Ronald Simson | |
Birth Name: | Ronald Francis Simson |
Birth Place: | Edinburgh, Scotland |
Birth Date: | 6 September 1890 |
Death Place: | Aisne, France |
Ru Position: | Centre |
Ru Amateurclubs: | London Scottish |
Ru Provinceyears: | 1911 |
Ru Province: | Blues Trial |
Ru Provincecaps: | 1 |
Ru Provincepoints: | (3) |
Ru Nationalteam: | Scotland |
Ru Nationalyears: | 1911 |
Ru Nationalcaps: | 1 |
Ru Nationalpoints: | (3) |
Ronald Francis Simson (6 September 1880 - 14 September 1914) was a Scottish rugby union player for .[1] Simson was the first Scottish rugby international to die in the First World War.[2]
Ronald Simson was born in Edinburgh on 6 September 1880.[3]
He attended Edinburgh Academy and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, where he represented the Woolwich XV in a 49 - 9 victory over Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[3] He also played for London Scottish, a team especially hard hit because many of them joined the London Scottish regiment.[2]
He played for the Blues Trial side against the Whites Trial 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.[4]
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.[5]
Simson joined the Royal Field Artillery in July 1911.[6] Having played for the Army & Navy team, he was selected to represent Scotland against England in 1911.[1] He was promoted in July 1914 to Lieutenant in the 116th Battery, 26th Brigade.[3] Simson was killed in the First Battle of the Aisne,[2] which was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) & Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914. A shell exploded below the horse he was riding; both he and the horse were killed.[3] He is buried at Moulins New Communal Cemetery in Aisne France.