Alex Henshaw
Encyclopedia
Alexander Adolphus Dumfries Henshaw MBE
(7 November 1912 - 24 February 2007) was a British
air racer in the 1930s and a test pilot
for Vickers Armstrong
in the Second World War
.
, the eldest son of a wealthy Lincolnshire
family. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School
, Stratford-on-Avon ("Shakespeare's School" where he sat at the bard's desk), and Lincoln School
(grammar school). He was awarded a Royal Humane Society
medal for saving a boy from the River Witham
.
Henshaw took to motorcycle
s, and then learned to fly at the Skegness and East Lincolnshire Aero Club in 1932, funded by his father, who bought him a de Havilland Gipsy Moth
. Henshaw received his private pilot's licence (no. 4572) on 6 June 1932. He made a name for himself in the 1930s in air racing, competing against legendary pilots like Geoffrey de Havilland
. Aged only 20, he competed in the blue riband
of air racing, The Kings Cup, in 1933, in a Comper Swift. winning the Siddeley Trophy. He also flew a Leopard Moth
and an Arrow Active
which caught fire while he was performing aerobatics. Henshaw bailed out safely. He later moved on to a Percival Mew Gull
. He won the inaugural London-to-Isle of Man
air race in 1937, and won the Kings Cup in 1938, flying at an average speed of 236.25 mph.
Henshaw then turned his attention to long distance flying. After reconnaissance of the eastern and western routes in 1938, he set off from Gravesend
at 0335 GMT on Sunday 5 February 1939 to fly his Mew Gull
to Cape Town
and back. He refuelled on the way out in Oran
in Algeria
, crossed the Sahara
to land in the Belgian Congo
and then Angola
, landing at Wingfield Aerodrome
Cape Town after flying 6,377 miles in 40 hours. He spent 28 hours in Cape Town, and retraced his route back to the UK, landing on 9 February after a flight of 39 hours, 36 minutes. He completed the whole 12,754-mile round trip in 4 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes, breaking the record for each leg and setting a solo record for the round trip. By the end, he was so tired that he had to be lifted out of the cockpit.
His account of this epic feat is given in his book Flight of the Mew Gull (1980) in which Henshaw describes hazardous landings at remote bush airstrips, battling through a tropical storm, and overcoming extreme exhaustion on the return leg. The aircraft he used, G-AEXF, was restored to its Cape flight configuration in the 1980s and remains in flying condition at Breighton
in Yorkshire
.
The Cape record stood for more than 70 years. On 11 May 2009. Charles Stobbart set a new record ratified by the FAI for the reverse route, Cape Town - London - Cape Town. Subsequently, on 3 September 2010, Steve Noujaim, flying a homebuilt Vans RV7, landed at Southend Airport in the UK after completing a round-trip to Cape Town in 3 days, 11 hours and 16 minutes. The new record bettered Henshaw's time by almost a day.
at the start of the Second World War
but instead became a test pilot for Vickers Armstrong
. He subsequently took the rank of Sgt Pilot in order that he could fly a fully armed Spitfire, if needed to defend the factory although he was never called upon to fly in combat. Henshaw started with Wellingtons
and Walruses
at Weybridge
. He did not enjoy the work, and was on the point of leaving when Jeffrey Quill
invited him to test Spitfires
in Southampton
.
In June 1940, Henshaw moved to the Castle Bromwich
factory in Birmingham
, taken over by Vickers after poor production results by the Nuffield
group. He was soon appointed to the post of Chief Test Pilot. The factory built over half of the total output of Spitfires ever made, and 350 Lancaster
heavy bomber
s. Henshaw tested both, leading a team of 25 others. The production/acceptance test flying job was essential, to ensure that faults were detected before aircraft were delivered to the front line, but was also dangerous: two of his team were killed testing new aircraft. Henshaw survived many forced landings and a catastrophic crash between two houses in Willenhall
in July 1942 which destroyed his aircraft.
It is estimated that Henshaw flew 10% of all Spitfires and Seafires
, testing up to 20 aircraft a day in often foggy conditions. He would also demonstrate the Spitfire to visiting dignitaries, such as Winston Churchill
, and once flying the length of Broad Street
in Birmingham at low level. He was the only pilot known to (officially) perform a barrel roll
in a Lancaster bomber, a feat that was considered by some to be reckless or impossible due to the aircraft's size and relatively modest performance. He performed this manoeuvre with co-pilot Peter Ayerst among others, notably Venda Jicha a Czech pilot who worked alongside Alex. (Venda was a fighter ace, Battle of Britain pilot and previous member of No. 124 ("Baroda") Squadron RAF.)
Henshaw was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his wartime service.
in South Africa
, a job which entailed visiting potential customers in the region and making demonstration flights. But the company folded and he returned to England in 1948. Although still only in his mid-30s, he never again flew officially in command of an aircraft. Instead he took charge of his family's farming and holiday business in Lincolnshire. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery
for his rescue work in the 1953 floods
.
