Researching Ian Henderson

Henderson was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1927 but grew up among the Kikuyu in Kenya and lived most of his life overseas. He served as a Colonial Police Officer in Kenya during the 1950s and was famed for his role in capturing Mau Mau rebel leader Dedan Kimathi, about which he wrote the book, The Hunt for Kimathi, also published under the title Man Hunt in Kenya by Doubleday. In 1954 Henderson was awarded the George Medal, the second-highest award for bravery not in combat, and later a bar to the George Medal, for suppressing the Mau Mau uprising. "Ian Henderson has probably done more than any single individual to bring the Emergency to an end" wrote General Sir Gerald Lathbury when he left Kenya in 1957.

After independence, he was deported from Kenya and moved to Bahrain. He was employed as the head of the General Directorate for State Security Investigations in Bahrain for some 30 years, retiring from his position in February 1998. He was accused of complicity in torture during the period of protracted social unrest of 1990s uprising in Bahrain, leading to an investigation by British authorities in 2000. The investigation was concluded in August 2001 and no charges were filed, despite thorough documentation by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of the torture. He always denied any involvement in torture, despite the release of the documentary "Blind Eye to the Butcher" which contains evidence and interviews with the disfigured torture victims who identify Ian Henderson.

While the chief of the Bahrain police, Ian Henderson personally interviewed North Korean agent Kim Hyon-hui and her accomplice Kim Seung-il. The pair had travelled to Bahrain posing as Japanese tourists after planting a bomb on Korean Air Flight 858. Henderson managed to prevent Hyon-hui from taking a cyanide pill secreted in a cigarette she was carrying.

Ian Henderson was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with the OBE (1984), George Medal (1954) (and Bar (1955)) and the King's Police and Fire Services Medal (1953). He was honoured by Government of Bahrain with The Order of Shaikh 'Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa (Wisam al-Shaikh 'Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa) Exceptional Class (2000), The Order of Bahrain (Wisam al-Bahrein) 1st Class (1983) and The Medal of Military Merit (Wissam al-Khidmat al-Askari) 1st Class (1982).

Ian Henderson's character was played by George Kennedy in the 1990 Korean film Mayumi, portraying his interrogation of Kim Hyon-hui.

Henderson started his career with Norwich City and made almost 70 first team appearances with them before joining Northampton Town in July 2007 following a six-month loan spell at Rotherham United. He remained at Northampton Town for 18 months and then played for Luton Town and in the Turkish football league with Ankaragücü, prior to signing for Colchester United in January 2010. Henderson hit 11 goals for Colchester United in the 2010–11 campaign, including home and away winners against Rochdale, and then scored again at Spotland for Colchester in October 2011. He scored 26 times in 130 outings for United, but left the club after manager Joe Dunne oversaw a shake-up of his squad earlier in 2013. Henderson was one of the most consistent performers in Rochdale's promotion campaign, missing only one game through suspension and scoring 11 goals, including several Goal of the Season contenders.

Henderson joined Rochdale on a free transfer in February 2013 after being released by Colchester. His performances led to the offer of a two-year contract last summer, a deal which has since been extended until 2016.

Henderson has played internationally for England four times at under-18 and once at under-20 level, and is also eligible to represent Scotland.

He was born in Brisbane to Walter Henderson and Lilian Florence May, née Kennedy. He attended state schools at Tin Can Bay, Mooloolaba and Mount Gravatt and then Cavendish Road State High School. He studied at Kelvin Grove Teachers College (Certificate of Teaching), at the University of Queensland (BA, B.Ed, M.Ed.St) and at the University of New England (Litt.B); he also received an Associate Diplomat of Theology from the Australian College of Theology in Melbourne and a Doctorate of Religious Education at the International Bible Institute in Plymouth, Florida. A school teacher from 1962, he became subject master at Mount Gravatt High School in 1977 and deputy principal of Indooroopilly and Springwood high schools from 1980 to 1984. A member of the National Party, he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the member for Mount Gravatt in 1983. He was promoted to the front bench as Minister for Justice and Corrective Services in October 1989, but he lost his seat in the election in December at which Labor defeated the National Party.