Gadfly (Brooklands Museum).
aeroplane is of it being flown under the Byfleet footbridge at Brooklands. A second Gadfly was flown in August and then exported to Canada. Although the Gadfly was comparatively cheap at £375 against a DH Moth at £675 and was much cheaper to run, it was a single-seater and this went against it so, despite all its promotion and success, only three were built.
On 29th September Henderson was seen giving joy-rides at the Northampton Air Pageant and taking up a wing-walker. In March 1930 the HSF1 was tested at Martlesham Heath prior to it being granted a certificate of airworthiness, but a number of problems were found and it never gained the certificate. The great Depression was hurting Glenny’s wool business so he wanted to give up aeroplane production and Henderson agreed, so the firm was wound up. In May Henderson re-branded his business as the Henderson Aviation Bureau, with an office in the central hall of the Croydon Airport terminal building. From there he would provide air taxis, purchase aeroplanes, arrange part- exchanges and joy-rides etc. His advert made the claim that practically all unsubsidised tuition in England was due to his work. On the 17th he was back at Brooklands taking part in its Air Pageant, providing a platform for ‘Jock’ Anderson’s (his chief mechanic) wing-walking display. Over the following Whitsun weekend at Croydon, he was seen to be doing a roaring trade giving joy-rides in a Junkers F13. Flight reported ‘the monoplane evidently takes the public fancy, for it is never on the ground more than 10 minutes’.
Sadly, on 21st July Henderson was killed in a Junkers F13 belonging to the Walcot Air Line, while flying a taxi service from Le Touquet to Croydon. The aeroplane crashed at Meophan near Gravesend, Kent and all on board died. These included the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, Viscountess Ednam, Sir Edward Ward Bt and Mrs Sigrid Loeffler. Oddly Henderson, the man who despised the safety harness, was found alive in the wreckage, as was his co-pilot – they were still strapped in but Henderson died minutes later. The co-pilot was taken into a nearby house but also died 15 minutes later.
Henderson’s funeral was held on Friday 24th July at Crockham Hill, Kent. During the ceremony Capt Youell of Imperial Airways flew over in an Argosy and dipped its wings in salute. After the ceremony Henderson’s ashes were brought back to Croydon in a casket draped with a Union Jack, then transferred to a Puss Moth piloted by Flying Officer C Allen, carrying an ex-Sergeant Pilot Paine, who had served under Henderson during the war. As the machine passed over the aerodrome, Paine scattered the ashes to the winds. Ironically Henderson’s book, A Complete Course of Practical Flying, was published on the same day. The Spectator magazine decided that Henderson was sufficiently well-known for it to write an obituary for him, as did Flight and The Aeroplane.
I will end by saying that I see this is an on-going research project and I would welcome any feedback or comments from others.
HSF 1 (Brooklands Museum).
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