A Collection of Awards to the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force

A rare and interesting Great War M.C. group of five awarded to Captain J. R. Ramsay, Royal Air Force, late R.E. Balloon Section and Royal Flying Corps, a qualified ‘skilled balloonist’ who was decorated as a Sergeant-Major in the very first list of M.Cs to be gazetted - having come to favourable notice for saving Great Britain’s first military airship - the Nulli Secundus - during a storm in October 1907, he became just the third entrant recorded on the books of the newly established R.F.C. in April 1912

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 (1015 Corpl. J. Ramsay, R.E.); 1914 Star, with clasp (3 S. Mjr. J. Ramsey, R.F.C.), note spelling of surname; British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt. J. R. Ramsay, R.F.C.), contact marks, nearly very fine or better (5) £3000-3500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force.

View
Collection

M.C. London Gazette 1 January 1915.

John Ramsay was born in Bermondsey, London in December 1872 and, having briefly served in the Royal Artillery, and been employed as a civilian sign-writer and painter, enlisted in the Royal Engineers in July 1897. Advanced to Corporal, he served out in South Africa from March 1900 until December 1901, originally in 9th Field Company, R.E. but latterly in No. 1 Balloon Section, R.E.

Transferring to No. 2 Company Balloon School on his return to England, he was advanced from Corporal to Sergeant for his part in saving the Nulli Secondus airship during a storm at Crystal Palace on 10 October 1907, immediately following that airship’s famous flight over St. Paul’s Cathedral under Colonel J. E. Capper, the Superintendent of the Royal Balloon Factory, with Colonel Samuel Cody as his passenger: ‘It was on Wednesday night that, unsuspected by all, events were approaching a climax. After the disaster, Colonel Capper said that he could at this stage have dismantled the airship and brought her home by road none the worse for her adventures. He did not do this but, in the belief that the weather next day would be much the same, he went home, leaving his airship in charge of Corporal Ramsay and six sappers.

The disastrous Thursday, 10 October 1907, began with every sign of being a good day. The sun rose at about quarter past six and the weather was fine and clear. The wind was not unduly strong at first and came roughly from the east. What happened next is to some extent uncertain, but towards eight o’clock the wind appears to have increased in strength and veered to the south-east. It does not seem to have even approached gale force generally at this time of the day, but there were almost certainly local effects with some channelling of the wind through a gap in the surrounding trees. In any event, a fairly severe gust struck Nulli Secundus on the nose. The picketing stakes do not appear to have been at all secure, and the front ones were pulled out almost immediately. Thereafter there was hell let loose, with the airship tossing this way and that in her efforts to get completely free.

According to the American press, five out of the six sappers were away at breakfast at the time. They came running out, apparently, and were joined by several civilians working in the grounds of the Crystal Palace and round about. It soon became clear, however, that Nulli Secundus was winning and would soon be free, so Corporal Ramsay thereupon opened the escape valves to release the hydrogen. This was too slow, unfortunately, and he decided to slit the nose of the envelope, using, it is said, a knife tied to the end of a long pole. In the event, Nulli Secundus did not escape, but she took some time to become quiescent. There was indeed time for many spectators to arrive, and many photographs were taken of the struggling airship ... It is not difficult to imagine the dilemma with which Corporal Ramsay had been faced. For a man of his rank it must have been a terrible decision to have to make: first to release the precious hydrogen by the valves, and then, in desperation, to slit open the envelope with a knife. So far as is known, moreover, there had been no pratice drill, and he had not even been told what to do in such an emergency. According to Lieutenant Waterlow, he was at once promoted to Sergeant in recognition of his presence of mind ... ’ (Early Aviation at Farnborough - Balloons, Kites and Airships, by Percy B. Walker, refers).

In the following month, moreover, Ramsay qualified as a skilled balloonist and, in April 1912, became the third entrant recorded on the books of the newly established Royal Flying Corps, in the rank of Sergeant-Major - in addition to his ballooning activities, Ramsay was a keen motor cyclist and a contemporary of the future V.C., James McCudden, who refers to him in his memoir Flying Fury.

Ramsay went out to France on 12 August 1914 as a member of No. 3 Squadron, winning an early mention in despatches (London Gazette 19 October 1914 refers) and one of the first M.Cs ever gazetted.

Commissioned as an Honorary Lieutenant and Quarter-Master in March 1915, he remained employed in France as an Equipment Officer in 6 Wing, R.F.C. and was again mentioned in despatches for being ‘a most energetic and capable officer’ (London Gazette 1 January 1916). Returning home after an appointment in 11 Wing in April 1916, he joined the staff of Northern Aircraft Depot, but was taken ill in September 1916, and remained off duty until May 1917. His final wartime appointment was as a Flight Lieutenant (Technical) in the newly established Royal Air Force in April 1918, and he was discharged on medical grounds in August 1920, having latterly served on the strength of No. 207 Squadron at Martlesham Heath.

Sold with three original photographic slides by Underwood & Underwood, U.S.A., each depicting R.E. balloons in the Boer War (slide numbers 100, 112 and 113), together with a large quantity of research.