EDWARD HEATHCOCKshort story

▪ The St Helena Island Community ▪ www.sthelenacommunity.com.auJuly 2019

Warder Edward Heathcock

Sour, burnt breadWarder Edward Heathcock, was a small goods butcher in his home town of Stowbridge, England, but on St Helena Island, Queensland, he became a Prison Warder and a Baker in June 1913. Bakers had been hard to retain, with 3 men leaving in 18 months, some citing the reason as the small pay of £110 with an extra £10 for supervision of kitchen prisoners. There were high hopes for Edward.

The prisoner assistant to the baker was ordered to teach him the art of baking, and for a while all was well. But when Warder Heathcock began to take the yeast-making and cooking over, the sour and raw bread began in earnest, drawing widespread complaints from prisoners and warders alike.

“I have seen bread made at St Helena that the pigs would not eat, and I have seen batches of bread burnt in order that it would not be seen. It is surprising to see the amount of bread and dough which has been burnt in the firebox or dumped up on top of the oven.” Luckily for prisoners’ stomachs, Heathcock left to enlist in World War 1 in September 1914.Source: Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence.