I read this pdf with amazement. My Uncle was the officer commanding the cut-off Black Watch men in Speldrop, re;lieved by the tanks and guns of the Canadian HLI. But the coincidence is even more uncanny - read on ... There's another Henderson involved. Background: The Rhein Crossing was the biggest attack of WWII The Black watch (51st HD) were the first to cross on Operation Varsity D-1. Monty and Churchill were a few miles away watching Lancaster bombers dropping an accurate carpet only 1km from… (more)
I read this pdf with amazement. My Uncle was the officer commanding the cut-off Black Watch men in Speldrop, re;lieved by the tanks and guns of the Canadian HLI.
But the coincidence is even more uncanny - read on ... There's another Henderson involved.
Background:
The Rhein Crossing was the biggest attack of WWII The Black watch (51st HD) were the first to cross on Operation Varsity D-1. Monty and Churchill were a few miles away watching Lancaster bombers dropping an accurate carpet only 1km from their own troops.
The main coincidence is that Grant Thomas Henderson was sent to relieve Speldrop, where my uncle the 19-year-old Lieut. Robert John Henderson had been cut-off, holding off the enemy for the previous 24 hours armed only with a Bren gun against bazookas and self-propelled guns.
Grant Thomas Henderson writes: "In the mean time the 7th Black Watch was supposed to take a place called Speldrop over to the left of Biennen. They got into town without opposition but were counter attached so they retreated leaving their wounded. So the Limeys sent us in to take out Speldrop. We did although it took us till about 2 in the morning."
GT Henderson arrived with the HLI Canadians 24 hours after the first crossing. The Black watch were the first troops across the day before and they were fighting armour and heavy calibre with infantry.
Here's the real story of Speldrop before Grant Thomas Henderson fortunately arrived with tanks and guns in the evening of the 24th March 1945:
General Horrocks writes in "Escape to Action"
http://ia700307.us.archive.org/24/items/escapetoaction010371mbp/escapetoaction010371mbp.pdf
--
Soon after the village of Speldrop
had been captured by " C " Company of the 1st Black Watch it was
violently counter-attacked by German infantry supported by selfpropelled
guns. The situation became very confused and, as one
platoon could not be located, nincteen-years-old Lieutenant R.J.
Henderson volunteered to take out a patrol to try and find how far
the Germans had penetrated.
After going a few hundred yards he came under intense fire,
so ordering the rest of the men to take cover he went forward
accompanied by only one man carrying a bren gun. Almost
immediately an enemy machine-gun opened fire at very close
range. The bren gunner was killed and Henderson's revolver was
knocked out of his hand. Undaunted he charged the machine-gun
position alone and killed the gunner with his shovel.
He then went back to the patrol, and although the only building
at hand was in flames he decided to occupy it. By this time he and
his patrol were cut off from the rest of the battalion. Realising that it would be difficult to hold out without a machine-gun, Henderson crawled back several hundred yards under very heavy fire to the place where the bren gunner had been killed, collected the gun and with great difficulty made his way back to his men.
By now the house was blazing so he led his men across the open
into another one where they established themselves in a defensive
position. During the next twelve hours enemy attacks against the
house never relaxed and it was not until the following evening that the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, attacking with considerable artillery support, cleared the village after stiff fighting and so relieved Henderson and his men who were still holding out most
gallantly.
R.J. Henderson was awarded D.S.O on the spot. Here's part of the citation:-
This is [Lieut. R.J. Henderson Black Watch 51st Division.]
“It is impossible to speak too highly of the valour and magnificent conduct shown by this young officer”
“The village of Speldrop had been captured by Lt. Henderson’s company on the night of 23-24 March 1945 after the assault crossing of the Rhine, and immediately afterwards was fiercely counter-attacked by infantry and self-propelled guns. [The story similar to Horrocks’ above was then included]
During the whole action he displayed supreme courage and cheerfulness and, by his superb leadership and aggressive and skilful defence, he so inspired his small party that even when it was apparent that they were isolated from their unit, they achieved splendid results from what might have appeared a hopeless situation.
In a subsequent action Lt. Henderson was wounded and is now recovering in hospital in Edinburgh.”
