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Ramsey's Raiders - Part One

Apr 04, 02:53 PM

“They were a motley bunch – two Scotsmen, one Englishman, one Welshman, one Irishman and an Australian. Led by the unconventional Captain James Ramsey, they were known as the Special Raiding Force, and their job was to operate behind enemy lines in North Africa. They wrote their own rules, and their specially armed jeeps packed a real punch.

“They were good at their job – very good – and the Germans had every reason to fear Ramsey’s Raiders!”

These words, on the back cover of Commando No. 3854 in October 2005, were the initial introduction to a group of heroes who have fought their way through 13 adventures in the magazine. Each of these episodes has been scripted by experienced Commando writer Ferg Handley, with the art duties split between Keith Page, artist on the first Raiders instalment, and Mike White, while the covers have been provided by legendary comics’ artist and Commando cover maestro, Ian Kennedy.

THE RAIDERS

Captain James Ramsey
A tough, one-eyed Scotsman hailing from a long line of servicemen, James Ramsey, known to his men as Jimmy, was born in Dunfermline. His career soldier father had been openly contemptuous of the type of tactics he’d seen firsthand at the Battle of the Somme and, when Jimmy enlisted at the age of 17, his father’s attitude was reflected in his own unorthodox approach to combat. During action against the Italians in Ethiopia, he lost his left eye, but he resisted a discharge. In early 1942 he was recruited by the similarly maverick Colonel Cornwall, head of the Special Raiding Force, where he soon came to command his own crack team.

Second Lieutenant Gareth Evans
A young Welshman, Evans gained the nickname “Lucky” amongst the team when he was discovered alive and fighting fit after being left for dead when a raid went wrong. Already a veteran of Dunkirk the young lieutenant had grown bored of barrack life. As he waited for his regiment to be rebuilt, he was intrigued to hear about the S.R.F. out in North Africa. Having already spent time in Egypt on an archaeological expedition prior to the war, he had become an expert in mapping desert terrain – a skill that would make him invaluable to the Raiders.

Sergeant Derek Jarvis
Originally from Granton in Edinburgh, “Jarv” is the team’s demolition man. His father had served as an Infantry Corporal during World War One and his stories of far-off countries inspired Jarv to enlist in the army at 16. He became an explosives expert while fighting the Pathan tribesmen after his regiment was transferred to India. By the time World War Two broke out he was already a sergeant, and it was after his regiment was transferred to North Africa that his skills with explosives were spotted by Jimmy Ramsey.

Corporal Bill Orwell
One of the squad’s drivers, Oz narrowly avoided a life of crime after a tough upbringing in an orphanage on the outskirts of Sydney, when he was taken on as an odd-job man by a kindly garage owner, Tommy Edwards. As well as encouraging Oz to become a mechanic, Edwards also taught the headstrong lad to show respect for his vehicles and he quickly became an excellent driver. Signing up with the Australian Army at the outbreak of World War Two, Oz ended up driving lorries in Egypt. Keen to see more action, he transferred to Long Range Desert Group as a jeep driver, and when he heard that the S.R.F. was on the lookout for drivers, his application brought him into Jimmy Ramsey’s team.

Lance Corporal Liam Fitzpatrick
A taciturn Irishman, Fitz is the team’s sniper. Having joined the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War, he soon discovered a natural ability as a marksman. Joining a guerrilla band, he fought frequently with the S.S., swearing undying vengeance on them after they massacred the inhabitants of a tiny village who had sheltered the guerrillas. He left Spain after being wounded but his hatred for fascists remained and he took the first opportunity to join the British Army when the Second World War broke out.

Private Bernard Monteith
The other driver in the squad, Monty is an upper class Englishman who has consistently refused promotion beyond the rank of Private. Having been embarrassed by the way his father, Sir Basil Monteith, had used his influence to promote him throughout his boarding school days and to get him into a top university, Monty had sworn to make his own way in life. After leaving the family estate, young Monteith became a professional racing driver, before enlisting as a Private at the start of the war. This angered Sir Basil, though Monty was determined not to allow his father to pull any strings to keep him out of action.

THE ADVENTURES

RAMSEY’S RAIDERS
(Issue 3854 – Script by Ferg Handley, Artwork by Keith Page)

August 1942 – In Western Egypt, Lieutenant Gareth Evans arrives at the Long Range Desert Group Base of the Special Raiding Force, alongside two other new recruits, Corporal Bill Orwell and Lance Corporal Liam Fitzpatrick. Here, they are introduced to the team led by Captain Jimmy Ramsey. Their mission involves long range patrols and destroying key enemy resources. The three newcomers are replacements for men killed in action by a lone fighter plane. Despite denials from the R.A.F., Ramsey insists that it was a British Spitfire that led to the deaths.

