Ronald Simson
Encyclopedia
Ronald Francis Simson, was a Scottish rugby union
player for . Simson was the first rugby international - of any nationality - to die in the war. He was killed in the First Battle of the Aisne
, 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. He was a lieutenant
with the Royal Field Artillery
.
He played for London Scottish, a team especially hard hit because many of them joined the London Scottish regiment. Simson was capped for in 1911.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player for . Simson was the first rugby international - of any nationality - to die in the war. He was killed in the First Battle of the Aisne
First Battle of the Aisne
The First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
, which was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army
German First Army
-First World War:The 1st Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914. Commanded by General Alexander von Kluck, the 1st Army's job was to command the extreme right of the German forces in attacking...
(led by Alexander von Kluck
Alexander von Kluck
Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck was a German general during World War I.- Military career :He enlisted in the Prussian army in time to serve in the seven-week Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War, where he was wounded twice in the Battle of Colombey-Neuilly...
) & Second Army
German Second Army
The 2nd Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-First World War:The 2nd Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914...
(led by Karl von Bülow
Karl von Bülow
Karl von Bülow was a German Field Marshal commanding the German 2nd Army during World War I from 1914 to 1915.-Biography:...
) as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
earlier in September 1914. He was a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
with the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
.
He played for London Scottish, a team especially hard hit because many of them joined the London Scottish regiment. Simson was capped for in 1911.
External links
- War Graves database
- An entire team wiped out by the Great War (The Scotsman)