Corporal John Ronald

Corporal John Ronald, 6th ( Service ) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. He was killed in action in France on 29th September 1915, aged 31, during the Battle of Loos. He was the son of the late W. T. Ronald of Tillmouth School House, Cornhill-on-Tweed and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Dud Corner, Loos, France.  He had been born at Tillmouth and had enlisted in Glasgow. Before enlisting he had been a teacher. The Memorial lists his Christian name as Gustave and his Regiment as the Royal Scots. He may have changed his name on enlisting because of its German connotations. On that date the 6th Battalion ( part of 9th Scottish Division) was involved in fierce fighting in and around the trench called “Fosse Alley” and casualties were heavy. 9 Officers and 34 Other Ranks were killed with 7 Officers and 24 Other Ranks wounded. In addition 228 Other Ranks were wounded and missing. The artist’s nightmarish illustration shows an attack at Loos with the troops werraing their gas hoohs and using primitive hand grenades.