Silver memorium Statue

[rob love]

I read through more of the parliamentary records, and the kidnapping and subsequent execution of the 3 officers and their driver were brought up quite a bit for the next while in parliament. There were questions as to whether the Officers involved were merely joyriding, going out for lunch, or on official duty. There were also queries as to why there was not an immediate armed raid on the castle where the 4 were reported to be held. Apparently the father of Lt Henderson also sent a letter to one of the major papers wanting answers.

There was the usual political posturing back and forth about what happened. It all makes very interesting reading. A fellow by the name of Churchill seems to have been required to do a lot of the answering.

I emailed the Green Howards museum last night and was surprised to see a response today from a Captain Appleyard, with the Green Howards HQ. He sent me an attachment where apparently someone from the British Military Liaison Office in the British Embassy (Kabul) had also sent a query about this same statue. Apparently a local provided photos of it, and wanted to repatriate (sell) it. The commission member wanted to know if it was worth recovering. Apparently, they did not as it found it's way south to our local market. The commission was also intrigued about how it found it's way to here.

Information provided in that attachment included:

Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Henderson MC. He won his MC in the Russian Campaign with the 6th Bn on the Archangel Front. The Military Cross was awarded in the London Gazette with the following notice: “He has carried out the duties of a Company Commander of a mixed force at Bolshe-Ozerki and has worked in a very efficient way. He has had continuous service on this front since November 1918 and in the four engagements in which his company has taken part he has proved o be a fearless and good leader of men”.

Captured and murdered by Irish rebels at Macroom, Co Cork, 27th April 1922. It was only ascertained some twenty months later that he in company with two other officers, ( Pte Brooks may well have been the driver) had left Ballincollig on duty, were captured near Macroom, and after a mockery of a Court Martial, were sentenced to death. They were shot at once after they had been ordered to dig their own graves, which they refused to do. The bodies were recovered, and Henderson’s funeral took place at Aldershot with military honours on the 14th December 1923.

When I emailed the museum, I asked about how such an item may have found it's way out of the Officer's silver collection and into local Afghanistan hands. I did not get a reply to that query, so the mystery continues. Perhaps it was in the British embassy when the Taliban over ran it back in the 70s? More to follow on that subject I hope.