Sir Arnold Hodson

Sir Arnold Wienholt Hodson was born in Bovey Tracey, Devonshire, in 1881. He was the eldest son of Algernon Hodson and Sarah Wienholt.

He was educated in Italy, at Lord Normanby's school at Mulgrave Castle, and at Felsted.

At the age of 19, he emigrated to Australia where he worked on a sheep farm in Central Queensland.

He joined the 7th Australian Commonwealth Horse and went to South Africa in 1902, but was too late to see active service.

He obtained employment at Durban for a while and then moved to Johannesburg and to Pretoria, where he secured a post in the Repatriation department, later transferred to the Public Works department.

From 1904 until 1912 he was in the Bechuanaland Protectorate Police Force as a sub-Inspector, and joined the force at Mafeking, the headquarters of the Resident Commissioner.

He then went on to Somaliland 1912-14. He served as Consul in Southern Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) 1914-23 and then Consul in South West Abyssinia from 1923-1926.

He was Governor of the Falkland Islands 1926-30, Sierra Leone 1930-1934 and finally the Gold Coast (now Ghana) 1934-1941.

Hodson married Elizabeth Charlotte Sarah Hay, daughter of Major Malcolm Vivian Hay in 1928.