Robert Francis Ransom was born at Haswell, district of Easington, County Durham, May 16th 1895, the eldest of 3 sons and 2 daughters. His father Edward Henry Ransom was a native of Norfolk where he was born in the village of Holkham in 1873. He worked as a coal miner and migrated to the north east of England where he married in the district of Easington in 1895, Mary Ann Costella known as Annie. They moved to Heworth between 1889 and 1901 and living at 13, Woodbine Street along with Annie’s half sister Eliza Ann Rush and her sister in law Margaret Forster, Edward Henry was employed at the colliery as a hewer. The remainder of their children were all born at Heworth, Annie Elizabeth in 1904, Edward Henry Jnr 1906, John Thomas 1907 and Mary Josephine in 1911 whilst they were living at 9, Woodland Terrace, Felling, Gateshead. Also living with them was another member of the Costella family, Ellen (17), relationship to Annie is not listed, she is simply recorded as a general domestic servant. Robert Francis now aged 18 years, along with his father, now a stonemason, had also found employment at the colliery as a coal miner/driver.

At the time of his enlistment, May 24th 1915, he was single and living with his family at 28, Booth Street, Felling, still employed as a miner. August 9th he was drafted from the 6th Battalion (A504) to the 2nd Reserve Battalion, Royal Naval Division, Blandford Camp, Dorset, as Able Seaman Tyneside Z/4627 for training on trench construction and trench warfare. Whilst there he also trained as a signaller and as such Able Seaman Ransom was drafted, October 1915, to Howe Battalion attached to the 2nd Brigade, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, departing as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force for Gallipoli, where they fought at Anzac and Helles battlefields, also during the 2nd and 3rd Battles of Krithia. He was admitted to the hospital at Gallipoli, November 15th 1915 suffering from diarrhoea returning to his unit, Christmas Day 1915. By the end of the Dardanelles campaign the division had suffered so many losses that it no longer had a significant number of naval servicemen and so in July 1916 it was re-designated as the 63rd Division, evacuated from Gallipoli back to England where they departed aboard HMS Briton as part of the British Expeditionary Force landing at Marseilles, France, May 12th 1916 bound for the Western Front as reinforcements in preparation for the Battles of the Somme.

Whilst they were participating on the Somme, Able Seaman Ransom was taken by the 6th London Field Ambulance, July 13th 1916, to hospital suffering with a minor digestive complaint returning to his unit 2 days later. During the winter of 1916 he was admitted on three occasions to the 2nd Stationary Hospital at Abbeville suffering with influenza, finally June 4th-14th 1917 he was given leave and returned to England. He returned to his unit which saw action during the Battle of Ancre and also the 2nd Battle of the Scarpe and at Arleux during the Arras Offensive in 1917. Able Seaman Ransom was again hospitalised, cause unknown, between October 25th-November 14th 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele.

February 15th 1918 he was transferred to Anson Battalion and two weeks later granted leave back to England, February 25th-March 3rd 1918. Instead of returning to his unit March 4th he was admitted to the 1st Northern General Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, listed as condition SLT, a neurological problem, he remained in hospital until April 3rd. After rejoining his unit May 7th 1918 at the front in France, he was transferred to the 1st Royal Irish Regiment, May 16th, as Signaller. He continued to suffer from poor health and was again twice admitted to hospital at Le Triport during July 1918. Having returned to Anson Battalion he saw action again on the Somme, August 21st-23rd at the Battle of Albert and September 2nd-3rd during a phase of the Second Battle of Arras. During the battle September 2nd, he received a gun shot wound to his right hand and was evacuated to the 56th General Hospital at Etaples, a large hospital centre and rail head in the commune of Pas de Calais near the French coast and from where, September 6th, he was shipped back to England and admitted to the Barnet War Hospital, High Barnet, Hertfordshire. Once recovered from his injuries he was given leave October 5th-11th 1918 but did not return to a fighting unit instead he was regarded as Class II Reserve, of more of use to the country in civil occupation than on active service, although as a reservist liable to recall if required.

Robert Francis Ransom returned to his civilian occupation as a putter at Felling Colliery, finally discharged from the Royal Naval Division, January 11th 1919. Durham Mining Museum records his demise, July 2nd 1919, caused by a fall of stone.

His service to his country is recorded, along with those who fell, on a marble plaque within St. Mary, Heworth, H92.03 Gateshead and he is buried in the churchyard. He was 24 years old.

His mother Mary Ann Ransom nee Costella died in 1924, his father Edward Henry in 1933, both registered in the district of Gateshead, County Durham.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.