Following his retirement, Henshaw wrote a book recounting his wartime experiences at the Castle Bromwich
Aeroplane Factory (CBAF), Sigh For A Merlin (1979), the title referring to the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of the same name
which powered the Spitfire. This book was followed in 1980 by Flight of the Mew Gull, an account of the author's pre-war air racing and record-setting adventures.
The Air League
awarded Henshaw the Jeffrey Quill Medal in 1997. He became a Companion of the Air League in 2002 and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
in 2003. He gave his papers and mementos to the RAF Museum
in 2005, paying for a curator to catalogue his collection. He famously, albeit briefly, took the controls once again in a rare two-seater Spitfire, flown on the 70th anniversary of the flight of the first prototype on 5 March 2006 at Southampton Airport
in England
.
Henshaw wrote a third book, Wings across the Great Divide which was published in 2004. This final part of his trilogy details his experiences flying in Africa in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
He married his wife, Barbara, in 1940. She was the widow of Guy, Count de Chateaubrun. Barbara Henshaw died in 1996. Alex Henshaw died at home in Newmarket on 24 February 2007. He was survived by their only child Alexander Jr.
An hour-long film biography of Henshaw entitled The Extraordinary Mr Spitfire was broadcast for the first time on The History Channel
UK in September 2007.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(7 November 1912 - 24 February 2007) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
air racer in the 1930s and a test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
for Vickers Armstrong
Vickers Armstrong
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927...
in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Henshaw was born in PeterboroughPeterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, the eldest son of a wealthy Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
family. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School
King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon
King Edward VI School is a voluntary aided boys grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England...
, Stratford-on-Avon ("Shakespeare's School" where he sat at the bard's desk), and Lincoln School
Lincoln Christ's Hospital School
Lincoln Christ's Hospital School is a state comprehensive school for 11-18 year olds located on Wragby Road in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.-Admissions:Its student population is just under 1400, including over 300 in the sixth form...
(grammar school). He was awarded a Royal Humane Society
Royal Humane Society
The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned, for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning....
medal for saving a boy from the River Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
.
Henshaw took to motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, and then learned to fly at the Skegness and East Lincolnshire Aero Club in 1932, funded by his father, who bought him a de Havilland Gipsy Moth
De Havilland DH.60 Moth
The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...
. Henshaw received his private pilot's licence (no. 4572) on 6 June 1932. He made a name for himself in the 1930s in air racing, competing against legendary pilots like Geoffrey de Havilland
Geoffrey de Havilland
Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, OM, CBE, AFC, RDI, FRAeS, was a British aviation pioneer and aircraft engineer...
. Aged only 20, he competed in the blue riband
Blue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
of air racing, The Kings Cup, in 1933, in a Comper Swift. winning the Siddeley Trophy. He also flew a Leopard Moth
De Havilland Leopard Moth
-See also:...
and an Arrow Active
Arrow Active
The Arrow Active is a British aerobatic aircraft built in the 1930s.-Design and development:The Arrow Active is a single-seat biplane of conventional configuration, with single-bay, staggered wings of unequal span. The upper and lower wings are joined by a single interplane strut. The...
which caught fire while he was performing aerobatics. Henshaw bailed out safely. He later moved on to a Percival Mew Gull
Percival Mew Gull
The Percival Mew Gull was a British racing aircraft of the 1930s. It was a small, single-engine, single-seat, low-wing monoplane of wooden construction, normally powered by a six-cylinder de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine...
. He won the inaugural London-to-Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
air race in 1937, and won the Kings Cup in 1938, flying at an average speed of 236.25 mph.
Henshaw then turned his attention to long distance flying. After reconnaissance of the eastern and western routes in 1938, he set off from Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
at 0335 GMT on Sunday 5 February 1939 to fly his Mew Gull
Percival Mew Gull
The Percival Mew Gull was a British racing aircraft of the 1930s. It was a small, single-engine, single-seat, low-wing monoplane of wooden construction, normally powered by a six-cylinder de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine...
to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and back. He refuelled on the way out in Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, crossed the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
to land in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
and then Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, landing at Wingfield Aerodrome
Wingfield Aerodrome
Wingfield Aerodrome was first the Cape Town Municipal Aerodrome, then Air Force Station Wingfield under the SAAF, before being used as a Fleet Air Arm base by the Royal Navy. After WWII, the aerodrome reverted to being the municipal airport for a while...
Cape Town after flying 6,377 miles in 40 hours. He spent 28 hours in Cape Town, and retraced his route back to the UK, landing on 9 February after a flight of 39 hours, 36 minutes. He completed the whole 12,754-mile round trip in 4 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes, breaking the record for each leg and setting a solo record for the round trip. By the end, he was so tired that he had to be lifted out of the cockpit.
His account of this epic feat is given in his book Flight of the Mew Gull (1980) in which Henshaw describes hazardous landings at remote bush airstrips, battling through a tropical storm, and overcoming extreme exhaustion on the return leg. The aircraft he used, G-AEXF, was restored to its Cape flight configuration in the 1980s and remains in flying condition at Breighton
Breighton
Breighton is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the east bank of the River Derwent, approximately north west of Howden.It forms part of the civil parish of Bubwith....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
The Cape record stood for more than 70 years. On 11 May 2009. Charles Stobbart set a new record ratified by the FAI for the reverse route, Cape Town - London - Cape Town. Subsequently, on 3 September 2010, Steve Noujaim, flying a homebuilt Vans RV7, landed at Southend Airport in the UK after completing a round-trip to Cape Town in 3 days, 11 hours and 16 minutes. The new record bettered Henshaw's time by almost a day.
