1914/15 Trio And Navy LSGC ( Vic ) To RMLI, KIA

1914/15 Trio PO2996 PTE J WOODING RMLI Navy LSGC ( Vic ) JOHN WOODING PTE NO 2996 PORTS RMLI

John Wooding from Tolworth in Surbiton was killed in action aged 52 aboard HMS Ramsey on the 8th of August 1915

SS or RMS The Ramsey was a passenger steamer operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company from 1912 to 1914. She had been built in 1895 as Duke of Lancaster for the joint service to Belfast of the London and North Western Railway and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway companies.1 The steamer was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1914 as the armed boarding vessel HMS Ramsey





The Ramsey was the third of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's ships to be called up for service in the Great War. On 28 October 1914 she was requisitioned and fitted out as an Armed Boarding Vessel by Cammell Laird with two 12-pounder guns and a ship's company of 98, and renamed simply HMS Ramsey.
Ramsey was based at Scapa Flow under the command of Lieutenant Harry Raby.Her work consisted of night patrols during the course of which she was usually accompanying two destroyers. It was dangerous work, directed by radio from headquarters, carried out without navigation lights, and with manned guns throughout. In the course of a few months Ramsey intercepted and challenged many ships, sometimes putting a prize crew aboard and taking the suspect into port.
On her last patrol she had steamed for 12 hours when, after dawn on 8 August 1915, smoke was seen from over the horizon. Ramsey gave chase and came upon a steamer flying the Russian flag. Ramsey proceeded alongside the vessel, which had duly stopped. The suspect, which was the German auxiliary minelayer SMS Meteor, then hoisted the German flag and fired at what amounted to point-blank range, killing the commander and crew members on the bridge of Ramsey.
At the same time the raider fired a torpedo, shattering Ramsey″s stern. Fifty five of the crew were killed; Meteor picked up 43 after Ramsey went down in five minutes.


The next day British forces overwhelmed Meteor, whose prisoners were transferred to neutral ships before she was scuttled

A rare casualty group containing a Victorian LSGC to a man KIA aged 52

Medals are loose with original ribbons and generally in GVF condition

Code: 50496