The History of the Royal Fusiliers descrbes how, in the early hours of the 6^th. August 1916, in the area N.E. of Ration Trench near Poziers, the 9^th. Battalion came under a heavy German bombardment followed by a determined counter attack. It praises the fortitude of the men, most of whom were fairly raw and for some of whom it was their first experience in battle. They faced an assault with flammenwerfers, supported by bombers using smoke as a screen for their attack. There could have been panic as the flames burst through the smoke from every direction, but the attack was beaten off with the loss of only 40 yards of trench.

One man it was felt deserved special mention. Private Leigh Rouse, who, it was said, previously had never been in a trench, was in a sap when the attack began. Despite the choking fumes and with his clothing badly burnt, he managed to get back along the trench, but refused to go to the dressing station to get his burns attended to. Instead, he carried on throwing bombs at the attackers until his arm gave out then joined the covering party and, it is said, "used his rifle with great effect".

His name, however, was not Leigh Rouse. He was, in fact, Leigh Richmond Roose, one of the most famous pre-war amateur football players. He was a goal-keeper who had played for a number of clubs and had been capped 24 times for Wales.

Born in November 1877 at Holt, near Wrexham, he was the son of Richmond Roose, a Presbyterian minister from Anglesey, and he had been educated at the local Academy. It was not a school renowned for strict discipline and sometimes football matches got out of hand. In fact, H.G. Wells, who was a master there for a short time, was badly hurt by Leigh’s brother Edward while refereeing a school match. Nevertheless, young Leigh progressed well enough to go on to University College of Wales, Aberystwyth where he began reading science in 1895.

The tall, well built student who reached 6ft 1nch and weighed 13st 6lbs, became a good all round athlete, greatly admired by the ladies, and taking prizes for throwing a cricket ball, putting the shot, high jump and piggy-back events. However, it was as a goal-keeper for the college team that young Leigh achieved fame and started on the path that was to shape his future life. His long reach, combined with huge hands and fast reflexes made him a very useful keeper although his tactics were not universally admired. A match report of the 1896 game against Bangor describes him retaliating with more than normal force against a Bangor player who intercepted him. His potential was spotted by Aberystwyth Town F.C. and he played his first match for them in 1898, the first of his 85 appearances with the team. In fact, he played a big part in their unexpected win against the Druids in the Welsh Cup Final of 1900 when he was chaired off the field in triumph.

His intention on leaving the university was to train as a doctor in King’s College Hospital, where he began studying medicine in 1901, but despite retaining a strong interest in bacteriology, he never qualified as a doctor. Instead, he turned his attention to football and had several games for London Welsh. For the rest of his life he managed to make a comfortable living by appearing as an "amateur" for a number of First Division clubs and claiming substantial expenses. When asked by the Football League to provide a list of his expenses at Sunderland he included "using the toilet ( twice )… 2d". Between 1901 and 1911 he made appearances for a number of teams including Stoke, Everton, Sunderland and Woolwich Arsenal as well as Huddersfield, Celtic and Llandudno. He played in a notorious game between Stoke Reserves and Port Vale when he was one of 4 notable amateurs who were guesting for Port Vale in their attempt to guarantee victory. He had to be rescued by the police as incensed Stoke fans carried him off to the river Trent for a ducking. His only comment was that he had thought that the game was a "friendly".

His first cap for Wales was in the game against Ireland in February 1900 when Wales won 2 nil and he made one extraordinary save by trapping the ball between his knees. He also played in the memorable 1907 season when Wales won the Home Championship and he was one of those awarded a gold medal by the WFA. He made his last appearance for his country at Wrexham in 1910 when Wales was again successful against Ireland.

He was unconventional in every way. In his debut for Celtic in 1910 he left his position and went over and shook hands with the scorer of the opposition’s 3^rd goal! The "Athletic Times" described him as "dexterous though daring, valiant though volatile" and another commentator said that "he was a clever man undoubtedly, but one entirely unrestrained in word or action". He was said to be greatly admired for his "gymnastics in goal" but if the game seemed slow he would leave the goal area and move up the field, a practice that resulted in a change in the laws of football in 1912. While playing for Stoke he sometimes arrived at a game driving a horse and carriage and once, having decided that he might be late for a game, he hired a special train from London to Stoke and charged it to the club! He was also not above trying to fool the opposition, turning up for a game in Belfast with his hand heavily bandaged. Having convinced his opponents that he had two broken fingers and would not be a problem for them, he proceeded to remove the bandage just before the game and helped Wales win 3-2.

Like many successful players, he was extremely superstitious and would never play in a clean pair of shorts. It was said that they "carried about them the marks of many a thrilling encounter". He also had a "lucky" undershirt which was never washed, and he insisted on wearing it under his international jersey until he retired from football at the age of 37.

At the outbreak of war, there was a great deal of controversy when the English FA decided to carry on with its fixtures. On the 28th. August 1914 Lord Roberts gave an address to those who had joined the Royal Fusiliers saying "This is no time for games. How very different is your action to that of the men who can still go on with their cricket and football as if the very existence of the country was not at stake". Many players of course, among them Leigh Roose, decided to volunteer, and he was soon enlisted as a private in the 9^th. Battalion Royal Fusiliers, the regiment that attracted large numbers of university and public school men, and, as already mentioned, he saw his first action at Poziers in August 1916. Private Roose was promoted Lance Corporal but did not live to receive the Military Medal for which he had been recommended.

In October 1916 the weather on the Somme was extremely wet and the conditions in the trenches were very bad. An attack by 9^th Royal Fusiliers, which was in 36^th Brigade 12^th Division, was scheduled for 5^th. October but was delayed until the 7^th. Their objective was "Bayonet Trench", north west of Guedecourt which they were ordered to take before pushing forward for 500 yards. Despite moving behind a creeping barrage the attack failed as they came under heavy machine gun and rifle fire and strong shelling. The 9th took 313 casualties, including Lance Corporal Roose whose luck had finally run out. It is said that the last reported sighting of him was by Gordon Hoare, an English amateur player. I wonder if he was still wearing his "lucky" undershirt, or whether that had been part of the clothing that had been burnt in the August attack?