Ernest Henry Dodd (21 March 1880 – 11 September 1918) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. A hooker, Dodd represented at a provincial level in 45 matches between 1901 and 1905, and appeared in the first ever

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge ...

challenge in 1904. He made three appearances for the New Zealand national side (later known as the "All Blacks"): two games in 1901; and the test match against the touring Australian team at

Tahuna Park Tahuna and Tainui are two small, somewhat vaguely defined suburbs of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. They lie to the south of Andersons Bay and Musselburgh, New Zealand, Musselburgh, close to Dunedin's southern coastline (Ocean Beach, Otago, O ...

, Dunedin, in 1905. Dodd enlisted for service with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

in February 1917, and rose to the rank of

lance sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is a military appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal ...

in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Dodd enlisted (aged 36) as a widower with 3 children, predeceased by his 2 wives Edith Violet Wills and Ruby Frances Bolton who died in their late 20s of

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, respectively. He was killed in action in France on 9 September 1918, and was buried at the

Metz-en-Couture Metz-en-Couture is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the ...

Communal Cemetery British Extension.

References

1880 births 1918 deaths Rugby union players from Dunedin People educated at Wellington College, Wellington New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Wellington rugby union players Rugby union hookers New Zealand military personnel killed in World War I New Zealand Military Forces personnel of World War I New Zealand Army soldiers {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1880s-stub