Ronnie Scott, beloved World War II veteran, dies aged 107

Ronald David Scott – “Ronnie” to the many people who knew him – died just before the long Easter weekend at the BABS retirement home in Villa Devoto while halfway through to his 108th year.

Born just before the Russian Revolution when there was still a czar, Ronnie ended up surviving the Soviet Union by 34 years.

Scott was born on October 20, 1917, in Villa Devoto although the family soon moved to Belgrano. 

Scotts are not always as Scottish as their name might suggest but Ronald’s father, Roy Douglas Scott (a Boer War veteran and a dragoon in World War I and one of the first referees in Argentine rugby), was born in Stanraer, Dumfries & Galloway. 

The first president Ronny could remember was Marcelo T. de Alvear (1922-1928).

One of Ronnie’s earliest memories was the memorable 1925 visit of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) to Argentina. One day, the Scott family went to see the princely guest playing polo and after a few chukkers, the future Duke of Windsor was dying of thirst, begging for a bottle of tonic water. Little Ronnie was designated to run the errand to quench the royal thirst, he would later retell in life.

His secondary school education was at Belgrano Day School and Hurlingham’s Oates College, which merged with St. George’s around 1935, thus turning Ronnie into an Old Georgian (as it happens, Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates was the self-sacrificing companion of Robert Falcon Scott in their tragic 1912 South Pole expedition). 

When his school days ended, Scott began a typical Anglo-Argentine career with junior clerical posts in companies, like Swift meat-packers and Alpargatas, but within a few years the outbreak of World War II changed the course of his life. 

From the moment Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, Ronnie felt that he had to fight him. War is “horrendous,” he once reflected, but above all Hitler had to be stopped. So why didn’t he volunteer until May 1942? He had to look after an ailing mother until her condition became irreversible (she died the following year in 1943).

The rest of 1942 was mostly occupied with long voyages to the United States and Britain – manning a gun turret on the first leg – and four months’ training before he could enter into active service as a “BLAV” (British Latin American Volunteer), one of around 5,000 such volunteers from Argentina. He had been enlisted into the Army in advance and he had to talk his way into the Fleet Air Arm, his only ambition.

It is a tribute to the man that he always resisted self-glorification into a war hero, as he could so easily have done, always saying that he had a “comfortable war” flying for the Royal Navy, where he mainly contributed as a training instructor rather than as a combat pilot himself. Nevertheless, he still came close to death on at least two or three occasions, especially when V1 flying rockets began to hit the scene.

Ronnie was not demobilised until 1946, but even after returning home and putting away his uniform, he refused to be grounded – he had to keep flying. 

On his return he joined Aeroposta air mail company with extensive flying in Patagonia, until it merged into the creation of Aerolíneas Argentinas in 1950. 

Marriage followed in Ronnie’s first year at Aerolíneas and then family (two children Roger and David and now three grandchildren). He lost his wife Marion in 2014 after 64 years together. 

Almost three decades as an Aerolíneas pilot then followed until his retirement in 1978.

In March 2021, Grammar Production made him a screen star, producing Buena Onda - the tale of Ronny Scott, a 20-minute documentary shot during the coronavirus pandemic telling the tale of a young Argentine of 25 who flew Spitfires for Britain in World War II. 

Even when his flying days ended, Ronnie remained active in almost any sport you might care to name – perhaps rugby (as a CASI member since 1935) and cricket were his favourites but also hockey, bowls, badminton and cycling among others  (and, of course, bridge if that counts as a sport). 

He was also a mainstay of veteran organisations who never missed a Poppy Day until last year. Keep moving was the secret of his remarkable longevity – plus a daily glass of tinto.

Britain's Ambassador to Argentina Kirsty Hayes paid tribute to Scott on social media.

‘Ronnie Scott's departure is news that saddens both Argentines and Britons. Born in Villa Devoto, he lived 107 years in which he always maintained his commitment to the community. And in World War II, he showed his bravery as a pilot in the Royal Navy."

Rest in peace, Ronnie.