Ronald Francis Simson (6 September 1880 – 14 September 1914) was a Scottish

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

player for .Bath, p. 109 Simson was the first Scottish rugby international to die in the First World War.

Early life

Ronald Simson was born in Edinburgh on 6 September 1880.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

He attended

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Roa ...

and the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Si ...

, where he represented the Woolwich XV in a 49–9 victory over

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry ...

. He also played for London Scottish, a team especially hard hit because many of them joined the

London Scottish regiment The London Scottish was a Army Reserve (United Kingdom), reserve infantry regiment then a Company (military unit), company of the British Army. In its final incarnation it was A (The London Scottish) Company, the London Regiment (1993), Londo ...

Provincial career

He played for the

Blues Trial Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narra ...

side against the

Whites Trial White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

side on 21 January 1911, while still with London Scottish. He scored a try in the match but the Blues lost 19–26 to the Whites.

International career

Simson was selected to play for in one match, against at Twickenham on 18 March 1911. Simson scored one try for Scotland in the game, which they lost 13–8.

Military service

Simson joined the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of ...

in July 1911.Commonwealth War Graves Commission: SIMSON, RF
Retrieved 8 December 2009 Having played for the Army & Navy team, he was selected to represent Scotland against England in 1911. He was promoted in July 1914 to Lieutenant in the 116th Battery, 26th Brigade. Simson was killed in the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated ...

, which was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the

German First Army The 1st Army (german: 1. Armee) was a World War II field army. Combat chronicle 1939 The 1st Army was activated on 26 August 1939, in Wehrkreis XII with General Erwin von Witzleben in command. Its primary mission was to take defensive position ...

(led by

Alexander von Kluck Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck (20 May 1846 – 19 October 1934) was a German general during World War I. Early life Kluck was born in Münster, Westphalia on 20 May 1846. He was the son of architect Karl von Kluck and his wife Elisabeth ...

) & Second Army (led by

Karl von Bülow Karl Wilhelm Paul von Bülow (24 March 1846 – 31 August 1921) was a German field marshal commanding the German 2nd Army during World War I from 1914 to 1915. Biography Born in Berlin to the distinguished Prussian military family von Bülow, ...

) as they retreated after the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

earlier in September 1914. A shell exploded below the horse he was riding; both he and the horse were killed. He is buried at Moulins New Communal Cemetery in Aisne France.

References

* Bath, Richard (ed.) ''The Scotland Rugby Miscellany'' (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 )

External links

* Rugby union players from Edinburgh 1880 births 1914 deaths People educated at Edinburgh Academy Military personnel from Edinburgh Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Scotland international rugby union players Scottish rugby union players British military personnel killed in World War I Royal Field Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I Blues Trial players Rugby union centres {{UK-army-bio-stub