Major Richardson enlisted as a Private into the 1st Battalion on the 28th of December 1932.  He would remain with the regiment for his entire career and was affectionately nicknamed “Long Henry” by his peers. In 1939 as a Corporal, he went with the Battalion to serve in Palestine.  They later moved to Cyprus and then finally deployed to North Africa in the Second World War.  Following the fall of Tobruk in June 1942, Henry was captured by the German Army and spent the rest of the war kept in a series of Prisoner of War (POW) camps across Italy, Austria and Germany. It is recorded that the last known camp he was held in was Stalag 4B at Muhlberg. Henry would be liberated by the Russian army, in Germany, in 1945.  

In 1946, following the end of the Second World War Henry re-joined the 1st Battalion as Company Sergeant Major of “D” Company. Henry remained in this position until 1952 when he became Regimental Sergeant Major. 

Henry was commissioned Lieutenant Quartermaster in 1955 and served with the 8th Battalion at Newark. However, by March 1958, he had returned to the 1st Battalion as Captain. He joined them on their tour of Malaya, and then again on their tour of Cyprus in 1963-64. Henry was then further promoted to Major in March 1964.  

Henry retired on 28th November 1967 after 35-years in the regiment. Following his retirement, he took up the post of Executive Officer to the Derbyshire Army Cadet Force. A position he still held at the time of his death on the 7th of July 1979.