Desmond Henley

Desmond Charles Henley,OBE(1927,Marylebone,London – 11 November 2005,Portsmouth) was an Englishembalmer.

Career

After leaving school, Henley joined the London company offuneral directorsJames H. Kenyon Ltd in 1941. Established in 1880, J. H. Kenyon Ltd were theundertakers to the Royal Household,and had in that role assisted in arranging the funerals of many members of theRoyal Family.After training in all theoretical and practical aspects of embalming, Henley passed his professional examinations in 1948. Four years later he was appointed the company's chief embalmer.

In 1961, Henley became an examiner of the British Institute of Embalmers. He also taught embalming techniques,embalming fluidformulas as well asdisaster managementto funeral directors.In an interview published in 1998, Henley expressed doubts that themummificationofLenin's body in Moscow was indeed as permanent as claimed by the Russian authorities.

Notable cases

In his role as chief embalmer for J. H. Kenyon Ltd, Henley carried out the embalming ofKing George VIatSandringham Housein 1952,that ofQueen MaryatMarlborough Housein 1953, and that ofSir Winston Churchillat the latter's London home at 28 Hyde Park Gate in 1965.

Churchill's body was embalmed in the same room where he had died on the morning of 24 January 1965, a Sunday. When the process was completed, the remains were dressed in his silk pyjamas and dressing robe and placed back into his bed. Churchill wouldlie in reposein private at his Hyde Park Gate home until 9:00 pm Tuesday evening when Kenyon's staff transported his remains toWestminster Halltolie in stateand for thefuneral at St Paul's Cathedral.

Four years later, Henley embalmed the remains ofMutesa II of Buganda;and whenIdi Aminhad Mutesa II's body returned from London to Uganda in 1971, Henley was requested to accompany it.In 1973,Aristotle Onassishad Henley flown to Athens in his private jet to embalm the body of his son,Alexander.Henley also oversaw the embalming ofJudy Garlandin 1969,Jimi Hendrixin 1970,Field Marshal Lord Montgomeryin 1976,Admiral of the Fleet Lord Mountbatten of Burmain 1979,Bon Scottin 1980, andBilly Furyin 1983.

In the time between 1963 and 1976, Henley also worked extensively inBahrain,Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Abu Dhabi,BeninandMalawi,and continued to advise royal families worldwide until his retirement from J. H. Kenyon Ltd in 1992, after 51 years of service.

Disaster management

After training in disaster management, Henley also served as head of J. H. Kenyon Ltd's emergency services mortuary team. In this role he was involved in the recovery andrepatriationof bodies after numerous disasters, including theKano air disasterin Nigeria in 1973, theZeebrugge ferry disasterin 1987 and theLockerbie bombingin 1988.

It was for this work at major disasters around the world that Henley was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire"for services in the aftermath of disasters involving the loss of human life"in the1997 New Year Honours.

Retirement and death

In retirement he lived in London and Portsmouth.His funeral was held on 23 November 2005 at St. Wilfrid's Church, Portsmouth, followed by cremation atPortchesterCrematorium.

Honours

• 1972:Freeman of the City of London
• 1987: Fellow of the British Institute of Embalmers
• 1997:Officer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE)

External links

• Ian Harvey:The Macabre Connection Between Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland and Winston Churchill(2018, online)
• Desmond Henley: A Great Embalmer
• How Mutesa’s body was returned from London for burial
• Desmond Henley receiving the OBE in 1997