BORN HULL 23/09/1895. SON OF ARTHUR HENSON (1872-1941) & JANE ANNIE WOOD(1873-1899), OF 1, EASTERN AVENUE, BOURNEMOUTH STREET, HULL (CWGC ADDRESS). SON OF A RAILWAY LABOURER. HE HAD TWO BROTHERS AND ONE SISTER. AS A TEENGAER HE WORKED AS AN ERRAND BOY AT A GALSS WAREHOUSE. HE WAS DESCRIBED AS 5 FOOT, 6 INCHES TALL, 38 INCH CHEST, DARK BROWN HAIR, BLUE EYES.
ON 28TH AUGUST 1912, HE JOINED THE ROYAL NAVY. HE SERVED ON HMS “DEFENCE”. DIED AT THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND, ON 31/05/1916, AGED 20. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL.
HIS NAME IS RECORDED ON THE MARFLEET ROLL OF HONOUR AND AT ST MARY CHURCH, SCULCOATES LANE, HULL.
HMS Defence and HMS Warrior During the battle of Jutland, HMS Warrior and HMS Defence, attracted by the drifting hull of the crippled SMS Wiesbaden, closed in for the kill, only to blunder right into the gun sights of Hipper´s and Scheer´s oncoming capital ships. Defence was deluged by heavy-calibre gunfire from many German battleships, which detonated her magazines in a spectacular explosion viewed by most of the deploying Grand Fleet; she sank with all hands (903 officers and men). Warrior was also hit badly, but was spared destruction by a mishap to the nearby super-dreadnought Warspite. Warspite had her steering gear overheat and jam and she was steaming at top speed in wide circles. So she appeared as a juicy target to the German dreadnoughts and took thirteen hits, inadvertently drawing fire from the hapless Warrior. Warspite was brought back under control and survived the onslaught, but was badly damaged and was ordered back to port by Evan-Thomas. Warrior was abandoned and sank the next day after her crew was taken off at 08:25 1 June by Engadine, which towed the sinking armoured cruiser 100 miles (160 km) during the night. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?10785
