The rise, fall, redemption and tragic end of Herman Joseph Moll
Author: John Knowles
(Enrolled Pensioner Guard interest group, FamilyHistoryWA)
Herman Joseph Moll’s life was one of privilege and promise, crime and punishment, reinvention on the far side of the world, and a sudden, lonely death. Born in Cologne, Germany, on 31 January 1838, Herman was the son of Joseph Moll, a tobacco merchant, and his wife Sophia Eick. Through his father’s business, Herman was exposed early to commerce; Joseph frequently had business abroad, including in England, and it was there that Herman’s fate would change irrevocably.
Decades later, Herman’s son Wilfred wrote a romanticised account of his father’s early years. In it, Herman travelled Europe freely, moved in respectable English circles, and entered mercantile life with confidence and flair. The truth, while less glamorous, is far more compelling.
What can be reliably established is that in 1856, at just eighteen, Herman was employed in London by John Gerard Wich, a Belgian consul and merchant living at 9 Park Road, Hampstead. There was no family connection between the two. Herman worked as a trusted clerk—and then abused that trust. Over time, he created a false
bank passbook to conceal withdrawals, while using Wich’s genuine account to siphon off funds for himself.
On 5 September 1860, while attempting to withdraw more than £100 in cash and gold, suspicions were raised at the bank. The deception unravelled. Herman fled the next day, and detectives believed he escaped to France. A warrant was later issued for his. Nine months later, however, Herman returned to England. Why he came back
remains unknown. perhaps he saw no future at home once news of his crime reached Cologne. On 12 June 1861, he was arrested.
A month later, Herman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years’ penal servitude. Wich claimed losses of thousands of pounds, though only a fraction was formally prosecuted, for reasons that remain unclear. Why Herman stole at all … romance, gambling, ambition, desperation, can only be guessed.
Prison life was brutal. In August 1861, Herman’s intelligence and fluency in German saw him used as an interpreter in a murder trial involving a German-speaking defendant. During proceedings, Herman gave rare insight into his own imprisonment:
solitary confinement, loneliness, inadequate food, and relentless hard labour.
In October 1862, he was transported aboard the convict ship York, arriving at the Swan River Colony on 31 December. There is no surviving photograph of him, but his prison record describes a man of middling stout build, 5 feet 9¼ inches tall, with hazel eyes, greyish hair, a full face, and dark complexion.
Eighteen months later, Herman received his ticket-of-leave. Literate, Catholic, and capable, he found early work as a servant and then as a teacher for Catholic priests. These qualities soon brought him to the attention of John Henry Monger, a prominent Western Australian merchant who employed dozens of ticket-of-leave men. Herman was hired as a clerk at 42 shillings a week, and in 1867, when Monger inherited and expanded the family business, Herman was entrusted with managing the York branch.
Over the next three years, Herman rose steadily, eventually becoming manager. His conditional pardon followed in 1869, his Certificate of Freedom in 1871, and naturalisation soon after. That same year, he was appointed to the York Education Board, a position requiring British subject status, suggesting Monger’s strong support and influence.
By the early 1870s, Herman had reinvented himself. Newspapers portrayed him as a capable businessman, a gifted speaker, an entertainer, a singer, and even a piano tuner when required. In 1874, his life took another turn: he moved to Perth to manage Monger’s main business and married Catherine Agnes “Aggie” Roe.1
Aggie’s father, James Roe 2, was himself a transported “white-collar convict”, and had arrived on the very same ship as Herman. Aggie was twelve years younger than Herman and converted to Catholicism for the marriage, no small step given her father was a defrocked Anglican minister. Roe raised no objection and witnessed the
wedding.
The years that followed were busy and productive. Herman travelled extensively for business, from Albany to Roebourne and Port Adelaide. He and Aggie had four children in six years. He was deeply involved in Catholic education, local politics, railway advocacy, and civic entertainment. He frequently represented Monger in civil
cases and even co-authored a satirical newspaper piece with his employer.
But by 1881, the partnership faltered. Monger appointed his eighteen-year-old son to manage the business, quietly supplanting Herman. After nearly twenty years of loyalty, Herman was out of work. Around this time, he wrote a revealing letter to his sister-in-law, hinting at mounting troubles: a long illness for Aggie, pain in his own leg, financial strain, and a fragile hope that “very soon there will be an end to all this.” Shortly after, his house was put up for rent.
Late in 1882, Herman accepted a new position with McRae & Co. On 7 November, he sailed aboard the Rob Roy to Cossack to manage their store. Either on arrival or soon after, he broke his leg. Unable to work and far from family, complications set in. Seven weeks later, on 18 December 1882, Herman Joseph Moll died aged just forty-
three.
His burial place in Cossack is unknown. He left no will. Probate was granted to Aggie in April 1883. This was much needed as Herman had a life insurance policy and this allowed her to educate the remaining children well but it was a hard-won consolation.
From Cologne to Cossack, Herman Moll’s life was marked by ambition, failure, resilience, and reinvention … ending, as so many frontier lives did, abruptly and far from home.
Thanks to:
- Kerry Jones – nee White … a great grand-daughter of Herman Moll and Aggie.
Going above and beyond with her research, connecting with lost cousins, delving into archives … always digging and sifting the fact from the fiction … even when the fiction was better! - The early photo of Aggie is from Hilary Thomas a great grand-daughter of James Roe who allowed Kerry’s daughter to copy it.
Sources
- WikiTree, n.d. Catherine Agnes (Roe) Moll (1850-1932). Retrieved 3 Jan 2026 from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Roe-6986 ↩︎
- WikiTree, n.d. James Elphinstone Roe (1818-1897). Retrieved 3 Jan 2026 from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Roe-1778 ↩︎
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