·        In May/June. The Council will award prizes and invite the prize winners and their partners to the DSA Annual General Meeting to receive their awards. In the event of prize winners being unable to attend the AGM, Heads of Profession will be asked to present the awards on behalf of the Association on suitable later occasions.

THE ERNEST RAMUS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE

Criteria.   The DSA Ernest Ramus Award for Outstanding Service will only be made to recognise the achievements of particular member of the Defence Surveying Community who have given exceptional service over a long and highly distinguished career in the profession. It is stressed that this award will only be granted on an exceptional basis, normally linked to the end of the full-time service of the nominee within the profession. 

Background.   The award is named after Major Ernest Ramus RA who served during the Second World War in 1^st Survey Regiment RA, commanding this unit during the latter stages of the War. After the War for many years he was the Auditor of the Field Survey Association, the forerunner of the Defence Surveyors’ Association. During this time he advised the Association to invest a significant part of the charity’s funds in Charibonds. This extremely sound piece of financial advice means that the Association now has sufficient capital to provide for this award.   Major Ramus died in 1999; a copy of his obituary is set out below.

Major Ernest John Ramus, who became Commanding Officer of 1^st Survey Regiment RA during 1945, died on 8^th January 1999 at the ago of 86.

Ernest Ramus was born in Canada on 30^th March 1912 and came to England with his parents in the mid-1920s. He became a qualified Chartered Accountant when he was 21, and a partner in a City firm at 24. In the spring of 1939, when the Territorial Army was doubled, he joined the HAC, and during the first years of the War joined 1^st Survey as a Subaltern. Early in 1942 he was promoted Captain and became Battery Captain of the Survey Battery, transferring to RHQ as Adjutant (to take the place of Captain JH Ruscoe who was posted from the Regiment) shortly before 1^st sailed for the Middle East in August 1942. He remained Adjutant under Lieutenant Colonels Matthews, Cawthorne and Kellett in the Middle East, India and Burma, seeing action in the latter country from January 1945.

As Adjutant he was always a good communicator, downwards from the CO and upwards to him, and all his Commanding Officers owed much to him for his power of organisation, his tact, his friendliness, knowledge and humour. When Lieutenant Colonel Kellet left the Regiment in Burma the command was taken over for short time by WE (Nick) Carter who had been second-in-command since 1943, and when Carter left to be repatriated Ramus took over command of the Regiment, but only with the rank of Major. Fortunately he was never a man for rancour, but many felt that he should have been granted the rank appropriate to the position he held. There was not an officer, NCO or Gunner in the Regiment who would have begrudged him the rank which he richly deserved.

Ernest Ramus was a great sportsman. Before the War he had been an ice-hockey international. His lawn tennis was well above club standard and, had it not been for the War, it is likely he would have played at Wimbledon; he was an active member of the Cumberland Club and in 1976 he was thrilled to be elected to the membership of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. He was one of the four founders of the Princes Water Ski Club at Bedfont; and he enjoyed golf at which he twice achieved a hole in one, the second time on his 80^th birthday!

Although he never married, he was very much a family man. He had at least nine godchildren, this number including some, but not all, of his five nieces and nephews; and he remembered birthdays and Christmases with great generosity. He was a young 27 at the outbreak of War but a mature 34 when demobilised. His brother writes “I am sure he would have married in the intervening years, but the younger ladies whom he courted post-war, whilst undoubtedly fond of him, married more youthfully”.

After the war the two brothers joined their father and sister in the family business, and Ernest ultimately became Chairman.

He was well loved by all who knew him, and he will be sorely missed.