Genealogical war memorials for Bournemouth’s fallen.
Battle of Mons: August 24th, 1914
Introduction
Tales from the Front (3) tells the story of Ronald Scott, a Lance-Corporal serving with the 9th Lancers during the Great War. Before this, a resident of Southbourne, he had worked as a shop assistant. Ronald, 22, went missing in action around the Audregnies area, Belgium, during the second day of Mons, 1914.
Tales from the Front (3): Part 1
Something had gone wrong
Ronald’s unit, the 9th Lancers, had participated in the BEF’s manoeuvre perhaps too well that morning. The British had decided to withdraw from Mons to support the French plan to protect Paris. Positioned on the left of the BEF’s line, they and the other cavalry regiments had faced little opposition during their fall back. The infantry line to their right, however, had had to dig in against a substantial attack, their left flank now exposed. A German right hook could roll up the British line and damage the BEF. The infantry needed help: to stun the attacking infantry and to rescue British field guns. Questions about the relevance of horse-mounted soldiers to modern warfare may have arisen, but the call went out for the 9th Lancers and other cavalry to assist the infantry. This day, Ronald applied a method of war that would soon disappear, but not yet.
Tales from the Front (3): Part 2
Steady improvements
That one of Ronald’s grandmothers knitted gloves, while her husband laboured in the fields around Christchurch, suggests a family faced poverty most days. His great-grandmother did the same. His father, however, lifted the family somewhat. He had learned to lay bricks, a skill then much in demand within Bournemouth. In the Victorian period, construction here never stopped. Millions of bricks lined up like soldiers on site after site to provide a living for many skilled men. Ronald’s father produced enough income to support many children. His mother did not have to earn money in addition to rearing her children. They arrived while their parents lived in Pokesdown, a labouring community. By 1901, however, they had moved closer to Southbourne, an embryonic suburb of Bournemouth. Parts of it had become well-to-do, with some residents wanting to compete with Bournemouth. They did not achieve success, becoming assimilated by the resort in 1901.
Further promotion
Ronald’s occupation as a ‘shop assistant’, recorded in 1911, suggests a further level of elevation for his family. To work in this environment, he needed confidence in dealing with customers, good literacy, and numeracy. Most of those from labouring families would have joined the infantry in 1914, but Ronald enlisted with the 9th Lancers, a regiment whose officers belonged to the social elite. His job and location may have provided a link to this regiment. At some point, he must also have learned to control a horse while fighting. He had flourished since enlistment, for he had won an appointment as lance-corporal by August 24th, aged 22. This position required a level of authority, assisting the corporal in commanding a section of troopers. In common with other cavalry regiments, several aristocrats served as officers with the 9th Lancers. Thus, Ronald Oakley had already won the confidence of his social superiors.
Tales from the Front (3): Part 3
The sad day
The 9th Lancers participated in several actions this day. Around midday, they charged German troops attacking the British infantry. Although prevented by wire from reaching their target, the charge helped to delay the enemy’s advance for four hours. That same day, they attacked and destroyed 11 German field pieces. Later, the Lancers helped to rescue the guns and gunners of the BEF’s 119th Battery, an action having deep significance to the army. German artillery targeted them, while their infantry on the mining dumps gave constant rifle support. Captain Frank Grenfell took charge there during the latter events. He suffered bad wounds. His friend, the Duke of Westminster, touring the battlefield in his Rolls-Royce, rescued Grenfell, who won the VC for rescuing the guns. Throughout these several encounters, the 9th Lancers incurred many casualties. Many had gone missing without further trace, among them Lance Corporal Ronald Scott, a Bournemouth son.
Aftermath
Although the Scott family had improved its quality of life to some extent, it encountered considerable losses. The parents had lost children as infants. In 1911, Ronald’s mother followed them. Furthermore, in the two months after losing Ronald, his father had to address the passing of two other adult children. Ronald’s elder brother, Alfred, may have served with the Army Service Corps. He had married in 1914, settled in Southampton as a baker and confectioner by 1921.
The Lancers would make another charge when the Allies pushed back the Germans over the River Marne. After crossing the River Aisne, however, the advance slowed because of determined resistance from the Germans. By September 18th, they had dug trenches. Thereafter, they fought in this way. War artist Caton Woodville created a famous picture of the Mons action, as did at least one other painter. These preserved a vanished form of fighting.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (3) has explored the life, world, and military service of Ronald Scott, a shop assistant. He served with the 9th Lancers, receiving promotion to Lance-Corporal. His regiment performed sterling service on August 24th, 1914, when they protected the BEF’s left flank on its first day of withdrawing following the Battle of Mons. The regiment conducted a famous charge against machine guns, Ronald going missing in action on that day.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring the Bournemouth natives who gave their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Blending social and military history with genealogical insight, it explores their roots, families, occupations, and the ultimate sacrifices they made for their country.
Set against the backdrop of regimental war diaries and enriched by period media accounts, the series offers a powerful and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes — a mosaic of personal courage within the broader sweep of history.
Serving as a companion and continuation of Victorian Bournemouth, Tales from the Front forms part of News from the Past: History for the Rest of Us.
References
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