Lives of the First World War

Extract from the above publication - RAMSAY, LEWIS NEIL GRIFFITT, M.A., B.Sc., 2nd Lieut., 3rd (Special Reserve), attached 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders, 2nd son of Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, of 41, Braid Avenue, Edinburgh, formerly Professor of Humanity in Aberdeen University, Professor of Classical Archaeology in Oxford, Victoria Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society Medallist of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and one of the original Fellows of the British Academy, by his wife, Agnes Dick, 2nd daughter of the Reverend William Marshall, of Kirkintilloch; born Aberdeen, 3 February 1890; educated Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh; Aberdeen University; Christ's College, Cambridge, and the Imperial College of Science. He graduated M.A. at Aberdeen in 1910 and B.Sc. in 1913, with special distinction in Botany, and was about to submit a piece of research work for his Cambridge B.A. During 1914 he acted as Assistant to the Professor of Natural History at Aberdeen, and shortly before the outbreak of war he had been made a Beit Memorial Fellow and had begun work at the Imperial College. He had been a keen Volunteer and Territorial, and applied for a commission on 11 August 1914; rejoined his old unit, the 4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders (Territorial Force), as a Private early in September 1914, and was at once promoted to his former rank of Colour-Serjeant. In reward for his services in drilling he was (18 November) given a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, and early in December was sent to France to the 2nd Battalion, then at the Front. He was killed in action on Sunday 21 March 1915. His Battalion had taken part in, and suffered loss at, the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, and were engaged in consolidating the position after the battle when he was shot by a sniper. He became engaged a few weeks before war bagan to V. Grace, daughter of the late Major Ferguson I.M.S., and of Mrs. Ferguson, Aberdeen, and grand-daughter of Colonel Hunter, C.B., C.S.I. His orderly wrote: "On 21 March about noon, I placed out in the sun a chair for him to write a letter while I was making his lunch, and about ten minutes after a man of our company was struck on the head at a low part of our trench, so Mr. Ramsay jumped up at once and went and dressed him. That was what caused his death. He knew it was a very dangerous part, but that was always his first thought, the safety of his men. So Mr. Ramsay gathered together all sand-bags which were lying about, and started to put them up. It was while doing that he was struck by a sniper. As soon as he fell I was beside him, for he was only working at about a few yards from me at the time. I got out his field dressing and bandaged him up the best I could, then I sent for the Doctor, who arrived a few minutes after; but he was beyond all aid. We made him as comfortable as possible until the end. He was unconscious the whole five hours and passed away peacefully. It was a great blow to his platoon for they thought the world of him, and myself I knew had lost a great friend and good master. He was taken away at night by the stretcher-bearers and buried in Estaires with full military honours, and laid to rest beside our dear old Colonel." He had been a devoted student of filed Zoology, and especially ornithology, from his earliest childhood, and had amassed a great amount of data regarding the Ornis of Aberdeenshire. On the more technical side may be mentioned his notes on the moult of the herring-gull and on the collections made by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition. He himself had travelled considerably, and had made valuable collections not only of birds but also of mammals, insects, and botanical specimens in various places, notably in Asia Minor in the summer of 1907 In addition to his work on birds. Mr. Ramsay left unfinished a 'Revision of the Nereidae,' a piece of work which was expected by competent judges who knew its substance to become a classical paper on that group of marine worms. Latterly he had turned to entomology with a view to studying it from the economic side A list of his published work appear in "British Birds", "IX, 1, 1915. p. 17f., prepared by his friend Lieutenant A.L.Thomson, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders He played the Highland pipes well, and was a member of the Aberdeen Pipers Socciety. He represented Aberdeen University for several years in long distance running and in swimming.

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