26 Mar 06
2 edits
On March 26, 2006, The Mail On Sunday published an article by Tim Binding entitled Buster Crabb was murdered - by MI5. Binding wrote a fictionalised account of Crabb's life, Man Overboard, published in 2005. Binding states that, following the publication, he was contacted by Sydney Knowles, now living in Malaga, Spain. Binding then met Knowles in Spain and was told, he alleges, that Crabb was known by MI5 to have intentions of defecting to the USSR. This would have been embarrassing for the UK, Crabb being an acknowledged war hero. Knowles suggests that MI5 set up the mission to the Ordkhonikidze specifically to murder Crabb, and supplied Crabb with a new diving partner ordered to kill him. Binding states that Knowles alleges that he was ordered by MI5 to identify the body found as Crabb, when he knew it was definitely not Crabb. Knowles went along with the deception. Knowles also alleges that his life was threatened in Torremolinos in 1989, at a time when Knowles was in discussions with a biographer.
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Crabb - apologies, the 4 page article isn't available online, but catch it if you can, even if it does mean soiling your hands on the Harmsworth press)
It goes on to state that he was a friend of Anthony Blunt, that Knowles informed upon him and was told that MI5 already knew about his pro-communist parties; that Crabb wasn't political, but was disillusioned after the war and would "dive, dive, dive" for anyone; that he became suspicious on a previous dive when he saw Crabb deliberately hitting the bottom of a Soviet cruiser and generally being over-clumsy - in other words, trying to get caught. He also claims that Crabb approached and tried to seduce him with offers of a "Russian job" where there would be plenty of diving for both of them, and that Knowles refused to come with him on his final job because he firmly believed he was going to try to defect - Crabb said that "If they catch us, we'll ask for political asylum."
I'm hugely surprised by all this - I remember growing up with this as a Cold War/Flight 19-type story in the background, and I'd never dreamt it would take a turn like this. Does this story sound credible to anyone? All the pieces now seem to fit together.
21 Jun 06
Lionel Crabb would never have betrayed his country or willingly defected. He was extremely patriotic and he made it clear to his fiancee Pat Rose that much as he loved her, his Queen and country came first.
He was acknowledged and decorated for his courage and his father Hugh Crabb, (as well as his mother's brother) were both listed as 'missing in action believed', killed during the First World War.
Lionel's mother was alive in 1956 and when he disappeared and it broke her heart. Does it seem likely that an officer who has been decorated for bravery and acknowledged as a hero would then betray his country and desert his elderly mother knowing what it would do to her? They were very close. He was her only child.
Lionel was about 47 when he vanished and his health would sooner or later have caused him to retire, no matter where he was living and working. He couldn't have gone on diving for ever and he would have had to have packed it in and retired.
Why has Sidney Knowles kept so quiet regarding his recent 'revelations' for the last 50 years? Surely it was his duty to have disclosed such information to the press earlier-if it were true.
Even Lionel's relatives found his patriotism rather a bit too 'heavy' and used to tease him about it, but he was adamant.
21 Jun 06
Originally posted by AmauroteAnother MI5 conspiracy tale like the Diana - Fayed nonsense. Intended to appeal to the gullible types who watch Coronation Street and Eastenders ad nauseum.
[quote]On March 26, 2006, The Mail On Sunday published an article by Tim Binding entitled Buster Crabb was murdered - by MI5. Binding wrote a fictionalised account of Crabb's life, Man Overboard, published in 2005. Binding states that, following the publication, he was contacted by Sydney Knowles, now living in Malaga, Spain. Binding then met Knowles in Spa ...[text shortened]... . Does this story sound credible to anyone? All the pieces now seem to fit together.
23 Jun 06
Originally posted by GinRoseQuite so. But then readers of the 'Mail On Sunday' like Amaurote prefer to credit the inventions of journalists out to sell more copies.
I can't imagine Commander Crabb, a senior naval officer, turning traitor either. Being captured by the soviets is the best guess. They were good at that sort of thing back then.
23 Jun 06
2 edits
Originally posted by NargagunaIn other words, you have nothing but your usual empty-headed invective to adduce. If it was less predictable it might be more entertaining, but you're no SVW.
Quite so. But then readers of the 'Mail On Sunday' like Amaurote prefer to credit the inventions of journalists out to sell more copies.
Onto the substantive posts from worthwhile members with worthwhile points of contention: I think you're all misreading the article - the clear implication is that Sydney Knowles was afraid to come forward: if he wanted to make money, he'd have been far better advised to do so in twenty years ago when there was still money in the Crabb legend; moreover, the article nowhere states that Crabb was unpatriotic or some kind of crypto-Soviet: the point is that his real country was not Britain, but diving. The original article also cited sources within the former intelligence service as confirming their suspicion of Crabb's flirtation with
the Eastern Bloc - in the context of the Oxford Circus and Anthony Blunt, it seems at least possible that they were unwilling to entertain the prospect of another blow to national pride.
24 Jun 06
Originally posted by AmauroteI swear that by the time I'm sixty every hero or legend I ever looked up to as a kid will be mangled shot down and left to rot. Next they will tell us that Batman wears a truss and he really is gay. When they said caped crusader they really meant camp crusader.
.. the article nowhere states that Crabb was unpatriotic or some kind of crypto-Soviet: the point is that his real country was not Britain, but diving. The original article also cited sources within the former intelligence service as confirming their suspicion of Crabb's flirtation with
the Eastern Bloc - in the context of the Oxford Circus and Anthony Blunt, it seems at least possible..
[Seinfeld edit] not that there's anything wrong with that.