Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Henderson Ronald Grahame MC enlisted in the AIF in April 1915 at the age of 22 years and 9 months.  At the time he was a bank clerk with the Commonwealth Bank in Sydney.  He was 5’11” and weighed 145 pounds.  He listed his next of kin as his father, Stephen Henderson who was an engineer in Sydney.

Henderson sailed from Australia with the 5th Reinforcements of the 18th Infantry Battalion.  He was wounded in action in France in June 1916, re-joining his unit in September the same year after being treated in England.  In November 1916 he returned to England to undergo officer training conducted at Ballieau College at Oxford.  He returned to the 18th Battalion in March 1917 in France.  In October he was wounded in action for the second time receiving a gunshot wound to the arm during the fighting in Belgium.  He was again sent to England for treatment.  On 1 January 18 he was awarded the Military Cross for bravery.  He returned to France in February 1918 and back to the 18th Battalion.  He was killed in action on 9 April 1918 whilst his unit was behind the lines in a rest area after an artillery shell was aimed at his unit’s huts.  Lieutenant Ronald Henderson is buried in the Adelaide Cemetery just to the west of Villers-Bretonneux. He lies beside his brother, Private Hugh Grahame Henderson of the 35th Battalion who died of wounds just five days before Ronald was killed.

Ronald Henderson was born in North Sydney to Stephen and Helen Henderson, and was the eldest of two sons. At 22 years old he was the first member of the Commonwealth Bank's Wagga Wagga Branch to enlist when he joined up on 17 April 1915. He spent the first six months of his military career training in Australia before he embarked for Egypt in October 1915, joining the 18th Infantry Battalion as part of the 5th Reinforcements.

Barely a month after joining his battalion in Egypt, Ronald was already displaying the bravery and determination that were to make him a respected and popular officer throughout his military career. By February 1916 he had earned a promotion to Corporal and two weeks later was embarking for France to join the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front.

Ronald entered the trenches near Armentieres at the end of April 1916, and remained there until June when he was wounded in the right thigh by a shell after being caught in a heavy artillery bombardment. He spent almost three months recovering in hospital in England before he was able to rejoin his battalion in France. His return to the front was only brief as, recognising his intrepid spirit and leadership qualities, he was promoted to Temporary Sergeant and sent to join the No.6 Officer Cadet battalion at Balliol in Oxford.

The training course Ronald attended in Oxford helped him to gain an appointment as 2nd Lieutenant upon his return to his battalion in March 1917. Two months later he was appointed Intelligence officer for the 5th Brigade and by June he had been made a Lieutenant. This swift advance up the ranks only solidified Ronald's daring and courageous character. During the Battle of Menin Road in September 1917, his fearless actions and dedication to duty earned him the Military Cross, which he was awarded on 1 January 1918. In the recommendation for this decoration he was commended for his “absolute disregard of personal safety” running the gauntlet of the constant and unrelenting shell fire to gain valuable information and bring back an accurate sketch of the front line.

In October, Ronald was badly injured for a second time in the mud-drenched battlefield of Poelcappelle in Belgium. During the fierce fighting he suffered gunshot wounds to both arms and his right hand which required a long convalescence in England. It was more than four months before Ronald was fully recovered, only being deemed medically fit to return to the front in February 1918.

While Ronald was demonstrating his bravery and endurance in the heavy fighting in Belgium, his younger brother, Hugh, enlisted in the 35th battalion in early July 1917, just two months after his 18th birthday. Tragically, Hugh never reached his 19th birthday. On 4 April 1918 he died of his wounds near Villers-Bretonneux less than two months after he had first arrived in France.

It is unlikely that Ronald ever knew about the death of his younger brother. Only five days after Hugh's death, Ronald was killed in an artillery bombardment near Villers-Bretonneux while extricating his platoon from their billets. It was only in death that the two brothers were reunited when, after peace had been declared, their bodies were re-interred side-by-side in the Adelaide Military Cemetery near Villers-Bretonneux. A photograph of the two gravestones marking their sons' final resting places in that distant field in France was their parents’ final memorial of their lost children.

https://museum.rba.gov.au/exhibitions/from-bank-to-battlefield/profiles/index.html#ronald-container (museum.rba.gov.au)

Military Cross

''For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He displayed the greatest coolness and courage on two critical occasions, when his company had been caught in the open. He also worked at the consolidation of a position for three days under heavy shell fire, successfully completing the task. His personal reconnaissance reports from the front line were most valuable.''
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 219
Date: 20 December 1917

RONALD BORN 5/7/92 PURE & BEAUTIFUL GOD BE THY PORTION ,BELOVED