He was truly a Huddersfield hero.
Former Royal Navy veteran George Knell has died at the age of 92.
And, fittingly, his funeral at Huddersfield Crematorium on June 2 will see his coffin draped in the Royal Navy Ensign.
He was just 16 when he joined the navy on February 14, 1939, training on HMS Ganges. His first ship was HMS Erebus, followed by HMS Fiji which was torpedoed while on escort duty.
He then joined HMS Coventry and spent some time in the North Sea, before boarding King George V, which was integral in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.
While aboard the King George V, he spent two gruelling years in the deadly Arctic Convoys. It was brutal work, enduring sub zero temperatures and repeated attacks from the Luftwaffe and U-boats.
Mr Knell was one of thousands who braved the dreadful conditions to supply munitions and vital supplies to Russia. Without their sacrifices the Russians could not have fought the Germans so it was absolutely crucial work.
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They became known as ‘suicide runs’ with more than 3,000 personnel killed and Winston Churchill described it as the most dangerous journey of the war.
While still on the King George he took part in providing covering fire for troops in North Africa and for the allied invasion of Sicily and Italy.
He left the Royal Navy in 1948 and joined the Merchant Navy. During service on SS Gothic he was on board with a very important passenger, the Queen, on a Commonwealth tour.
He finally returned to dry land in 1960 and set down roots in Huddersfield.
George always remembered those who never returned and every year without fail he would march on Remembrance Sunday and stand in silence thinking of lost shipmates. For many years he travelled to London to be at the Cenotaph.
He was presented with The Atlantic Star, The Africa Star, The Italy Star, The Arctic Star and The Palestine Medal. A medal was also presented to George by the Maltese Ambassador and he received six medals from The Russian Federation
On one occasion someone saw George’s medals and said to him: “You’re a real hero.”
The reply, which was typical of George, was: “Well, I’d rather have been somewhere else.”
He leaves sons Steve and Paul, daughter Angela and grandchildren Maysie and Tara.
