Jim Henderson

ANDREW L HOWIE October 24 2005

James Rae Henderson, runner, cricketer and war hero; born October 28, 1917, died September 19, 2005.

Jim Henderson died as he had lived, quietly and unobtrusively, and yet he created quite a stir by the suddenness of his going, which brought back many memories of the kind of man he was.
Not many of his vintage are left, but my first memories of Jim was at Glasgow Academy in 1936, when he was one of the "big" boys, although really very small in stature.
He was a prefect, captain of the 1st XV, which was the last unbeaten school team to this day, a leader in the Scottish Schoolboys Club with its Sunday afternoon meetings and annual camp under canvas.
Being fast off the mark at centre, he was a natural sprinter and in these days when the athletes were all amateurs, he ran for Scotland in international meetings at Hampden.
He won the 220-yard open at Ibrox, Glasgow, and the 100 yards at Teamsport.
When he was not running in the summer, he was no mean cricketer and was chosen to play against the visiting Australians on one occasion. He was called to bowl against the renowned batsman Don Bradman. With his first ball, he claimed for an lbw, but much to his annoyance the umpire said "not out".
Afterwards he apologised to Jim, saying: "Bradman definitely was out, but you must realise that the spectators have paid to see Bradman bat, not Jim Henderson bowl!"
Had the Second World War not come along, Jim would have earned even more of a name for himself on the sports field.
He left school in 1936 and went into stockbroking, which always had a fascination for him, although fate was to ordain that he would not come back to it after the end of the war.
Jim enlisted in September 1939 and was demobbed in 1946, but of that period he never really spoke, and it has taken some research to appreciate that he had a really distinguished war record.
The 51st Highland Regiment was his chosen regiment and he was commissioned in 1940 after a spell as a gunner. He sailed in June 1942 to Egypt in time to be part of General Montgomery's Battle of El Alamein and the 2000-miles dash across North Africa to Tripoli.
The wartime diary of his regiment tells of his going forward three times.
He was wounded in December 1942 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1943, and he took part in the Tripoli Victory Parade in February 1943.
After the desert campaign was over, Jim moved on to Sicily, landing in May 1943 and sailing for home in the October of that year, where after regrouping, he landed in Normandy on D-Day and eventually pushed through into Holland and on to Berlin, again with Montgomery.
War was not all fighting for him, however, and at a dance in Ashbridge while the regiment was in camp, he met Janette Kerr, a girl who hailed from the island of Arran. Romance blossomed and they married in July 1944 and their children, David and Sue, are the result of that union. Unfortunately, Janette predeceased Jim, in 1989.
Jim's war was full of battle action, but his sporting talent still found an outlet and he was awarded two full wartime rugby caps at centre for Scotland, and he went on to feature for Glasgow Accies for many years.
It was fitting that one of the last public functions he attended was the dinner on the August 27, 2005 at New Anniesland, to commemorate 100 years of sport there with the Glasgow Academicals.
With the war over, through service contacts, Jim joined the company J K Mills, who traded in jute products.
This progressed on to Thomas Boag & Co then Scott & Robertson and ultimately, as jute usage died out, after engaging Cameron MacLatchie, British Polythene Industries was created and Jim retired to bask in the reflected glory of his commercial achievements.
Jim and Janette had a house in Lochranza on Arran, where much of each summer was spent with the children and, latterly, the grandchildren.
Golf became his main sport to replace the more active interests and again, he excelled at Western Gailes, Pollok and the 12 holes at Shiskine in Arran. There, he played his last round on the day he died, finishing with an impressive birdie 2 at the 12th hole. Poetry in motion he certainly was.
Jim is survived by David and Sue, five grandchildren and one great grandchild.

This article was posted on 24-Oct-2005, 10:32 by Hugh Barrow.