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Captain George Henderson VC Memorial Flagstone

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1920-2020    TIME TO HONOUR GORDON'S VC.
Campaign to fund Village Memorial to Captain George Stuart Henderson VC; DSO and bar; MC

Gordon and Westruther Community Council
would like to honour Captain Henderson’s bravery and sacrifice by installing a commemorative flagstone here, in Gordon, Berwickshire, the place of his birth.

George was born on 5th Dec 1893 at East Gordon, the only son of farmer Robert and Mary Henderson; The Hendersons came from a long line of successful Border farmers.  George lived at East Gordon until he was eight and in these formative years, like a true Borderer he became competent, in the saddle and with gun and rod.   The family subsequently moved to Mount Hooly at Jedburgh from whence George attended Rossall Preparatory School in Lancashire.  

Part of the UK Government’s national WW1 Centenary Commemoration Campaign (2014-18) was the Victoria Cross Paving Stones program-an initiative which would see commemorative paving stones laid at places of significance for the 628 British servicemen who received the highest military honour for courage while in contact with the enemy.  The WW1 centenary is now passed but why should the program end there?  There have been VC's won in conflicts since the Great War and it is fitting that stones continue to be laid on the centenary of their award. 

Captain Henderson served with distinction
with the Manchester Regiment throughout  WW1.  As a professional soldier, he spent all of his short adult life fighting, winning two Distinguished Service Orders, a Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches 5 times. He was awarded his VC (posthumously) at only 26 years of age in 1920, fighting the Arab uprising in Mesopotamia. 

We are therefore looking to fund ,and site, a granite  memorial, with inlaid VC flagstone, to what is probably Gordon’s most famous son and possibly Scotland’s most highly decorated officer:
http://vconline.org.uk/george-s-henderson-vc/4586970758 
http://www.themenbehindthemedals.org.uk/index.asp?page=full&mwsquery=({Person%20identity}={Henderson,%20GS}) 
http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/bbhendeg.htm 

Please give generously to honour this brave Border soldier.  We aim to have the memorial in place in Gordon for Remembrance Sunday in November this year; the memorial has to be paid for before this date.   It is proposed any surplus achieved through crowdfunding would go to improving the small area around the memorial as well as assisting in the renovation of the Gordon Village Hall; all  for the benefit of the wider community.

Thank you in anticipation of your interest in and support for our campaign.

"...........On the evening of the 24th July 1920, when about 15 miles from Hillah, the Company under his command was ordered to retire. After proceeding about 500 yards a large party of Arabs suddenly opened fire from the flank, causing the Company to split up and waver. Regardless of all danger, Captain Henderson at once reorganised the Company, led them gallantly to the attack and drove off the enemy.
On two further occasions this officer led his men to charge the Arabs with the bayonet and forced them to retire. At one time, when the situation was extremely critical and the troops and transport were getting out of hand, Captain Henderson, by sheer pluck and coolness, steadied his command, prevented the Company from being cut up, and saved the situation.  During the second charge he fell wounded, but refused to leave his command, and just as the Company reached the trench they were making for he was again wounded. Realising that he could do no more, he asked one of his Non-Commissioned Officers to hold him up on the embankment, saying, 'I'm done now, don't let them beat you'. He died fighting."


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Donations 

  • Lynsey Findlay
    • £50
    • 3 yrs
  • Virginia Britton
    • £100
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer

Gordon and Westruther Community Council
Organizer
Scotland

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