Jump to content

Alexander Ramsay (Royal Navy officer): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Mallarray (talk | contribs)
25 edits
mNo edit summary
 
(172 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|British admiral (1881–1972)}}
⚫
'''Admiral the Hon. Sir Alexander Ramsay,''' ([[29 May]][[1881]]-[[8 October]] [[1972]] was a British naval officer who was the husband of [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]], the youngest child of [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught|the Duke of Connaught]], third son of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]].
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[The Honourable]]
| name = Sir Alexander Ramsay
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCVO|KCB|DSO}}
| image = Alexander Ramsay in 1918.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Ramsay in 1918
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1881|5|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1972|10|8|1881|5|29|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Windlesham]], [[Surrey]], England
| placeofburial = [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]]
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = [[Royal Navy]]
| serviceyears = 1894–1942
| rank = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]]
| unit =
| commands = [[East Indies Station]]<br/>{{HMS|Furious|47|6}}
| battles = [[First World War]]<br/>[[Second World War]]
| awards = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]<br/>[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Princess Patricia of Connaught]]|27 February 1919}}
| relations = [[Alexander Ramsay of Mar]] (son) <br> [[John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie]] (father) <br> Lady Ida Louise Bennet (mother)
| laterwork =
}}
⚫
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay''' (29 May 1881 – 8 October 1972) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer. He was the husband of [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]], the youngest child of [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]], third son of [[Queen Victoria]]. He served with distinction during the [[First World War]]. During the 1920s and 1930s, he held several important [[naval aviation]] commands.


==Early life and career==
''The Hon. Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay, C.G.V.O., K.C.B., D.S.O.'' was born in London, the third son of James William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalouise and his wife, Lady Ida Louisa Bennet. He entered the [[Royal Navy]] as a cadet in ''HMS Britannia'' in 1894 and later went to sea on the ''HMS Majestic,'' the flagship of Admiral Sir [[Walter Kerr]] in the Channel Sqaudron. In October 1911, he became a naval aide-de-camp to the Duke of Connaught, then [[Governor General of Canada]]. He returned to active naval duty in 1913 as the gunnery officer of the crusier ''Indefatigable'' in the Mediterranean. He took part in the first part of the bombardment of the [[Dardanelles]] forts in November 1914 and later at [[Gallipoli]]. He received the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) for his conduct there. Ramsay rose to the rank of commander in late 1914 and became flag commander of the Second Squadron in 1916. He was promoted to captain in 1919 and served as the naval attache in Paris for the next three years.
Alexander was born in London as the third son of [[John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie]], and his wife, Lady Ida Louisa Bennet, daughter of [[Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville]]. He entered the [[Royal Navy]] as a [[Naval cadet|cadet]] on [[HMS Prince of Wales (1860)|HMS ''Britannia'']] in 1894.<ref name=lh>[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/RAMSAY.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]</ref> He first went to sea on {{HMS|Majestic|1895|6}}, the [[flagship]] of Admiral [[Lord Walter Kerr|Sir Walter Kerr]] in the [[Channel Squadron]],<ref name=lh/> and was confirmed as a [[sub-lieutenant]] on 29 May 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27389|date=20 December 1901|page=8981}}</ref> In early December 1901 he was posted to the [[cruiser]] {{HMS|Diadem|1896|6}},<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=3 December 1901 |page=6 |issue=36628}}</ref> but the order was cancelled as he was instead ordered to the cruiser {{HMS|Grafton|1892|6}} as she left to become [[flagship]] of the [[Pacific Station]] in January 1902.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=19 December 1901 |page=7 |issue=36642}}</ref> He was promoted to [[Lieutenant (Royal Navy)|lieutenant]] on 29 May 1902,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27452 |page=4375 |date=8 July 1902}}</ref> and later the same year was posted to the cruiser {{HMS|Flora|1893|6}} as she was commissioned for the Pacific Station.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence|date=18 October 1902 |page=9 |issue=36902}}</ref>


In October 1911, he became a naval aide-de-camp to the Duke of Connaught, then [[Governor General of Canada]].<ref name=lh/> He returned to active naval duty in 1913 as the gunnery officer of the battlecruiser {{HMS|Indefatigable|1909|2}} in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].<ref name=lh/>
⚫
On [[27 February]] [[1919]], the then-Captain Ramsay married Princess Patricia of Connaught at [[Westminster Abbey]], in the presence of the entire [[British Royal Family]]. On the day of the wedding, Princess Patricia voluntarily relinqished the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and the style "Royal Highness", and assumed by Royal Warrant the style "Lady Patricia Ramsay" with precedence before the marchionesses of England. Despite his wife's relinquishment of her royal title, the couple were considered members of the British Royal Family and attended major royal events for the next forty years. They had one son, [[Alexander Ramsay of Mar]].


