Commander Oscar Henderson, c.v.o., C.B.E., D.S.O., R.N., a member of the Committee of Management since 1948 and chairman of the Belfast branch, died on 3rd August at the age of 77.

Commander Henderson was one of the best known and best respected figures in the public life of Northern Ireland. For nearly 25 years he was Comptroller and private secretary to the Governor of Northern Ireland; he was President of Century Newspapers, which publishes the Belfast Newsletter, and one of the first directors of Ulster Television.

Few men can have given more devoted and valuable service to the R.N.L.I.

Characteristic of his concern with all aspects of its work was a report received earlier this year from the assistant secretary in the Belfast office, Mrs. E.

McMaster, who wrote: 'Commander Henderson has been seriously ill but he is now recovering. He contacts me on the telephone most days. Today he askedif I would write and tell you that he will be unable to attend Committee of Management meetings. . . . He is particularly anxious, however, to receive details of the branch collections for the year ended 30th September, 1968, as he would like to check what has been raised in Ireland in comparison with the expenditure'.

His widow, Mrs. Oscar Henderson, has also been an outstanding worker for the R.N.L.I. She was awarded the gold badge in 1952 and a bar to the gold badge in 1965..