Henry DoddPrint Page

The headstone at the grave commemorates warder Henry Dodd who was killed by a prisoner on St Helena in 1898 while in the execution of his duty.

In 1897, William Archer, ‘a prisoner suffering from consumption’, was sent to St Helena to serve out a severe sentence of ten years for stealing a quantity of cloth valued at £35.

He was put to work in the prison tailor’s workshop but, arguing that the indoor work did not agree with his delicate disposition, he sought permission from the Superintendent to be given outdoor work. This privilege, which he requested more than once, was refused.

On 18 February 1898, as a last resort, Archer asked the Visiting Surgeon to recommend work in the open air, adding that, unless he was granted this request, he could end up injuring someone in a fit of passion. Again his request was refused. That same afternoon in the cutting room of the tailor’s workshop, warder Henry Dodd was on duty. Archer walked up to an unsuspecting Dodd at the door and savagely drove a knife into the man’s stomach.

Warder Dodd was taken by the Visiting Surgeon to Brisbane Hospital where an emergency operation failed to save his life. On the day of the funeral, as many warders as could be spared journeyed up to Brisbane to pay tribute to their late colleague who was laid to rest at Toowong Cemetery in heavy rain.

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