Ramsay took part in several important naval operations of the [[First World War]]. He took part in the first phase of the bombardment of the [[Dardanelles]] forts in November 1914,<ref name=lh/> and later at [[Gallipoli campaign|Gallipoli]]. He received the [[Distinguished Service Order]] for his conduct there. Ramsay rose to the rank of commander in late 1914 and became flag commander of the Second Squadron in 1916.<ref name=lh/> He gained promotion to captain in 1919 and served as the naval attaché in [[Paris]] for the next three years.<ref name=lh/>
In 1928, Ramsay assumed command of the aircraft carrier ''HMS Furious'' in the Atlantic Fleet. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1933 and for the next five years commanded the aircraft carriers in the fleet. King [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]] made him a Companion of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) in the 1934 New Year's Honors. He was susbeqeuntly advanced to the rank of Knight Commander in that order. Ramsay served as commander-in-chief, East Indies Station from 1936 to 1938 and then became Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Air Services. Ramsay held this post until the outbreak of [[World War II]]. He was promoted to admiral and retired at his own request in 1942. King [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]] knighted him on 18 February 1938 and invested him with the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (G.C.V.O.) on 6 July of that year.


==Marriage into the royal family==
Admiral Ramsay died at Ribsden Holt, Windlesham, Surrey in 1972. He was buried at Frogmore Royal Burial Ground.
{{Main|Wedding of Princess Patricia and Alexander Ramsay}}
On 27 February 1919, the then-Captain Ramsay married [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]] at [[Westminster Abbey]], in the presence of the entire [[British royal family|royal family]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Princess Patricia To Wed Earl's Son. King George's Cousin Betrothed to Com. A.R.M. Ramsay, R.N., Dalhousie Heir. Sponsor of a Regiment. Honorary Colonel in Chief of "Princess Pats" Is a Great Favorite in Canada and England |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/12/28/archives/princess-patricia-to-wed-earls-son-king-georges-cousin-betrothed-to.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=28 December 1918 }}</ref> He had proposed to her while staying with [[J. K. L. Ross]] at his fishing lodge on the bay of [[St. Anns, Nova Scotia]].

⚫
On the day of the wedding, Princess Patricia voluntarily relinquished the title of "Princess of Great Britain and Ireland" and the style "Royal Highness", and assumed by royal warrant the style "Lady Patricia Ramsay" with precedence before the Marchionesses of England. Despite his wife's relinquishment of her royal title, the couple remained members of the British Royal Family. They attended major royal events for the next forty years, including the 1947 [[wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233635/http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/royalwedding1947/object.asp?grouping=&exhibs=NONE&object=9000366&row=82&detail=magnify Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room]</ref>

They had one son, [[Alexander Ramsay of Mar]].

==Aviation commands and flag rank==
In 1928, Ramsay assumed command of the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Furious|47|6}} in the Atlantic Fleet.<ref name=lh/> He gained promotion to rear admiral in 1933 and for the next five years commanded the aircraft carriers in the fleet.<ref name=lh/> He was advanced to vice-admiral in January 1936.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34240|page=133|date=7 January 1936}}</ref>

Ramsay served as commander-in-chief, [[East Indies Station]], from 1936 to 1938,<ref name=lh/> and then became Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Services.<ref name=lh/> Ramsay held this post until the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. He was promoted to admiral in December 1939 and retired at his own request in 1942.<ref name=lh/><ref>"Sir Alexander Ramsay" in ''The Times'' (Tuesday, 10 October 1972), p. 17.</ref>

