This is part of a series of essays about the First World War casualties commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Massachusetts.

Fred Henderson was another young flying cadet who fell ill and died at the early stages of his training in Toronto. He was born at Kendal Green, Massachusetts on 31 July 1898, the third child and second son of George and Maggie Henderson.^[1] His father was a farm manager and both of his parents had immigrated to the United States from New Brunswick in Canada.

Henderson travelled to Toronto in the spring of 1918 and enlisted into the Royal Air Force for service as a flying cadet on 9 April. While studying at No. 4 School of Military Aeronautics at the University of Toronto Henderson fell ill. He died of nephritis at the Military Base Hospital, Toronto on 2 June 1918, aged 19.^[2] His remains were returned home and he was buried in Linwood Cemetery, Weston. His grave is in Lot 187, which is in a section in the western part of the cemetery just south of Dudley Avenue.

Cadet Henderson is commemorated on page 588 of the Canadian First World War Book of Remembrance; that page is displayed on 20 December.

His brother, George Winslow Henderson, was a career officer in the United States Navy, who served through the Second World War and retired as a Captain.

1. (Back) George William Henderson (1 August 1866-NK) married Margaret Jane Kirk (27 September 1864-27 October 1963) at People’s Temple Methodist Episcopal Church, Boston, Massachusetts on 1 May 1890: Isabella Laura (10 August 1891-NK); George Winslow (9 August 1894-6 August 1980); Marion Margaret (9 December 1899-NK); Henry Havelock (12 October 1904-NK).
2. (Back) The Toronto death record shows his date of death as being 1 June 1918.