Peter Wise and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
John the son of John and Sarah was born at Barnard Castle on October 3rd 1884.
In 1901 at the age of 17 he was working as a servant/cattleman for Mr Bainbridge, Low House Farm, Gayles. He later became a railway porter.
He seems to have been keen to join the Royal Navy as he enlisted in 1909 and his first ship from August 3rd 1909 until January 6th 1910 was HMS Acheron. He was later transferred aboard HMS Charybdis from October 28th 1910 until March 31st 1911.
He joined the crew of the 1st Class Battleship HMS Formidable which was docked at No.3 Basin, Chatham Docks and the 1911 census shows him aboard the vessel. He remained on Formidable from 1st April 1911 until it was lost on January 1st 1915.
His character throughout his naval service was recorded as character very good.
Teesdale Mercury 13/01/1915:-
“An Admiralty notification reached Barnard Castle on Thursday announcing the fact that Seaman John Ramsden, son of the late Mr John Ramsden of Well-yard, Barnard Castle had been drowned when the battleship Formidable sank in the Channel. Ramsden who had six or seven years in the Navy was a former railway porter at Bowes Station. Much sympathy is felt with his mother and other relatives, who are well known in the town. Mrs Ramsden for some time has resided with a daughter at Darlington. Mrs George Thompson of the Bay Horse Inn, Barnard Castle is a sister of the deceased who was 28 years of age last birthday and was a 1st Class Stoker.”
Further information regarding the sinking of HMS Formidable :-
“Under the command of Vice-Admiral, Channel Fleet, Sir Lewis Bayly, the 5th Battle Squadron spent 31 December participating in gunnery exercises off the Isle of Portland, supported by the light cruisers Topaze and Diamond. After the exercises that night the fleet remained at sea on patrol even though submarine activity had been reported in the area. With rough sea conditions and the wind increasing, submarine attacks would have been difficult to carry out and so were not thought to be a significant risk. Formidable was steaming at 10Kn (12mph:19km/h) at the rear of the squadron off Portland Bill just 20 nmi (23mi: 37km) from Start Point when at 02.20 on 1 January 1915 a torpedo from U-274 struck the number one boiler port side. It was thought that she might be saves by reaching the coast but by about 02.40 she had taken on a list of 20 degrees to starboard and the Captain Noel Loxley gave the order to abandon ship. Darkness and worsening weather made it difficult to get the men and the boats over the side; some small boats were thrown into the water upside down.
At about 03.05 Formidable was struck by a second torpedo on the starboard side. Amidst a 30ft (9.1m) swell the pinnances and launch along with other boats (one of them ca[sized soon after) were launched and the two light cruisers came alongside and managed to pick up 80 men. By 04.45, she seemed in imminent danger of capsizing and a few minutes later she rolled over onto many of the men in the water and sank quickly. Captain Loxley remained on the bridge along with his fox terrier, Bruce, calmly overseeing the evacuation of the ship.
In rough seas near Berry Head the crew of a Brixham trawler Provider BM291, Skipper William Pillar, First Hand William Carter, Second Hand John Clarke and Apprentice Daniel Taylor (ne Ferguson) picked up the men from one pinnance before it sank, saving 71 members of the crew. The second pinnance took off another 70 men, of which 48 were brought ashore alive after it was eventually spotted from the shore the following night, 22 hours after the sinking. The loss of life of Formidable was 35 officers (including Captain Loxley) and 512 men from a complement of 780. The body of Captain Loxley’s dog Bruce, a war dog, washed ashore and was buried in a marked grave in Abbotsbury Gardens in Dorset.”
Article Teesdale Mercury 13/01/1915
“The Roll of Honour was read during morning and evening service, the names of those connected with the church and Sunday school being 48 in number. Two had fallen namely John Ramsden who perished heroically in the sinking of His Majesty’s ship, Formidable and Lance-Corporal Pearson of the Coldstream Guards.
John William Ramsden is remembered at Barnard Castle on B135.02, B135.10, B135.12, B135.23 and B135.25
