Colin Heald was born in Yorkshire, a fact he was proud of all his life. His father was Chief Constable of Middlesbrough. He entered the NCP in 1943 and enjoyed his time at the College, excelling in Maths and Physics. After Pangbourne he entered Greenwich as a Midshipman RN and graduated with a degree in Maths and Physics. From there he went on to BRNC Dartmouth and served in the Royal Navy until 1955, mostly as a gunnery officer on destroyers and seeing active service with the Mediterranean Fleet. The sinking of the submarine Affray in 1951 affected him deeply as he lost many friends from his Dartmouth year in that tragedy.

In 1955 Colin contracted tuberculosis and, not wanting to pursue a naval career ashore as regulations at the time mandated, retired as a Lt. Cdr. Soon after he joined the prison service, working initially in borstals in Suffolk and Worcestershire and an open prison in Derbyshire. In 1962 he was promoted to deputy governor at Stafford prison followed by a stint at Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. In 1971 he gained his first command at Appleton Thorn prison in Cheshire. Three years later he was promoted and put in charge of Dartmoor prison.

Dartmoor in 1974 no longer held high security prisoners. Instead it was the focus of a major tug of war between government, management and the Prison Officers Association over the modernisation of work practices and running costs. It was Colin’s task to restore management control and cut costs without closing down the prison. During the seven years he stayed at the prison he started to re-establish the authority of the governor and to move staff to realistic gradings and numbers, in the process negotiating his way through a tangled web of local and national agreements. During his time in charge the Prince of Wales came calling in 1981. The same year Heald was promoted to Governor Class One and chosen to oversee the modernisation of the overcrowded and obsolete Stafford prison where some of the buildings dated back to 1790. Eight years later he retired from the prison service to Dorset having accomplished much at Stafford. In retirement he was an active member of the Royal British Legion and Probus.

A tall, striking figure, Colin had strong views and was always highly organised. He also had a great sense of humour and a lasting love of language. The Times obituary called him “a traditionalist, seen primarily as a disciplinarian by staff and prisoners, but he also worked to see that all were treated fairly.” His last years were dogged by ill health but he went down fighting as befitted a gunnery officer. He is survived by his wife Dorothy and three children.