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 and repatriation of bodies after numerous disasters, including the Kano air disaster in Nigeria in 1973, the Zeebrugge ferry disaster in 1987 and the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. It was for this work at major disasters around the world that Henley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services in the aftermath of disasters involving the loss of human life" in the 1997 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 at Portchester Crematorium. 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) References 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 1927 births 2005 deaths Embalmers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Marylebone People from Portsmouth