Nigel Henderson

Admiral Sir Nigel Stuart Henderson, GBE, KCB, DL (1 August 1909 – 2 August 1993) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1968 to 1971.

For the artist, see Nigel Henderson (artist).

Sir Nigel Henderson
Sir Nigel Henderson in 1957
Born(1909-08-01)1 August 1909
Died2 August 1993(1993-08-02) (aged 84)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1927–1971
RankAdmiral
Commands heldChairman of the NATO Military Committee (1968–71)
Plymouth Command (1962–65)
Director General of Training (1960–62)
HMS Kenya (1955)
Royal Naval Air Station at Bramcote (1952)
HMS Protector (1951)
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Henderson joined the Royal Navy in 1927.[1] He served in the Second World War as a gunnery officer.[1] After the war he became Naval Attaché in Rome and then, from 1951, commanded the patrol vessel HMS Protector.[1]

Henderson was appointed Commanding Officer at the Royal Naval Air Station at Bramcote in 1952 and was Captain of the cruiser HMS Kenya from 1955.[1] He became Vice Naval Deputy and then Naval Deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe in 1957 and Director General of Training at the Admiralty in 1960.[1] In 1962 he was made Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.[1] He was made Head of the British Defence Staff in Washington, D.C. and UK Military Representative to NATO in 1965 and then Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in 1968.[1] He retired in 1971.[1]

Writing in 1974 Henderson expressed concern over a general lack of awareness about "Western Europe and indeed of all NATO countries being dependent very largely on Middle East oil".[2]

Personal life

Henderson married Catherine Mary Maitland in 1939. They had three children, a son and two daughters. In 1959 Lady Henderson inherited the estate of Hensol House near Castle Douglas from her godmother Helen, Marchioness of Ailsa. The couple retired there in 1971.[3][4]

In retirement Henderson spearheaded the effort to restore the Scottish birthplace of John Paul Jones at Arbigland back to its original 1747 condition.[5] He was also a Deputy Lieutenant of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright[6] and a Patron of the Ten Tors Challenge held each year on Dartmoor.[7]

References
  1. Sir Nigel Stuart Henderson Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  2. Editorial Naval Review, Vol. 67, No.3, page 169, July 1979
  3. "Lady Henderson obituary". Telegraph.
  4. Galloway volunteer group celebrates 21st birthday Galloway News, 15 December 2006
  5. History of John Paul Jones Cottage John Paul Jones Cottage Museum, Scotland
  6. Deputy Lieutenants in Scotland Hansard, 11 June 1992
  7. Ten Tors
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Charles Madden		 Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
1962–1965		 Succeeded by
Sir Fitzroy Talbot
Preceded by
Sir Michael West		 Head of the British Defence Staff in Washington, D.C.
1965–1968		 Succeeded by
Sir George Lea
Preceded by
Sir Michael West		 UK Military Representative to NATO
1965–1968		 Succeeded by
Sir David Lee
Preceded by
C.P. de Cumont		 Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
1968–1971		 Succeeded by
Johannes Steinhoff
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Sir Alexander Bingley		 Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1973–1976		 Succeeded by
Sir John Bush
Preceded by
Sir Deric Holland-Martin		 Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1976–1979		 Succeeded by
Sir John Bush
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