John Knill's Navy

John Knill tells of his entry into the secluded world of the English canals between 1948-1953. This is a second edition of Sir John Knill's book, first published as a limited edition in 1998, copies of which are now much sought after. It has been completely reset, and contains many more photographs, all taken around 70 years ago.

John Knill bought the steel working boat Columba together with her butty Uranus in 1948 to start a carrying business on the canals of England when many owner/operators were already leaving. Accepting work whenever it was available, he made several epic runs carrying salt from Middlewich to Newbury or Reading.  More boats were acquired in the 1950s, and the carrying business grew until they were sold off several years later. The trials and tribulations of these years are related here in vivid detail, together with the story of John Knill's involvement with the infant Inland Waterways Association.

Sir John Knill wanted to tell this fascinating story for nearly fifty years, and self-published his book in 1998. This second edition was published over 70 years after John Knill started his canal carrying business.