Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War B.E.M. group of five awarded to Petty Officer C. H. Ramsden, Royal Navy, a veteran of considerable naval action in the Great War: initially in the light cruiser H.M.S. Southampton he witnessed the engagements at Heligoland Bight in 1914 and Dogger Bank in 1915, then transferring to the destroyer H.M.S. Moresby he participated in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and the sinking of the German submarine U-100 in March 1918

British Empire Medal (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (P.O. Charles H. Ramsden. P/J.15572); 1914-15 Star (J.15572 C. H. Ramsden, A.B. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.15572 C. H. Ramsden. A.B. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (J.15572 C. H. Ramsden. P.O. H.M.S. Excellent.); together with a Mediterranean Fleet Rifle Meeting Medal, bronze, unnamed, with clasp ‘Team Deliberate 1932’; and a Royal Life Saving Society swimming medal, bronze, the reverse inscribed, ‘C. H. Ramsden Sept 1932’, nearly very fine or better (7) £300-£400

B.E.M. London Gazette 1 January 1942.

Charles Herbert Ramsden was born in Kentish Town, London in February 1896. He joined the Royal Navy as Boy 2nd Class on 29 January 1912 and later the same year he served as a newly promoted Boy 1st Class in the pre-Dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Duncan from 10 August 1912 until 5 January 1913. At the outbreak of hostilities, Ramsden was serving in the Light Cruiser H.M.S. Southampton which ship participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914 and later in the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915. He was advanced to Able Seaman on 1 March 1915 and remained in Southampton until 25 June 1915 at which time he was put ashore at H.M.S. Excellent in Portsmouth. On 7 April 1916 Ramsden was transferred to the newly built Destroyer H.M.S. Moresby in which he was soon engaged at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916. At Jutland, Moresby screened the First battle Cruiser Squadron as one of twelve destroyers operating with the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla.

Remaining in Moresby until the conclusion of the war, Ramsden was present in her on 15 March 1918 at the sinking of U-110, a type 93 U-boat which had among its list of 10 previous victims, the celebrated Q-Ship H.M.S. Penshurst. When found north-west of Malin Head by Moresby and another British destroyer H.M.S. Michael, she had just torpedoed and sunk the 10,000 tonne British ocean liner Amazon and was promptly sent to the bottom by depth charges from the British destroyers with the loss of 39 men. All of Amazon’s passengers and 9 surviving crew members from U-110 were rescued by Moresby.

Ramsden was advanced Leading Seaman on 23 June 1920 while serving in the light cruiser H.M.S. Centaur and Petty Officer on 2 April 1928 while in the newly converted aircraft carrier H.M.S. Furious. He received his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 15 March 1929 and on 28 October 1931 he transferred to H.M.S. Egmont, the British Garrison, Fort St. Angelo on Malta. It was while on Malta in 1932 that he received both his Life Saving Society bronze medal and his shooting award. Continuing to serve at shore establishments until the renewal of hostilities, on 1 April 1940 he was transferred to the Aberdeen command base, H.M.S. Bacchante, receiving his British Empire Medal while stationed there, and remaining there until he was released Class A on 25 September 1945.