William Henderson (general)

Major General William George Henderson, AO, DSO, OBE (19 July 1919 – 10 October 1995) was a senior officer in the Australian Army.[1][2][3]

William George Henderson
Born	19 July 1919 Clifton Hill, Victoria
Died	10 October 1995 (aged 76)
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Training Command (1973–76) 1st Division (1971–73) 1st Australian Task Force (1970–71) 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1957–58)
Battles/wars	Second World War Korean War Malayan Emergency Vietnam War
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Biography

Born in Clifton Hill, Victoria, on 19 July 1919,[4] Henderson graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in June 1941.[5] An infantryman, he served in the Second World War, Korean War, Malayan Emergency and Vietnam War.[4][6] He attended Staff College at Cabarlah in 1945 before holding appointments at Western Command in Perth and as Brigade Major (effectively Chief of Staff) of 13th Infantry Brigade, also in Western Australia.[7]

Henderson commanded the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) from November 1957 to November 1958.[8] Later, between June 1970 and February 1971 he served as Commander 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) in South Vietnam.[9] He died on 10 October 1995.[10]

Notes

1. "Henderson, William George: Officer of the Order of Australia". It's an Honour. Australian Government. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
2. "William George Henderson: Distinguished Service Order". Honours and Awards. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
3. "William George Henderson: Officer of the Order of the British Empire". Honours and Awards. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
4. "Henderson, William George". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
5. Hedges 2012, p. 323.
6. Ham 2007, p. 532.
7. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/henderson-william-george-bill-27640
8. Horner & Bou 2008, p. 439.
9. Palazzo 2006, p. 119.
10. "HQ1ATF Post Vietnam Mortality List", Headquarters 1st Australian Task Force South Vietnam 1966–1972, retrieved 16 February 2016

References

• Ham, Paul (2007). Vietnam: The Australian War. Sydney: Harper Collins. ISBN 0732282373.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Hedges, Jason (2012). Royal Military College of Australia 1911–2011: Celebrating 100 Years at Duntroon. Newport: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921941-47-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Horner, David; Bou, Jean, eds. (2008). Duty First: A History of the Royal Australian Regiment (2nd ed.). Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74175-374-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Palazzo, Albert (2006). Australian Military Operations in Vietnam. Australian Army Campaigns Series. 3. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Army History Unit. ISBN 1-876439-10-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading

• Coulthard-Clark, Chris (21 November 1995). "Commander made an impact, boots and all - Obituary of Major General William George Henderson". The Australian. p. 16. ISSN 1038-8761.
• Ekins, Ashley; McNeill, Ian (2012). Fighting to the Finish: The Australian Army and the Vietnam War 1968–1975. The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948–1975. Volume Nine. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1865088242.