West Briton (Camborne, Redruth, Hayle)
Boxing club honours memory of slain aid worker with an evening of thrilling bouts
ACHARITY boxing show has taken place to honour the memory of Cornish aid work James ‘Jim’ Henderson, who was killed in Gaza on April 1.
Mr Henderson, 33, from Falmouth, was one of seven people killed in an Israeli drone strike on a convoy carrying members of the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) outside a warehouse at Deir al-Balah.
The former Royal Marine was part of the convoy’s security team along with fellow UK armed forces veterans John Chapman, 57, and James Kirby, 47, who also died.
Mr Henderson, who worked as a roofer before spending six years in the Royal Marines, was a mainstay of the sporting scene in both Falmouth and Penryn.
He joined Penryn Rugby Football Club as a junior and rose through the ranks to become a senior backrow player.
The club paid tribute to him as “one of the kindest, toughest and most loyal players to have ever worn the Penryn shirt”.
A fundraising evening in his memory was staged by Falmouth and
Penryn Amateur Boxing Club at the Dracaena Centre in Falmouth on Saturday, April 13, organised by his friends and family.
Gerald Pitts, chairman of the boxing club, told ITV News Mr Henderson’s death had shocked all those who knew him.
“We just couldn’t believe it”, said Mr Pitts.
“We knew he was out there on aid, and now obviously this happened. It shocked us to the core, really, and we’ve not really spoken about it much since, apart from dedicating tonight to Jim.
“He was a great sportsperson: rugby, boxing, jiu-jitsu. He was a true warrior and a fit guy, I must say: absolutely one of the best”.
The attack on the World Central Kitchen personnel as they left the warehouse, which was stocked with