| Dennis
Knibbs Dennis Harry Knibbs was born in 1930 at Stirchley, Birmingham, England, the son of Harry and Jane "Jenny" Knibbs. Like many of his generation, Dennis Knibbs tried to escape the grip of the increasing austerity which gripped Britain in the aftermath of World War II, in his case, on the spur of the moment, taking the ‘King’s shilling’, and joining the Royal Navy as a ‘Boy Seaman’. At the start of this new and exciting phase in his life, in February 1947, Dennis arrived at HMS Ganges, a shore establishment near Ipswich, for a period of intensive training and by trying not to mimic the indisciplines of some of his fellow ‘Ganges Boys’, by and large, he escaped the reputed harsh treatment that HMS Ganges was capable of. Training completed, he went on to experience life in the Royal Navy in its many forms, first of all joining HMS London in Hong Kong in April 1948, remaining a crew member until the ship’s decommissioning in September 1949 and then going on to serve in minesweepers, destroyers and an aircraft carrier. |
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However, it was as a member of the crew of HMS London in April 1949, when the ship was caught up in the infamous ‘Yangtse Incident’ that
Dennis' memories are at their most vivid.
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| Commencing in the late 1990's, at the instigation of his
children, Dennis started to write a book which he later named
"Navy Larks". Initially it was to be related to his
experiences on HMS London during it's involvement in the Yangtse
Incident. He provides minute by minute details of this action and his impressions of what it was like to be a junior sailor on board his ship while under fire. Dennis decided to expand the pages to include a little of his early life, and to conclude with the rest of his Naval Career. He recognises that he could have written a lot more as looking back, he finds he's omitted quite a lot. He said to me that maybe one day he'll get round to writing a sequel. I congratulate Dennis on the publication of his book in July 2004, the proceeds from which go the the HMS London fund. |
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I
managed to purchase a copy and have read it twice already. It's a
fantastic résumé of this part of his life as well as a valuable
personal record
of his involvement in the infamous Yangtse Incident in April 1949.
For others who may wish to purchase a copy, it was published by Finial Publishing (ISBN 1-900467-21-6). It's available from: Southern Map Distributors, Greenstalls Park, Costello Hill, Ilchester, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8LB. Telephone 01935 842080. Also, please visit the HMS London Index web site which is dedicated to the London and all the men who sailed in her. The site is owned and managed by Mike Overton who's father was a crew member of the London at the same time as Dennis. I am grateful to Mike for allowing me to use the above photograph of Dennis. |
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