On Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent is the name of M/4203 Armourer’s Mate William Slater Henderson serving on H.M.S. Cressy with the  Royal Navy who died 22/09/1914.

He was the son of Edward and Eleanor Henderson, of South Boldon, Newcastle on Tyne.

Christine Davison has submitted the following:

William Slater Henderson was the son of Edward Henderson, a miner and his wife Eleanor Henderson nee Slater.

He was born at Stanley, County Durham on 24th July 1890. According to the 1911 census, the family were living at Boldon and his father’s occupation was given as an Engineman underground, which would be in the Colliery.

In 1912, William joined the Royal Navy and signed up for twelve years. He is described as being 5 feet 4 inches tall, chest width 37 inches and having brown hair and brown eyes. His complexion is described as fresh.

William’s last ship was ” H.M.S. Cressy”, the ship was an armoured Cruiser built for the Royal Navy about 1900. She was recommissioned at the start of World War I and played a minor role in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, a few weeks after the beginning of the war.

William was an Armourer’s Mate, which involved keeping the gun crew supplied with ammunition. Cressy, along with two of her sister ships, was torpedoed and sunk by the German Submarine U-9 on 22 September 1914, with the loss of 560 crew.

William Slater Henderson is remembered at East Boldon on E46.01, at West Boldon on W99.02 and W99.06 page 21 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.