William Hannam Henderson
Admiral Sir William Hannam Henderson, (20 June 1845 – 29 April 1931) was a British flag officer of the Royal Navy, and the first editor of The Naval Review. Family background Henderson was born in the coastal village of Worth in Kent, the eldest of four sons born to John Henderson and Laura Catherine (née Hannam). His three brothers also served in the Navy; Reginald Friend Hannam Henderson became an Admiral, Frank Hannam Henderson a Vice-Admiral, and John Hannam Henderson, retired as a Commander. (John's son Sir Reginald G. H. Henderson also became an Admiral.) Naval career Henderson entered the Navy in 1859, aged 14, as a cadet aboard . From 1860 to 1864 he served aboard the 90-gun second rate ship of the line , flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, and also the steam sloop Styx, on the North America and West Indies Station, receiving promotion to sub-lieutenant in 1864. He then served aboard in the Channel Squadron. He was promoted to lieutenant on 11 September 1866, and served aboard the troopship at Portsmouth from 1867, until taking part in the voyage around the world of the Flying Squadron in 1869–1870, serving aboard , flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby. From 1872 to 1875 Henderson served aboard the screw sloop on the Pacific Station, then the sloop Eclipse on the North America and West Indies Station in 1877, and was on 'particular service' aboard the breastwork monitor in 1878. He was promoted to commander on 1 January 1880, with seniority from 31 December 1879, and served aboard the armoured cruiser , flagship of Commodore Sir James Erskine, on the Australia Station from 1881 to 1885. On 1 January 1886 he was promoted to captain, and was sent to study at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, where he was appalled to discover that apart from a few lectures on international law and naval history, studies were confined purely to technical matters, resulting in a total lack of knowledge of, and preparation for, war. He wrote a strongly worded letter, which he took personally to the Admiralty, and was permitted to read it to the Sea Lords in which he urged that naval officers should be instructed in naval history, strategy and tactics. Only Lord Charles Beresford was in any way interested in Henderson's ideas, which in the end came to nothing. In May 1888 Henderson received a letter from Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, commenting on Henderson's remarks on a paper by Rear-Admiral Colomb on the naval defences of the United Kingdom. The two men became regular correspondents thereafter, but did not meet in person for several years. Undeterred by lack of official support, Henderson became a firm believer in value of a free debate, despite having taken part in a discussion on a paper by Sir Edward Reed at the United Service Institute, in which he criticised the s. A few days later Henderson received a message from the First Sea Lord stating that his remarks had