Johnny Ramensky
Encyclopedia
Johnny Ramensky, also known as John Ramsay, Gentleman Johnny, and Gentle Johnny (April 6, 1905 – November 4, 1972) was a Scottish
career criminal who used his safe-cracking
abilities as a commando
during World War II
. A popular song about him, The Ballad Of Johnny Ramensky, was written by Labour
MP
Norman Buchan
and recorded by singer Enoch Kent, Buchan's brother-in-law.
Though a career criminal, Ramensky received the nickname
"Gentle Johnny" due to the fact he never used violence when being apprehended by the law.
His friend Sonny Leitch
, also a career criminal who served in the armed forces, said that Ramensky told him that he had stolen a hoard of Nazi loot from the Rome area during the Allied march on Rome in 1944, and that this hoard was later kept at at the Shepton Mallet military prison in Somerset, and the Royal Navy supply depot at Carfin
, Lanarkshire, after the war. He claimed that the hoard contained portraits of Hitler, Eva Braun, Goering, Goebbels and Himmler, and a treasure trove of jewellery and gold.
n immigrant parents, at Glenboig
, a mining village in North Lanarkshire
, near Coatbridge
. He initially worked down the coal mines, as his father had, and it was there he became familiar with the uses of dynamite
. During the depression
of the 1920s following the first world war
Ramensky's family were forced to move to the slum
s of the Gorbals
, in the south side of Glasgow
.
Having been denied a license to attend his wife's funeral, Ramnesky began another series of feats which led to part of his fame. Ramensky was the last man to be shackled
in a Scottish prison cell, as well as the first to escape from Peterhead Prison, going on to escape and being ultimately recaptured a further four times. He spent more than forty of his sixty seven years in prison.
contacted Ramensky while he was serving a sentence in Peterhead Prison, offering a pardon
if he were to put his expertise to good use with the British army. He enlisted with the Royal Fusiliers in January 1943, becoming an instructor in the Commandos
.
Ramensky, using his safe-blowing skills, performed a number of sabotage
missions, being parachuted behind enemy lines to retrieve documents from Axis headquarters, including Rommel
's headquarters in North Africa and Göring
's headquarters in the Schorfheide
. This culminated during the Italian campaign
, where 14 embassy safes were blown in only one day, for which he was decorated with the Military Medal
, though there is some debate as to whether he accepted it or not.
after suffering a stroke
in Perth Prison
, where he was serving a one year sentence after being caught on a shop roof in Ayr
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
career criminal who used his safe-cracking
Safe-cracking
Safe-cracking is the process of opening a safe without either the combination or key. It may also refer to a computer hacker's attempts to break into a secured computer system, in which case it may be shortened to "cracking" or black hat hacking....
abilities as a commando
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. A popular song about him, The Ballad Of Johnny Ramensky, was written by Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Norman Buchan
Norman Buchan
Norman Findlay Buchan was a Labour politician, who represented the West Renfrewshire seat from 1964 until 1983 and the Paisley South seat from 1983 to 1990....
and recorded by singer Enoch Kent, Buchan's brother-in-law.
Though a career criminal, Ramensky received the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"Gentle Johnny" due to the fact he never used violence when being apprehended by the law.
His friend Sonny Leitch
Sonny Leitch
William "Sonny" Leitch, also known as the Saughton Harrier and Danger Man, is a retired Scottish career criminal.Leitch was born in Craigneuk, Lanarkshire, and was a childhood friend of Thomas Joseph Winning, Cardinal Winning....
, also a career criminal who served in the armed forces, said that Ramensky told him that he had stolen a hoard of Nazi loot from the Rome area during the Allied march on Rome in 1944, and that this hoard was later kept at at the Shepton Mallet military prison in Somerset, and the Royal Navy supply depot at Carfin
Carfin
Carfin is a small village to the north-east of Motherwell, Scotland on the road to Newarthill.-Local facilities:The closest secondary school is Taylor High School in nearby New Stevenston...
