Ronald Poulton Palmer

'His presence was like a gleam of sunshine'

Swerving and dodging as he carved his way through the French back line, the crowd cheered then laughed as first he feigned a drop kick and two of the French team crashed into each other comically before he sprinted through the resulting gap to score his fourth try of the game. There was little doubt that 'Ronnie' Poulton Palmer was on fine form again.

France had scored first and were still in the game until half-time when England led 13-8 but England ran away with it in the second half and won convincingly 39-13. England had won the Grand Slam; the year was 1914. Just a year later Poulton Palmer was dead; killed whilst fighting for his country rather than merely playing for it.

Ronald Poulton, as he was christened, had developed an ability to read the opposition in rugby matches and mount darting runs at lightning speed. As early as 1907 The Meteor reported that he was 'a really good three-quarter, with plenty of pace; has an excellent swerving run and makes good openings, but is sometimes inclined to pass somewhat wildly; a good tackle and a fair kick.' It lists him then as being '18 years old, 5 foot 11 inches and 10 stone 6 pounds' and goes on, 'he gathers the ball beautifully, holding the ball with both hands at arms length, swerving forward, combining excellently with those around him, seldom without success. If his tackling improves he will become a truly great player.' Clearly the slightly deformed little finger of his right hand, which had troubled him in his early years, was no hindrance in top flight sport.

In the pre-war Edwardian era Ronald played alongside the influential Adrian Stoop. Many have said that Stoop's style of rugby football back play was a revolutionary approach to the work of the 'backs' and led to the modern era in terms of rugby three-quarter tactics. Stoop played for Harlequins and England as did Poulton Palmer, so no doubt the two friends influenced each other and perhaps some of Stoop's work was inspired by the handling and creativity of 'Ronnie'.

Stoop went on to become captain of Harlequins, won fifteen caps for England and was later President of the RFU. Now, in the shadow of the huge Twickenham complex, Harlequins' home at the 'Stoop Memorial Stadium' is named after him.

It was only when he had reached the age of twelve that Ronald started to shine in athletics and ball games; this was in his fourth year at the Oxford Preparatory School. It is clear from the school records that he was a bigger than average pupil and his height and weight were about average for a boy two years his senior. Perhaps it was this sudden growth spurt that allowed him to excel in classes and matches on the fields. This was also his first year of playing rugby and he caught the eye of those recording the match. An after school match report records that, 'he was the best of the three-quarters on the day, however sometimes less effective in defence and was seen to "scoot away" from the enemy.'

Pupils of the Oxford Prep School are known as 'Dragons' and on leaving naturally become 'Old Dragons'. In his last year at the school, Ronald's Headmaster paid tribute to him by writing, 'his presence was like a gleam of sunshine.' Sporting achievements had continued to accrue as a Dragon and he was top scorer in hockey, good at gymnastics and played cricket for the School XI. It is thought he was the best all-round sportsman that the school has ever produced. His academic prowess was also evident and he submitted an essay on Mary Queen of Scots which won a top prize. Often the centre of attention and much liked by his fellow pupils he was seen as the 'life and soul' of many teams. If there was one possible drawback to his personality it was that he seemed a terrible chatterbox and bets were often laid, whilst on train journeys to other schools for away matches, that he could not stay silent for at least five minutes! Apparently Ronald never won the bet. Ronald left Oxford Prep in 1903, thereby becoming an 'Old Dragon'. Seventy-four other Old Dragons were to fall in the Great War.

Ronald Poulton had been born on 12 September 1889 at Wykeham House on the Banbury Road in Oxford, a house which would be his childhood home. He was the fourth child to parents Edward and Emily Poulton. Edward Poulton MA was a lecturer at Jesus College, Oxford and his wife Emily was a daughter of the wealthy Reading family behind the Palmer biscuit empire, a firm which later became better known to all biscuit lovers as Huntley and Palmer.

Their first born, a boy six years Ronald's senior, was named Edward and there then followed two girls, Hilda and Margaret before Ronald came along. In 1891, two years after Ronnie's birth, came child number five, Janet.

The family were reasonably wealthy and employed a nanny named Edith from South-West Africa who recalled that, 'even before he [Ronald] could talk we were good friends; he was always smiling and seemed a very happy baby.' By the time he had reached the age of five his kindergarten teacher, Ms Cobbs, described him as, 'full of energy with a long attention span, bright, merry and often with a sunburnt smiling face.' Two years later his friendship with his cousin Miss Eustace Palmer began and many have remarked that had he survived the Great War, the pair would have controlled the great biscuit and cake business together.

Despite his later fearless play on the fields of Oxford, Twickenham and Flanders, death and suffering clearly upset him in his early years. When playing with model toy soldiers with his brother he often got frightened when they were lined up, knocked over and 'killed' and Ronald would run from the room. Similarly the two brothers chased and caught butterflies in the garden of Wykeham House but Ronald cried when his brother killed one accidentally. These are perhaps early signs of compassion in a man who was often described in later years as kind and gentle to...