Birth name | John Henry Dods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 30 September 1875 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 30 December 1915 | (aged 40)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | HMS Natal, Moray Firth, off Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Henry Dods (30 September 1875 – 30 December 1915) was a Scottish rugby union player.[1] He was capped eight times for Scotland between 1895 and 1897.[1] He also played for Edinburgh Academicals.[1] He was the brother of Francis Dods who was also capped for Scotland.[1]
Dods was killed along with his wife and three children, whilst on board HMS Natal, which suffered a series of explosions, killing hundreds of people.
Following the trials match on 28 December 1894, Dods was again selected for Scotland, to play against Wales on 25 January 1895.[2]
Opposition | Score | Result | Date | Venue | Ref(s) |
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5–4 | Won | 26 January 1895 | Edinburgh | [3] |
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6–0 | Won | 2 March 1895 | Raeburn Place, Edinburgh | [4] |
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3–6 | Won | 9 March 1895 | Richmond | [5] |
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6–0 | Lost | 25 January 1896 | Cardiff | [6] |
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0–0 | Draw | 15 February 1896 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin | [7] |
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11–0 | Won | 14 March 1896 | Glasgow | [8] |
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8–3 | Won | 20 February 1897 | Powderhall, Edinburgh | [9] |
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12–3 | Lost | 13 March 1897 | Manchester | [10] |
On 30 December 1915, Dods, his wife and three children were aboard HMS Natal, guests of the ship's captain Eric Back. The ship, a Warrior Class cruiser, part of the Second Cruiser Squadron, was lying at anchor in the Cromarty Firth, in the north of Scotland. A series of explosions on board caused the ship to capsize with the loss of hundreds of lives, including those of Dods and his family.[11][12]