| Benbow | Henry | | Chief Inspector of Machinery | BENBOW, HENRY, Chief Engineer, RN, was born in London 5 September 1838, son of James Benbow, of Thornton Heath, Surrey, and his wife, Caroline (nee Parrey); educated at a private school; entered the Royal Navy as Assistant Engineer, 1861; became Chief Engineer 1879; served in Nile Expedition for relief of General Gordon, 1884-85, being attached as Chief Engineer to the Naval Brigade, under the command of Lord Charles Beresford, in connection with river steam-boat flotilla. The Naval Brigade did not accompany General Stewart but crossed the desert later, and was not at the Battle of Abu Klea. A desperate effort, in which Colonel Fred Burnaby was killed, was made to save General Gordon before the fall of Khartoum. The Expedition reached the Nile-at Gubat. Here it was met by four little-steamers sent down by General Gordon from Khartoum. Sir Charles Wilson, with a score of British soldiers and 266 Soudanese troops, started off at once for Khartoum in two of the steamers. On 1 February 1885, Lieutenant Stuart Wortley brought down word that General Gordon was dead, that Khartoum had fallen, and that Sir Charles Wilson's two steamers had been wrecked thirty miles up river. Lord Charles Beresford started to the rescue on the Salia, which had originally been a 'penny steamboat' on the Thames, with Benbow and a crew of bluejackets, a few picked soldier marksmen, two Gardner guns, and two brass four-pounder Egyptian mountain guns on board. The Sana was old, and could only make two and a half knots per hour against the stream. The following morning they had to pass the fort of Wad-el-Habeshi, where three heavy Krupp guns were-mounted, with 5,000 dervishes well entrenched, while a quarter of a mile-further on could be seen the wreck of one of Sir Charles Wilson's steamers, and the island on which he and his men had taken refuge. By concentrating machine-gun fire on the embrasures, they ran the gauntlet, and had passed some two hundred yards up stream, when a shot from the fort pierced the crazy vessel's boiler, killing or scalding all the engine-room hands, except one leading stoker, Royal Navy. The way on the boat enabled it to be headed across and anchored on the opposite shore. Although the dash across the desert had been carried out in the lightest possible order, Chief Engineer Benbow had brought with him the necessary plates, bolts, nuts, tools, etc, for dealing with such an emergency. With his own. hands he cut out and bent a new plate, sixteen inches by fourteen inches, drilled the holes, cut the threads of the screws on bolts and nuts, and after some ten hours' work standing in water, he was able to report that the job was done. During all this time bullets pattered continually on the hull, some of them piercing it and striking the wounded who lay below, and any moment a shell might have burst into the engine-room. At 5 am the fires were lit with the utmost caution and steam got up. The guns of the fort were safely eluded, Sir Charles Wilson's party picked up, and the whole-expedition brought back to Gubat. The plate is now in the Museum of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, having been cut out and sent home-some fifteen years later by Lord Kitchener. In his official report, Lord Charles Beresford stated: "Too much credit cannot be given to this, officer". Lord Charles Beresford, in his Memoirs, writes: "He ought to have received the VC, but owing to the fact that I did not know that the decoration could be granted for a service of that nature, I did not, to my great regret, recommend him for that honour". On the return to Korti, Mr Benbow was specially complimented on parade for his skill and bravery by Lord Wolseley, who presented him with his cigarette-case. Sent to England shortly after to prepare special light-draft steamers. Specially mentioned by Lord Wolseley in Despatches; received the Medal and clasp, and Khedive's Bronze Star. On the discussion of the Naval Estimates in the House of Commons in 1885, Lord (then Sir Thomas) Brassey, Secretary to the Admiralty, stated: "I particularly desire to place on record the services rendered by the Naval Engineer, Mr Benbow". Promoted to be Inspector of Machinery, "for gallantry in action during operations, in Egypt" [Gazette, 13 June 1886]; Chief Inspector of Machinery, 1888. He was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 30 May 1891]: "Henry Benbow, Chief Inspector of Machinery, Royal Navy". Insignia presented by the Queen, 17 August 1891. Sir Henry Benbow married, 1892, Elizabeth Jean, only daughter of Henry Bird, of Uxbridge, and their only child was a daughter, Muriel Caroline. He was created a KCB (Military), 26 June 1902. Sir Henry Benbow KCB, DSO, died 20 October 1916.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | Royal Navy |