==Honours==
Ramsay was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) in March 1916. The citation reads, "Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral de Robeck, and has done exceptionally good service throughout the operations."<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29507/supplements/2870 Supplement to The London Gazette, 14 March, 1916, p. 2870]</ref>
He was made a [[Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]] (KCVO) in the King's [[Birthday Honours]] of 1932,<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/33831/supplements/3573 Supplement to The London Gazette, 3 June, 1932, p. 3573]</ref> and, in the [[New Year Honours]] of 1934, he was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB),<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34010/supplements/3 Supplement to The London Gazette, 1 January, 1934, p. 3]</ref> which was advanced to Knight Commander of the same Order (KCB) on 11 May 1937, "on
the occasion of His Majesty's Coronation".<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34396/supplements/3078 Supplement to The London Gazette, 11 May, 1937, p. 3078]</ref>

On 6 July 1938 he was received by King [[George VI]] on relinquishing his appointment as commander-in-chief of the East Indies Station and being appointed as Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Service, the King taking the opportunity to invest him with the insignia of a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO).<ref>"Court Circular" in ''The Times'' (Thursday, 7 July 1938), p. 19. [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34536/pages/4877/page.pdf The London Gazette, 29 July, 1938, p. 4877]</ref>

==Death and burial==
Ramsay died at his home, [[Ribsden Holt]], [[Windlesham]], [[Surrey]], on 8 October 1972.<ref>"Sir Alexander Ramsay" in ''The Times'' (Tuesday, 10 October 1972), p. 17; "Deaths" in ''The Times'' (Tuesday, 10 October 1972), p. 28</ref> He is buried in the [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/royal-connection/royal-burials/royal-burials-chapel-since-1805/|title=Royal Burials in the Chapel since 1805|work=College of St George - Windsor Castle|accessdate=5 March 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{NPG name|name=Sir Alexander Ramsay}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Frank Forrester Rose|Sir Frank Rose]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[East Indies Station|Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station]]|years=1936–1938}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James Somerville|Sir James Somerville]]}}
{{s-vac|last=[[Godfrey Paine|Sir Godfrey Paine]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Fifth Sea Lord]] |years=1938–1939}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Guy Royle|Sir Guy Royle]]}}
{{s-end}}

<!-- Categorization -->
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, Alexander}}
[[Category:1881 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Lords of the Admiralty]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals of World War II]]
[[Category:Younger sons of earls]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I]]
[[Category:Clan Ramsay|Alexander]]
[[Category:Burials at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]]
[[Category:Admiralty personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Military personnel from London]]

Latest revision as of 14:45, 7 September 2024

Admiral The Honourable

Sir Alexander Ramsay

GCVO KCB DSO
Ramsay in 1918
Born(1881-05-29)29 May 1881
London, England
Died8 October 1972(1972-10-08) (aged 91)
Windlesham, Surrey, England
Buried
Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore
AllegianceVereinigtes Königreich
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1894–1942
RankAdmiral
CommandsEast Indies Station
HMS Furious
Battles/warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1919)​
RelationsAlexander Ramsay of Mar (son)
John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie (father)
Lady Ida Louise Bennet (mother)

Admiral Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay (29 May 1881 – 8 October 1972) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the husband of Princess Patricia of Connaught, the youngest child of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, third son of Queen Victoria. He served with distinction during the First World War. During the 1920s and 1930s, he held several important naval aviation commands.

Early life and career

[edit]

Alexander was born in London as the third son of John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie, and his wife, Lady Ida Louisa Bennet, daughter of Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville. He entered the Royal Navy as a cadet on HMS Britannia in 1894.[1] He first went to sea on HMS Majestic, the flagship of Admiral Sir Walter Kerr in the Channel Squadron,[1] and was confirmed as a sub-lieutenant on 29 May 1900.[2] In early December 1901 he was posted to the cruiser HMS Diadem,[3] but the order was cancelled as he was instead ordered to the cruiser HMS Grafton as she left to become flagship of the Pacific Station in January 1902.[4] He was promoted to lieutenant on 29 May 1902,[5] and later the same year was posted to the cruiser HMS Flora as she was commissioned for the Pacific Station.[6]

In October 1911, he became a naval aide-de-camp to the Duke of Connaught, then Governor General of Canada.[1] He returned to active naval duty in 1913 as the gunnery officer of the battlecruiser Indefatigable in the Mediterranean.[1]

