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405374 Flight Sergeant Demson Charles HENDERSON (surname underlined)
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. T.D. Henderson of Rangiora.

Charles Henderson was born at Saffron Walden, England on the 10th July 1917. He accompanied his parents to New Zealand at the age of two years, and received his secondary education at the Rangiora High School. After leaving school, he was employed for a time as a linotype operator by the North Canterbury Gazette, Rangiora. He applied for enlistment on the 15th February 1940.

Flight Sergeant Henderson was enlisted at the Initial Training Wing, Levin on the 22nd December 1940 and embarked for Canada by the Awatea on the 27th February 1941 to train under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

Shortly after arrival in Canada he was posted to No. 6 Air Observer's School, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and then on the 9th June to No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School, MacDonald, Manitoba, where on the 22nd July he was awarded the Air Observer badge and promoted to the rank of Sergeant. While in the United Kingdom on the 1st February 1942, he was further promoted to Flight Sergeant. Meanwhile on the 23rd July 1941 he had proceeded to No. 1 Advanced Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba, and on the 16th August was awarded the Air Navigator's badge. On the 29th August he was posted to No. 31 Operational Training Unit, Debert, Nova Scotia, afterwards proceeding on the 14th September to No. 1 "Y" Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia for embarkation to the United Kingdom.

Flight Sergeant Henderson arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth on the 1st October and was posted to No. 11 Operational Training Unit, Bassingbourne, Hertfordshire, on the 14th of the same month, where he converted to and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. On the 28th April 1942 he departed from St. Eval, Cornwall as Navigator of a Wellington aircraft arriving in Malta on the 1st May by way of Gibraltar, and continuing by Lockheed Lodestar aircraft to Cairo on the 9th May.