The new recruits soon learn why the team are known as “Ramsey’s Ruffians” by the rest of the S.R.F., since they appear to follow their own rules and are happy to pinch anything they think might come in useful, like a captured German Anti-Tank rifle.

A gruelling training period follows and the team hone their skills. But Gareth begins to doubt his suitability for the job. And, on their first mission together, Ramsey puts him to the test by giving him command of his own jeep squad as they set out to attack a railway line. But the raid nearly goes wrong when Gareth fails to attack a prowling Half-Track in time and leads the Germans toward the rest of the team. Luckily the “borrowed” Anti-Tank rifle proves its worth.

With Gareth on the verge of quitting, it’s only Sergeant Jarvis’s recommendation that he’s given a second chance that keeps him on the squad. His navigational skills prove to be a huge asset and, when the next mission begins, he is again given charge of his own jeep, though this time with Jarv aboard to keep an eye on him.

The target is an enemy airfield and it’s here that they learn the truth about the plane that killed the former members of the team. With all three new recruits proving themselves in action the team is complete and “Ramsey’s Ruffians” gain a new title – RAMSEY’S RAIDERS!

THE RAIDERS RETURN
(Issue 3861 – Script by Ferg Handley, Artwork by Keith Page)

April 1943 – With the North Africa Campaign winding down, the Raiders are behind enemy lines in Tunisia, mounting an attack on a radio installation. The raid goes well but drivers Oz and Monty clash after the Englishman’s reckless driving almost causes the Australian to crash his own jeep.

Shortly after this final desert mission, Fitz is injured when more dangerous driving knocks him from Monty’s jeep. There are further problems when news comes through that the S.R.F. are to disband. Luckily Ramsey manages to pull a few strings with a high ranking pal to have his team sent to Sicily in time for the Allied invasion. Here they will operate independently, choosing their own missions.

But when the colonel who arranged the assignment is promoted, the team find themselves under the command of Acting-Colonel Lockett, a strict follower of regulations who cannot abide the Raiders’ rough and ready attitude. To stamp his authority, Lockett insists the team will be used only for reconnaissance, an instruction that goes down badly with Jimmy Ramsey and his men.

Since Fitz is still injured, the raiders are joined by infantry sergeant Joe Haynes, an able marksman. But Joe is just as frustrated as the rest of the squad at being forced to carry out basic scouting trips, until a routine operation uncovers a hidden German bunker. And, when Lockett plans an airstrike that is unlikely to succeed, Ramsey decides to break off communication and handle things Raiders-style!

RAMSEY’S ISLAND RAIDERS
(Issue 3854 – Script by Ferg Handley, Artwork by Mike White)

September 1943 – With Sicily now in Allied hands, the Raiders continue training exercises to keep in form for their next mission. And when the posting comes it takes them to the Aegean Sea. Operating from a fishing boat based in a cove on a remote Greek island, they are to be radioed with missions to disrupt German activity in the area.

In Cyprus, as they board the boat, or caique, they are greeted by the skipper, Royal Navy Lieutenant Ian Bailey, a man with many years of service in the Eastern Mediterranean behind him. Despite the caique’s innocent looking exterior, it has a powerful engine and a deadly array of weaponry. But there is also some ominous news, as the Special Boat Service Team the crew had transported on their last mission had vanished without a trace.

A week after arriving at their remote base, the Raiders receive instructions to set sail for the island of Zios and take out a radio installation there. The job seems complete but they are taken by surprise by a German patrol. After a vicious firefight, the Raiders withdraw. But as they retreat, Gareth Evans is wounded and goes down. Realising that he can’t endanger the rest of the squad to go back for him, Jimmy has no choice but to leave the Lieutenant for dead.

The news doesn’t go down well with the Raiders but it is Bailey, still angry over the loss of the S.B.S. team, who takes it hardest of all, blaming Ramsey for leaving his comrade behind. However, there is little time to mourn Gareth’s loss, since there are many more missions to take on across the islands. And when it comes to a crisis, help is on hand from the last place the Raiders expected.

(Jimmy Ramsey and his Raiders returned in “Raiders’ Revenge”. This, and further adventures, is covered in Part Two.)