Ramsay took part in several important naval operations of the First World War. He took part in the first phase of the bombardment of the Dardanelles forts in November 1914,[1] and later at Gallipoli. He received the Distinguished Service Order for his conduct there. Ramsay rose to the rank of commander in late 1914 and became flag commander of the Second Squadron in 1916.[1] He gained promotion to captain in 1919 and served as the naval attaché in Paris for the next three years.[1]

Marriage into the royal family

[edit]
Main article: Wedding of Princess Patricia and Alexander Ramsay

On 27 February 1919, the then-Captain Ramsay married Princess Patricia of Connaught at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of the entire royal family.[7] He had proposed to her while staying with J. K. L. Ross at his fishing lodge on the bay of St. Anns, Nova Scotia.

On the day of the wedding, Princess Patricia voluntarily relinquished the title of "Princess of Great Britain and Ireland" and the style "Royal Highness", and assumed by royal warrant the style "Lady Patricia Ramsay" with precedence before the Marchionesses of England. Despite his wife's relinquishment of her royal title, the couple remained members of the British Royal Family. They attended major royal events for the next forty years, including the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten.[8]

They had one son, Alexander Ramsay of Mar.

Aviation commands and flag rank

[edit]

In 1928, Ramsay assumed command of the aircraft carrier HMS Furious in the Atlantic Fleet.[1] He gained promotion to rear admiral in 1933 and for the next five years commanded the aircraft carriers in the fleet.[1] He was advanced to vice-admiral in January 1936.[9]

Ramsay served as commander-in-chief, East Indies Station, from 1936 to 1938,[1] and then became Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Services.[1] Ramsay held this post until the outbreak of the Second World War. He was promoted to admiral in December 1939 and retired at his own request in 1942.[1][10]

Honours

[edit]

Ramsay was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in March 1916. The citation reads, "Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral de Robeck, and has done exceptionally good service throughout the operations."[11]

He was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the King's Birthday Honours of 1932,[12] and, in the New Year Honours of 1934, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB),[13] which was advanced to Knight Commander of the same Order (KCB) on 11 May 1937, "on the occasion of His Majesty's Coronation".[14]

On 6 July 1938 he was received by King George VI on relinquishing his appointment as commander-in-chief of the East Indies Station and being appointed as Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Service, the King taking the opportunity to invest him with the insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO).[15]

Death and burial

[edit]

Ramsay died at his home, Ribsden Holt, Windlesham, Surrey, on 8 October 1972.[16] He is buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore.[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  2. ^ "No. 27389". The London Gazette. 20 December 1901. p. 8981.
  3. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36628. London. 3 December 1901. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36642. London. 19 December 1901. p. 7.
  5. ^ "No. 27452". The London Gazette. 8 July 1902. p. 4375.
  6. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36902. London. 18 October 1902. p. 9.
  7. ^ "Princess Patricia To Wed Earl's Son. King George's Cousin Betrothed to Com. A.R.M. Ramsay, R.N., Dalhousie Heir. Sponsor of a Regiment. Honorary Colonel in Chief of "Princess Pats" Is a Great Favorite in Canada and England". The New York Times. 28 December 1918.
  8. ^ Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room
  9. ^ "No. 34240". The London Gazette. 7 January 1936. p. 133.
  10. ^ "Sir Alexander Ramsay" in The Times (Tuesday, 10 October 1972), p. 17.
  11. ^ Supplement to The London Gazette, 14 March, 1916, p. 2870
  12. ^ Supplement to The London Gazette, 3 June, 1932, p. 3573
  13. ^ Supplement to The London Gazette, 1 January, 1934, p. 3
  14. ^ Supplement to The London Gazette, 11 May, 1937, p. 3078
  15. ^ "Court Circular" in The Times (Thursday, 7 July 1938), p. 19. The London Gazette, 29 July, 1938, p. 4877
  16. ^ "Sir Alexander Ramsay" in The Times (Tuesday, 10 October 1972), p. 17; "Deaths" in The Times (Tuesday, 10 October 1972), p. 28
  17. ^ "Royal Burials in the Chapel since 1805". College of St George - Windsor Castle. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
[edit]
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
1936–1938 		Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Sir Godfrey Paine 		Fifth Sea Lord
1938–1939 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexander_Ramsay_(Royal_Navy_officer)&oldid=1244506965"