Second World War
Henshaw considered enlisting in the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
at the start of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but instead became a test pilot for Vickers Armstrong
Vickers Armstrong
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927...
. He subsequently took the rank of Sgt Pilot in order that he could fly a fully armed Spitfire, if needed to defend the factory although he was never called upon to fly in combat. Henshaw started with Wellingtons
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
and Walruses
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...
at Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
. He did not enjoy the work, and was on the point of leaving when Jeffrey Quill
Jeffrey Quill
Jeffrey Kindersley Quill OBE AFC FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force officer, RNVR officer and Test pilot and the second man to fly the Supermarine Spitfire after Vickers' chief test pilot, Joseph "Mutt" Summers. After succeeding Summers as Vickers' chief test pilot, Quill test-flew every mark of...
invited him to test Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.
In June 1940, Henshaw moved to the Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
factory in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, taken over by Vickers after poor production results by the Nuffield
Nuffield
Nuffield may refer to:*Nuffield College, Oxford, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom*Nuffield Foundation, a British charitable trust, established in 1943 by William Morris...
group. He was soon appointed to the post of Chief Test Pilot. The factory built over half of the total output of Spitfires ever made, and 350 Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
s. Henshaw tested both, leading a team of 25 others. The production/acceptance test flying job was essential, to ensure that faults were detected before aircraft were delivered to the front line, but was also dangerous: two of his team were killed testing new aircraft. Henshaw survived many forced landings and a catastrophic crash between two houses in Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
in July 1942 which destroyed his aircraft.
It is estimated that Henshaw flew 10% of all Spitfires and Seafires
Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
, testing up to 20 aircraft a day in often foggy conditions. He would also demonstrate the Spitfire to visiting dignitaries, such as Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, and once flying the length of Broad Street
Broad Street, Birmingham
Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...
in Birmingham at low level. He was the only pilot known to (officially) perform a barrel roll
Barrel roll
A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on its longitudinal axis while following a helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes described as "a combination of a loop and a roll"...
in a Lancaster bomber, a feat that was considered by some to be reckless or impossible due to the aircraft's size and relatively modest performance. He performed this manoeuvre with co-pilot Peter Ayerst among others, notably Venda Jicha a Czech pilot who worked alongside Alex. (Venda was a fighter ace, Battle of Britain pilot and previous member of No. 124 ("Baroda") Squadron RAF.)
Henshaw was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his wartime service.
Postwar
After the war Henshaw became a director of Miles AircraftMiles Aircraft
Miles was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, a job which entailed visiting potential customers in the region and making demonstration flights. But the company folded and he returned to England in 1948. Although still only in his mid-30s, he never again flew officially in command of an aircraft. Instead he took charge of his family's farming and holiday business in Lincolnshire. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery
Queen's Commendation for Bravery
The Queen's Commendation for Bravery is one of the United Kingdom awards granted for bravery entailing risk to life and meriting national recognition, but not at the level of the Queen's Gallantry Medal. The award may be granted posthumously and is not restricted to British subjects...
for his rescue work in the 1953 floods
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
.
Following his retirement, Henshaw wrote a book recounting his wartime experiences at the Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
Aeroplane Factory (CBAF), Sigh For A Merlin (1979), the title referring to the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of the same name
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
which powered the Spitfire. This book was followed in 1980 by Flight of the Mew Gull, an account of the author's pre-war air racing and record-setting adventures.
The Air League
Air League
For the Air League , see Australian Air LeagueThe Air League is an aviation society in the United Kingdom, founded in 1909.The aims and mission of the Air League are to promote the cause of British aviation by:...
awarded Henshaw the Jeffrey Quill Medal in 1997. He became a Companion of the Air League in 2002 and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
in 2003. He gave his papers and mementos to the RAF Museum
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...
in 2005, paying for a curator to catalogue his collection. He famously, albeit briefly, took the controls once again in a rare two-seater Spitfire, flown on the 70th anniversary of the flight of the first prototype on 5 March 2006 at Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Henshaw wrote a third book, Wings across the Great Divide which was published in 2004. This final part of his trilogy details his experiences flying in Africa in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
He married his wife, Barbara, in 1940. She was the widow of Guy, Count de Chateaubrun. Barbara Henshaw died in 1996. Alex Henshaw died at home in Newmarket on 24 February 2007. He was survived by their only child Alexander Jr.
An hour-long film biography of Henshaw entitled The Extraordinary Mr Spitfire was broadcast for the first time on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
UK in September 2007.
External links
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=I0NOA3RLATHNZQFIQMGSFF4AVCBQWIV0?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/02/28/db2801.xmlObituary, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, 28 February 2007] - http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2023547,00.htmlObituary, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 1 March 2007] - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1480049.ece Obituary, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 7 March 2007]