He chatted to on-lookers and at one point asked: "Will someone throw me up a couple of hard-boiled eggs?"

It is rare for prisoners to become visible, unless something dramatic happens to that institution, or to the prisoner himself. His lawyer the legendary Joe Beltrami secured the lenient disposal with a plea in mitigation in which he said: "He has asked me not to refer to his wartime exploits, but after the war he had difficulty, like thousands of others, re-establishing himself. Broken promises, suspicion and false adulation were the elements of this man's experience."Over the years tales of his life became the subject of songs, books and movies despite spending 40 of his 67 years behind bars. Prison was an invention of the Victorians and emerged at roughly the same time as postage stamps, trains, cameras and the flushing toilet. A sergeant took over and succeeded in getting the van in position. But a number of young children were being crushed, close to the vehicle, and because of the danger, the van was driven to the front of the building and reversed against the front door. Again, it was a loud blast and his getaway was hampered because the haul was largely in old half-crown coins. a b c d "The life and crimes of 'gentleman' Johnny Ramensky". Daily Record. 21 November 2013 . Retrieved 30 May 2022.

Yonas' father was a miner, brought to Scotland as cheap labour to break a 10-month strike at a local pit in 1901. From time to time he would disappear for several days. Even we didn’t know precisely what he had been asked to do although it wasn’t hard to catch the general drift of things.” But it was his desire to serve his country in its hour of need and his escapades behind enemy lines without care for his safety that set Ramensky apart. Each man has an ambition and I fulfilled mine years ago. I cherish my career as a safeblower. In childhood days, my feet were planted on the crooked path and took firm root. Penal servitude was hard labour under different conditions from ordinary imprisonment. It had been substituted for deportation in 1853, and was later abolished in 1948.He was one of our number, a pleasant bloke you never would have guessed was one of the most notorious safebreakers in British history. From time to time, he would disappear for several days. Most of the time, we didn’t know precisely what he had been asked to do, although it wasn’t hard to catch the general drift of things.They called him ‘Gentleman’ and so he was. But he was a hero, too.” Was there an accomplice or had he used his Commando skills to remain on the run? ‘He canna live on neeps for nine days’

By the age of 11 he was in and out of trouble but got a job in the mines after leaving school at 14.Ramensky, now aged 30, captured the attention of the nation when he became the first man to break out of Peterhead Prison in November 1934. However, Ramenksy’s criminal past may have been hard to shake off as he infiltrated German strongholds. While successfully obtaining key documents, there are claims he also helped himself to some Nazi treasures. Rumours persist to this day that some loot plundered by Ramensky from the Nazis was stored in a Royal Navy supply depot in Carfin.

It is not too much of a leap of the imagination to suggest that these might have been some of the artwork and jewellery taken by Ramesky when Rome fell to the Allies? Gold is said to have disappeared from Rome, so who knows? It is one of the many mysteries surrounding Johnny’s life.” Ramensky was assigned to 30 Commando, which operated ahead of front-line troops, gathering intelligence for the Allied forces before and after the D-Day landings of 1944. Discovering the Germans' intentions and defensive capabilities was vital. Such was the respect Ramensky had, both sides of the law attended the war hero's funeral at St Kentigern's Cemetery in Lambhill and his obituary appeared in all the major Scottish newspapers.What does Scotland want its prisons to do now to reflect the Scottish nation? Who does it want to send there and in what numbers? Should it follow the English and American examples of excess, or find inspiration to the east in the various penal systems of Scandinavia? A functioning, national prison system in Scotland was established in 1877 under the direction of Thomas Lee, the Sheriff of Perth and by 1888, there were 15 prisons in Scotland, with new prisons having been built at Barlinnie and Dumfries in 1882 and Peterhead in 1886. One published on November 6 read: 'Johnny Ramensky, safe-blower extraordinary, hero of World War II commando exploits behind enemy lines, ace jail beaker and legendary figure of the Scottish crime world, died in Perth Royal Infirmary on Saturday.'