cope with the great difficulties of his position."[10] For his service in the war, he was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) in the October 1902 South Africa Honours list.[11] His subsequent works,Field Intelligence: Its Principles and Practice (1904) andThe Art of Reconnaissance (1907), did much to establish his reputation as the Army's authority on tactical intelligence.[2]
He was promoted to major in December 1903.[12] After having served as a deputy assistant quartermaster general, Henderson was, in November 1905, promoted to brevet colonel and succeeded ColonelArchibald Murray as an assistant adjutant general of the1st Division.[13] He was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel in January 1907[14] and to colonel in November.[15] In December that year he appointed as a staff officer to the staff of the inspector general of the forces, GeneralSir John French,[16] for which he was, in April, granted the temporary rank of brigadier general while holding this post.[17] In June 1909 he was made a Companion of theOrder of the Bath.[18]
In 1911, at the age of 49, Henderson learned to fly, making him the world's oldest pilot at that time.[2] He formed part of the technical sub-committee of theAir Committee which helped to decide the organisation of the Royal Flying Corps, which was formed on 13 April 1912.[19][20] In July 1912 he took over the post of director of military training at theWar Office, again in succession to Archibald Murray.[21] In 1913 the control of military aviation was separated from the responsibilities of theMaster-General of the Ordnance.[22] A new Department of Military Aeronautics was established and Henderson was appointed the first director[1] and, with the outbreak of theFirst World War, he took up command of theRoyal Flying Corps in the Field.[23] He was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general in August 1914.[24]
On 22 November 1914, Henderson, promoted to major general the month before,[25] was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the1st Division and hischief of staffFrederick Sykes took up command in his stead. However, Henderson did not spend long commanding the 1st Infantry Division. The decision to post Henderson and replace him with Sykes was not to Field MarshalLord Kitchener's liking, and he ordered a reversal of the appointments. On 20 December 1914, Henderson resumed command of the Royal Flying Corps in the Field and Sykes was once again his chief of staff.[26][27]
In 1915 Henderson returned toLondon to resume his London-based duties as director-general of military aeronautics,[8] whichSefton Brancker had been performing in his absence. This meant that when, in 1917, GeneralJan Smuts was writing his review of the British Air Services, Henderson, who in March 1916 had been made a temporary lieutenant general,[28] was well placed to assist. While seconded to Smuts, Henderson wrote much of what came to be called theSmuts Report.[2][8] It has been argued that he had a better claim to the informal title "father of theRoyal Air Force" than SirHugh Trenchard.[2] Trenchard himself believed that Henderson deserved the accolade.[29] He sat on the government's "Advisory Committee for Aeronautics", located at theNational Physical Laboratory, under the chairmanship ofRichard Glazebrook and presidency ofJohn Strutt, Lord Rayleigh.[30]
In January 1918, Henderson, who the year before had been made a substantive lieutenant general,[31] was made a member of theAir Council,[8] serving as its vice-president. However, having not been appointed as the RAF'sChief of the Air Staff, Henderson resigned from the Air Council in April, citing his desire to escape the atmosphere of intrigue at the Air Ministry.[32]
Following his departure from the Air Council, Henderson returned to France where he served until October 1918. After the armistice, Henderson served as a military counsellor during theParis Peace Conference[32] until the signing of theVersailles Treaty in June 1919. Henderson then became Director-General of theLeague of Red Cross Societies inGeneva, where he died in 1921, aged 59.[8]
Henderson was awarded theDistinguished Service Order in 1902 for his work during theSecond Boer War.[11]
In April 1914 he was createdKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).[23] In March 1918, Henderson accepted the honorary position of Colonel of theHighland Light Infantry.[33]
David Henderson Avenue, built on the formerSchool of Service Intelligence site inAshford, Kent, is named after him.[34]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by C. V. Hume | Director of Military Intelligence For the Boer War February 1901 – May 1902 | End of Boer War |
| Preceded by | Director of Military Training 1912–1913 | Succeeded by |
| New title Directorate established | Director-General of Military Aeronautics 1 September 1913 – 18 October 1917 | Succeeded by |
| New title Start of the First World War | General Officer Commanding theRoyal Flying Corps in the Field 5 August 1914 – 22 November 1914 | Succeeded by Frederick Sykes As Officer Commanding |
| Preceded by Herman Landon (Acting) | General Officer Commanding the1st Division 22 November – 18 December 1914 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Frederick Sykes As Officer Commanding | General Officer Commanding theRoyal Flying Corps in the Field 20 December 1914 – 19 August 1915 | Succeeded by |
| New title Air Council formed | Vice-President of theAir Council 3 January to 17 April 1918 | Vacant Title next held by J. E. B. SeelyAsUnder-Secretary of State for Air in 1919 |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of theHighland Light Infantry 1918–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| New title League founded | Director-General of theLeague of Red Cross Societies 1919–1921 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
| Other | |
