Story behind the song…. Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong and Let Ramensky Go

Some 490 years ago this month the most famous of the Border Reivers, Johnnie Armstrong, and around 50 of his men were executed after being tricked into a meeting with King James V.

A member of the powerful Armstrong family Johnnie of Gilnockie castle terrorised the English-Scottish border lands of the early 16th century as he plundered his way across the country with a gang of up to 160 armed men.

Feared by the English but treated as something of a hero by his own people Armstrong, the youngest son of the Laird of Mangerton, operated a highly successful protection racket collecting payments from landowners and other victims as far south as the River Tyne.

Reivers raid on Gilnockie Tower

However the Reivers were seen as a thorn in the side of both the Scottish and English authorities as they operated with impunity for many years, playing each side off against the other, and were an obstruction to any diplomatic moves between the two countries.

In 1530, in an effort to assert the rule of law, Kings James V was determined to put an end to Armstrong’s activities. He sent a letter requesting a meeting for talks and promised safe passage to Johnnie and his men.

In the hopes of getting a pardon from the king for his past activities Johnnie ordered his men to dress up in their finest clothes, as befitting a visit to the Royal Court, and set off from Langholm Castle with an entourage that included members of the Elliot, Little and Irvine families.

Johnny Armstrong painting by Henry Hetherington Emmerson at Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle Painted in 1886 it shows him on an ill advised journey to meet James V.

Photo by Roger CC BY-SA 2.0

However, almost as soon as they arrived King James sprung a trap and Johnnie and his men were immediately arrested and hanged as rebels without a trial at Caerlanrig chapel. A memorial to Armstrong and his men can still be seen in the chapel graveyard.

The murder of Johnnie and his men caused a lot of anger in the Borders, especially due the treacherous way the King had lured the men to their deaths, which is still remembered today.

The Ballad of Johnny Armstrong can be heard in this month’s Musical Correspondent podcast beautifully performed by Lori Watson.

Another song with a great story behind it which features in this month’s show is Claire Hastings rendition of Let Ramensky Go.

It’s mystery why nobody has yet made a television series about Johnny Ramensky. The Glasgow safe breaker who parachuted behind enemy lines and is credited with stealing vital military documents from top ranking Nazis which helped save the lives of thousands of Allied soldiers.

Although the line between fact and fiction surrounding the exploits of this career criminal have been blurred over the years there’s no doubt Ramensky was a colourful character.

Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge

Photo by DeFacto CC BY-SA 4.0

The son of Lithuanian immigrants he was born in Lanarkshire in 1905 but spent his childhood in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. In and out of trouble from the age of 11 he soon learned his trade as a safecracker and, combined with amazing physical strength and acrobatic ability, made his living as a burglar.

From the age of 18 Ramensky was in and out of prison, serving jail terms at Barlinnie and Peterhead. In total he spent about 40 of his 66 years behind bars.

However, during the Second World War, he was offered a pardon to put his expert knowledge of explosives and safe breaking to good use. He was released from prison for special commando training and dropped behind enemy lines to steal documents, including codes books, maps and orders, from the safes of high-ranking Nazi officers, including, it is alleged, Rommel and Goebbels.

When the Allies invaded Italy he was tasked with breaking into safes in newly captured areas and on one day alone was credited with opening 14 of them.

After the war Ramensky returned to crime and inevitably prison, when he wasn’t escaping.

Peterhead Prison

Photo by Sagaciousphil CC BY-SA 3.0

Over the years the naturally gifted acrobat and trained commando escaped from Peterhead prison, Scotland's most secure jail, no less than five times.

Throughout his escapes Ramensky would often visit friends and would always surrender without a struggle when caught, earning him the nickname of Gentle Johnny.

When he died in 1972, aged 66, in Perth prison his obituary simply described him as: "Johnny Ramensky, safe blower extraordinary, hero of World War II commando exploits behind enemy lines, ace jail breaker and almost legendary figure of the Scottish crime world.”

His remarkable story is recounted in this month’s Musical Correspondent show alongside performances from Mull Historical Society, Hazey Janes, Michael Marra, Iona Fyfe, Admiral Fallow, Doric-A-Belle, Malinky, Aberfeldy and Idlewild.