Charles’ birth register has Charles Edwin SERTIN, born on 13 January 1882 (RN date 13/01/1881) in Fulham, London to single parent Mary Sertin, an 18 year old servant girl living at 98, Coomer Rd, Fulham, London & Middlesex. In the 1891 census the surname has changed to Henderson and he is living with the Gale family as a nephew though Mary Gale is his mother. The Next Of Kin on the RN Death Register is “Sister” with a letter of application from John Gale, Mary’s husband, as an “Uncle” of Charles. Mary and Peter had a further 6 children, Kate E (1891), John J (1893), Ellen A (1896), May A (1898), Edith M (1900), Robert S (1904) and Constance L (1906) making up the family unit all living at 8, Meredith St, Clerkenwell, London & Middlesex.

Charles joined the Royal Navy on the 25 September 1901 when he walked through the barrack gates of HMS PEMBROKE ll the Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham, and signed on as a Stoker Second Class, giving his birth year as 1881 to make him 20 years old and then able to join as a direct entry stoker, with a civilian trade noted as plumber. On 10 June 1902 he joined the battleship HMS JUPITER where on board he was advanced to Stoker and returned to PEMBROKE ll on 29 January 1904. On 5 April he was drafted to the newly built MONMOUTH class cruiser HMS LANCASTER and back to PEMBROKE ll  on 20 March 1906. On 23 May 1906 he joined the cruiser HMS SAPPHIRE where on board he was advanced to Stoker First Class. On 1 May 1907 he was drafted to the destroyer depot ship HMS BLENHEIM where on board he volunteered for service in submarines. He was drafted to HMS THAMES on 13 November 1907 to  5 October 1909 thence to HMS VULCAN, the submarine depot ship for the 7th Submarine Flotilla based at Dundee, Scotland, for duty on HMS C19. On 1 December 1909 he was promoted to Acting Leading Stoker.

On 26 May 1910, C19 was moored on her buoy out on the river Tay off Dundee when he slipped and fell overboard into the fast flowing river. A brave attempt at rescue by another crew member who jumped into the river to try and save him sadly failed and the strong currents quickly took him downstream to his death.

Leading Stoker, Charles Edwin HENDERSON, Svc No. 298512 had “Crossed The Bar” despite heroic efforts of his shipmate to save him.