| Date | 21 April 1997 |
|---|---|
| Type | Blue Plaque |
| Subject | Person |
| Plaque | RBWM |
| Location | Cissbury, Windsor Road, Ascot, SL5 7JX — View on Google Maps |
| Status | Current |
| Reference | PQ-0025 |
| Volume | Blue Plaques |
| Collection | Plaques |
Summary
| Name: | Sir Edward Richard Henry, 1st Baronet GCVO KCB CSI KPM |
| Born: | 1850 |
| Place: | Shadwell, London |
| Died: | 1931 |
| Profession: | Police Officer |
| Educated: | St Edmund’s College, Ware |
| Famous for: | He was a British police officer and administrator best known for developing the modern fingerprint classification system used by police forces around the world. Born in London, Henry joined the Indian Civil Service and served in Bengal. While working in India during the 1890s, he helped refine and introduce a systematic method of identifying individuals by their fingerprints. This Henry Classification System quickly proved more reliable than earlier identification methods. Henry later returned to Britain and became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service from 1903 to 1918. During his tenure, fingerprint identification was officially adopted by Scotland Yard, revolutionising criminal investigation. He continued innovation and improvements by standardising police boxes, installing phones in divisional stations, and introducing police dogs. For his contributions to policing and forensic science, he was created a baronet in 1918. His fingerprint system remained the foundation of criminal identification for much of the 20th century and influenced modern forensic practices worldwide. |
| Windlesora: |
Images
Curator's References
Commemorative plaques on the RBWM website.