, Lanarkshire, after the war. He claimed that the hoard contained portraits of Hitler, Eva Braun, Goering, Goebbels and Himmler, and a treasure trove of jewellery and gold.
Early life
Ramensky was born Jonas Ramanauskas, the son of LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n immigrant parents, at Glenboig
Glenboig
Glenboig is a village in the North Lanarkshire area of Scotland lying north of Coatbridge.Glenboig's railway station closed in 1960 and the local coal mining and brick-making industries ceased by the 1980s.The village's first school was built in 1875-6....
, a mining village in North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, near Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
. He initially worked down the coal mines, as his father had, and it was there he became familiar with the uses of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
. During the depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1920s following the first world war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Ramensky's family were forced to move to the slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s of the Gorbals
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...
, in the south side of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Criminal career
Throughout his life, Ramensky demonstrated great strength and gymnastic skill which he used to begin a career as a burglar, followed by graduating to safe-cracking, also known in the underworld as a Peterman. During his criminal career, Ramensky maintained that he never targeted individuals' houses but only businesses and he became famous for never resorting to violence despite being arrested numerous times, resulting in the nickname "Gentleman (or Gentle) Johnny". Detective Superintendent Robert Colquhoun, one of his old adversaries, when taken ill, was sent a message by Ramensky wishing him a speedy recovery, suggesting he had been working too hard in pursuing him.Having been denied a license to attend his wife's funeral, Ramnesky began another series of feats which led to part of his fame. Ramensky was the last man to be shackled
Fetters
Legcuffs, shackles, footcuffs, fetters or leg irons are a kind of physical restraint used on the feet or ankles to allow walking but prevent running and kicking. The term "fetter" shares a root with the word "foot"....
in a Scottish prison cell, as well as the first to escape from Peterhead Prison, going on to escape and being ultimately recaptured a further four times. He spent more than forty of his sixty seven years in prison.
Military
WhitehallWhitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
contacted Ramensky while he was serving a sentence in Peterhead Prison, offering a pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
if he were to put his expertise to good use with the British army. He enlisted with the Royal Fusiliers in January 1943, becoming an instructor in the Commandos
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
.
Ramensky, using his safe-blowing skills, performed a number of sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
missions, being parachuted behind enemy lines to retrieve documents from Axis headquarters, including Rommel
Rommel
Erwin Rommel was a German World War II field marshal.Rommel may also refer to:*Rommel *Rommel Adducul , Filipino basketball player*Rommel Fernández , first Panamanian footballer to play in Europe...
's headquarters in North Africa and Göring
Göring
- People :* Albert Göring, a German businessman, brother of Hermann Göring* Carin Göring, first wife of Hermann Göring* Carl Göring, German master of chess and philosopher* Emmy Göring, German actress and second wife of Hermann Göring...
's headquarters in the Schorfheide
Schorfheide
Schorfheide is a municipality in the Barnim district of Brandenburg, Germany. It was established in 2003 by the merger of Finowfurt and Groß Schönebeck.-Overview:...
. This culminated during the Italian campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
, where 14 embassy safes were blown in only one day, for which he was decorated with the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
, though there is some debate as to whether he accepted it or not.
Death
Ramensky was unable to give up his safe-cracking lifestyle and spent the time after the war in and out of jail, eventually dying in Perth Royal InfirmaryPerth Royal Infirmary
Perth Royal Infirmary is a district hospital in Perth. The Royal Infirmary, administered by NHS Tayside, caters for both the city and wider Perth & Kinross area, with a population around 182 000, being served by the hospital.-History:...
after suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Perth Prison
Perth Prison
Perth Prison can refer to:* HMP Perth, Scotland* Perth Gaol, or Old Perth Gaol, Australia...
, where he was serving a one year sentence after being caught on a shop roof in Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
.
External links
- Gentle Johnny, at the National Archives of ScotlandNational Archives of ScotlandBased in Edinburgh, the National Archives of Scotland are the national archives of Scotland. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe...
- Johnny Ramensky, FirstFoot.com
- Famous Scottish safe-breakers