Lieut Commander Harold Knight RIP

Kyt · Sep 14, 2008

Royal Navy hero Harold lived 'a very rich life'

A SECOND World War Royal Navy hero who was involved in the famous Sink the Bismarck mission, and survived being torpedoed and bombed, has died aged 95.

Harold Calvert Knight, of Abbotskerswell, also had a distinguished and varied life after the war and was chairman of the Paignton Zoo trust for several years.

During the hostilities, he served in the Home Fleet chasing the notorious German battleship Bismarck, which was Churchill's number one target after it sank HMS Hood, and caused mayhem among Allied shipping.

Eventually it was hunted down and sunk in the Atlantic and a famous film was made about the epic operation.

Lieut Commander Knight also served on the light cruiser Hermione, which took part in vicious fighting escorting the Malta convoys, and rammed and sank an Italian submarine.

But luck ran out for the gallant ship in June, 1942, when she was torpedoed by a U-Boat and sank with the loss of 87 crew.

He transferred to the monitor HMS Roberts, which received direct bomb hits at Bougie, east of Algiers, and survived, despite extensive damage.

Lieut Commander Knight, who received several medals and awards, went on to become education officer covering all establishments on the west coast of Scotland from 1943-44, and also took up the same role covering Glasgow. The posts involved development of a wide range of adult education activities.

From 1944-47, he served at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, as Headmaster Lieutenant RN, serving on the newly opened RN current affairs course.

Leaving the navy in 1948, he went on to take up various appointments, mostly in connection with agriculture and food production, along with saddlery and equestrian activities.

Lieut Commander Knight was a trustee of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which owns Paignton Zoo, Newquay Zoo and Living Coasts at Torquay, and was chairman from 1993-97.

Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, he gained a degree in biological sciences at Leeds University, and helped trained boy seamen.

During his varied life he held many other roles, including becoming the public relations officer for Spillers, chairman of the British Equestrian Trade Association, a director of British Horse Feeds Ltd, chief executive of Society of Master Saddlers, and was also given the freedom of the City of London.

His widow, Sarah, said: "He lived a very rich life and was always active. He was still driving his car until he was taken ill and died a few days later in Torbay Hospital.

"He never forgot the sinking of the Hermione and he was in the water for about six hours, and helped to rescue shipmates. Every year he placed an advert in the Daily Telegraph to commemorate the sinking."
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Antipodean Andy · Sep 14, 2008

A very rich life. Good on him. RIP.

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Lieut Commander Harold Knight RIP

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