SEVERAL hundred people gathered in Gordon last Saturday afternoon to pay tribute to one of Scotland’s most highly decorated officers, Captain George Stuart Henderson VC; DSO and Bar; MC.

The crowd was welcomed by Douglas Tweedie, chairman of the Gordon and Westruther Community Council.

And this was followed by a moving reflection from his son Major James Tweedie (retd) who served in Iraq.

Captain Henderson was born on December 5, 1893 at East Gordon. He was the only son of farmer Robert and Mary Henderson and lived there until he was eight before his family moved to Mount Hooly at Jedburgh.

He served with distinction with the Manchester Regiment throughout World War One and as a professional soldier he spent all of his short adult life fighting – winning two Distinguished Service Orders, a Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches five times. He was awarded his VC (posthumously) following his death at only 26 years of age in 1920, fighting the Arab uprising in Mesopotamia.

The ceremony took place the 101st anniversary of the action at Hillah. It had been arranged for last year but COVID restrictions in place prohibited the ceremony.

Major Michael Owen of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment then carried out a reading of the VC citation describing Captain Henderson’s actions.

He said: “On the evening of July 24, 1920, he fell wounded whilst leading his men but refused to leave his command, and just as the Company reached the trench they were making for he was wounded for a second time. Realising that he could do no more, he asked one of his Non-Commissioned Officers to hold him up on the embankment, saying, ‘I’m done now, don’t let them beat you’. He died fighting.”

Captain Henderson’s niece Mrs Elspeth Woods-Ballard then unveiled a granite memorial, with inlaid VC flagstone, paid for by public donations to honour his bravery and sacrifice.

She said: “My mother was the elder of George’s two sisters and she received the VC from the King (George V) of behalf of her beloved brother. I can only imagine how heart breaking and difficult that must have been. Each generation of the family continues to be inspired by him.

“On behalf of my grandmother, my mother and my aunt and all my close family, some no longer with us I would like to thank all the people who have been involved in bringing this fitting memorial to reality including in particular Douglas Tweedie and Bruce Brown from the Gordon and Westruther Community Council.”

Rev Padre Michael Rotter CS of 3 Rifles carried out a blessing and wreaths were laid by Mrs Jeanna Swan and Lt Colonel (Retd) CGO Hogg, OBE DL.

Fiona Melrose played the Last Post and the ceremony concluded with Pipe Major Kevin Turnbull playing the Flowers of the Forest.