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=51.768036,6.3798683&z=13&t=h&hl=en-GB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder
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Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:18:58 +0100
I read this pdf with amazement. My Uncle was the officer commanding the cut-off Black Watch men in Speldrop, re;lieved by the tanks and guns of the Canadian HLI.
But the coincidence is even more uncanny - read on ... There's another Henderson involved.
Background:
The Rhein Crossing was the biggest attack of WWII The Black watch (51st HD) were the first to cross on Operation Varsity D-1. Monty and Churchill were a few miles away watching Lancaster bombers dropping an accurate carpet only 1km from… (more)
I read this pdf with amazement. My Uncle was the officer commanding the cut-off Black Watch men in Speldrop, re;lieved by the tanks and guns of the Canadian HLI.
But the coincidence is even more uncanny - read on ... There's another Henderson involved.
Background:
The Rhein Crossing was the biggest attack of WWII The Black watch (51st HD) were the first to cross on Operation Varsity D-1. Monty and Churchill were a few miles away watching Lancaster bombers dropping an accurate carpet only 1km from their own troops.
The main coincidence is that Grant Thomas Henderson was sent to relieve Speldrop, where my uncle the 19-year-old Lieut. Robert John Henderson had been cut-off, holding off the enemy for the previous 24 hours armed only with a Bren gun against bazookas and self-propelled guns.
Grant Thomas Henderson writes: "In the mean time the 7th Black Watch was supposed to take a place called Speldrop over to the left of Biennen. They got into town without opposition but were counter attached so they retreated leaving their wounded. So the Limeys sent us in to take out Speldrop. We did although it took us till about 2 in the morning."
GT Henderson arrived with the HLI Canadians 24 hours after the first crossing. The Black watch were the first troops across the day before and they were fighting armour and heavy calibre with infantry.
Here's the real story of Speldrop before Grant Thomas Henderson fortunately arrived with tanks and guns in the evening of the 24th March 1945:
General Horrocks writes in "Escape to Action"
http://ia700307.us.archive.org/24/items/escapetoaction010371mbp/escapetoaction010371mbp.pdf
--
Soon after the village of Speldrop
had been captured by " C " Company of the 1st Black Watch it was
violently counter-attacked by German infantry supported by selfpropelled
guns. The situation became very confused and, as one
platoon could not be located, nincteen-years-old Lieutenant R.J.
Henderson volunteered to take out a patrol to try and find how far
the Germans had penetrated.
After going a few hundred yards he came under intense fire,
so ordering the rest of the men to take cover he went forward
accompanied by only one man carrying a bren gun. Almost
immediately an enemy machine-gun opened fire at very close
range. The bren gunner was killed and Henderson's revolver was
knocked out of his hand. Undaunted he charged the machine-gun
position alone and killed the gunner with his shovel.
He then went back to the patrol, and although the only building
at hand was in flames he decided to occupy it. By this time he and
his patrol were cut off from the rest of the battalion. Realising that it would be difficult to hold out without a machine-gun, Henderson crawled back several hundred yards under very heavy fire to the place where the bren gunner had been killed, collected the gun and with great difficulty made his way back to his men.
By now the house was blazing so he led his men across the open
into another one where they established themselves in a defensive
position. During the next twelve hours enemy attacks against the
house never relaxed and it was not until the following evening that the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, attacking with considerable artillery support, cleared the village after stiff fighting and so relieved Henderson and his men who were still holding out most
gallantly.
R.J. Henderson was awarded D.S.O on the spot. Here's part of the citation:-
This is [Lieut. R.J. Henderson Black Watch 51st Division.]
“It is impossible to speak too highly of the valour and magnificent conduct shown by this young officer”
“The village of Speldrop had been captured by Lt. Henderson’s company on the night of 23-24 March 1945 after the assault crossing of the Rhine, and immediately afterwards was fiercely counter-attacked by infantry and self-propelled guns. [The story similar to Horrocks’ above was then included]
During the whole action he displayed supreme courage and cheerfulness and, by his superb leadership and aggressive and skilful defence, he so inspired his small party that even when it was apparent that they were isolated from their unit, they achieved splendid results from what might have appeared a hopeless situation.
In a subsequent action Lt. Henderson was wounded and is now recovering in hospital in Edinburgh.”
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=51.768036,6.3798683&z=13&t=h&hl=en-GB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder
(David.Cuthill@Asperto.Net)
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