1066148 Pte. Harry Henderson was born on September 19th, 1892, in Aberdeen, Scotland. Emigrating to Canada with his elderly aunt in 1904, Harry initially found work in a cement factory located in Keppel Township, in Ontario.


Marrying Rachael Wood, the couple were living on the west side of Owen Sound raising their two children Eveline, 4, and Harold, 2, when the twenty-four year old Harry attested to 248th Battalion C.E.F., in Owen Sound, on January 30th, 1917.


Sailing with the unit in early June of that year, the 248th Battalion was absorbed into the 8th Reserve Battalion upon its arrival in England, with the mandate to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles.


Harry was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. in the field on November 2nd, 1917. He saw intermittent service with the unit due to a variety of ailments and was posted to the 1st C.O.R.D. at Witley in September 1918, where he was admitted to the hospital there. Discharged on November 11th, he was probably able to celebrate the news of the Armistice in his own fashion. While discharged Harry contracted the then emerging "Spanish Flu", which put him back into hospital for three months.


1066148 Pte. Harry Henderson was struck off strength of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on April 11th, 1919. Returning to Owen Sound Harry passed away on September 8th, 1965, and was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound.




Biography credit: George Auer, with thanks.