William

DETAILS OF DEATH

On the evening of the 13 August 1885 the Constable challenged a group of drunken Kempsey Park labourers near the bridge over the Cooks River at Canterbury. The group were returning to camp following a day on the grog in the city and had been causing a disturbance. One of the men named Birch then became involved in a scuffle with the Constable and while this was going on another of the group struck the unfortunate Constable Hird on the head several times with an axe killing him instantly. The Constable was born in 1852 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 5 July 1882. At the time of his death he was stationed at Canterbury.