John Dods (rugby union)


John Henry "Harry" Dods was a Scottish rugby union player. He was capped eight times for between 1895–1897. He also played for Edinburgh Academicals. He was the brother of Francis Dods who was also capped for Scotland.
Dods was killed along with his wife and three children, whilst on board, which suffered a series of explosions, killing hundreds of people.

Early life

Rugby career

Following the trials match on 28 December 1894, Dods was again selected for Scotland, to play against Wales on 25 January 1895.

International appearances

OppositionScoreResultDateVenue
5–4Won26 January 1895Edinburgh
6–0Won2 March 1895Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
3–6Won9 March 1895Richmond
6–0Lost25 January 1896Cardiff
0–0Draw15 February 1896Lansdowne Road, Dublin
11–0Won14 March 1896Glasgow
8–3Won20 February 1897Powderhall, Edinburgh
12–3Lost13 March 1897Manchester

Death

On 30 December 1915, Dods, his wife and three children were aboard, 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.