Lt Commander Lionel Crabbe. RN
Whilst the duties of the frogmen included sailing into enemy waters on two-man submarines to gain information and to plant limpet mines, their main task was to locate and remove limpet mines from British and Allied shipping, placed thereon by Italian frogmen they risked their own lives on many occasions so that the lives of others might be saved, and both Crabbe and CPO Brother David Morrison Bell were awarded the George Medal on the same day, the 25th January 1944.
On the 19th of April 1956 Commander Crabbe was involved in a mission that entailed diving under the hull of a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. Aboard the cruiser were two leading Russian Politicians Bulganin and Kruschev, who were on a goodwill visit to Britain.
Commander Crabbe was seen in the water near the cruiser, and the Russians protested strongly to the British Government about the incident.
A few days later it was reported that Commander Crabbe was missing and despite numerous questions being asked about the matter, in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden would only state that in the best interest of the nation nothing more be said about the affair.
On the 9th of June 1957 his body was found in the waters of Chichester Harbour.
After examination the body was declared to be that of Commander Crabbe, and amid a great deal of controversy as to its true identity, was buried as such in Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth.
In most cases a 30year rule is applied to State secrets, but in the case of Commander Crabbe a IOO year rule was imposed, and the file will not be made public until the year 2057. T
The fact that Brother Bell had been closely associated with Commander Crabbe led to a great deal of speculation as to whether he had been involved in, or had knowledge of, Commander Crabbe's disappearance. An extract from Page 30 of a book entitled "Frogman Spy", published in 1986, reads as follows:
"Crabbe hated letter writing, and even Pat Rose (Crabbe's Fiancee) confirmed that he never wrote to her when away. Before he departed from London for the visit to Portsmouth, however, he wrote to Petty Officer David Bell, a member of the Gibraltar team, saying how pleased he had been to meet up with him again.
" An extract from page 4 of the same book reads as follows : "We(Authors M.G. and J.E. Welham) telephoned an old friend whom we had not seen for some time, and after the usual pleasantries asked whether he had been in Portsmouth in 1956. He agreed guardedly, that he had, but when we asked what he knew about the Crabbe affair, he clammed up.
Though we pointed out that the whole affair was some 30years in the past, he insisted that he could say nothing. His exact words were that if "they" knew the source of the information, 'it would be more than my life's worth'. The man to whom we were talking was no ordinary chap. He had been decorated for dealing with bombs and mines while with the Naval Clearance Diving Branch, therefore he was not a coward." It was evident that whoever this man was, he knew something of the Crabbe affair, and if he was Brother Bell, then who better to have kept a secret?
∼Lieutenant Commander Crabb was a mine disposal expert who became a frogman during WW2 in Gibraltar he was awarded the George Cross for his work there. He was an investigative diver in the death of General Sikorski of the Polish Army. He dived in the investigations on the submarines HMS Truculent and HMS Affray. In 1956 he investigated a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. He was never seen alive again, but a frogman's body was found floating off Chichester harbour 14 months later minus his head and hands.This man was famous but the Bio is not good enough, if any one could write a better they are welcome.
Whilst the duties of the frogmen included sailing into enemy waters on two-man submarines to gain information and to plant limpet mines, their main task was to locate and remove limpet mines from British and Allied shipping, placed thereon by Italian frogmen they risked their own lives on many occasions so that the lives of others might be saved, and both Crabbe and CPO Brother David Morrison Bell were awarded the George Medal on the same day, the 25th January 1944.
On the 19th of April 1956 Commander Crabbe was involved in a mission that entailed diving under the hull of a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. Aboard the cruiser were two leading Russian Politicians Bulganin and Kruschev, who were on a goodwill visit to Britain.
Commander Crabbe was seen in the water near the cruiser, and the Russians protested strongly to the British Government about the incident.
A few days later it was reported that Commander Crabbe was missing and despite numerous questions being asked about the matter, in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden would only state that in the best interest of the nation nothing more be said about the affair.
On the 9th of June 1957 his body was found in the waters of Chichester Harbour.
After examination the body was declared to be that of Commander Crabbe, and amid a great deal of controversy as to its true identity, was buried as such in Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth.
In most cases a 30year rule is applied to State secrets, but in the case of Commander Crabbe a IOO year rule was imposed, and the file will not be made public until the year 2057. T
The fact that Brother Bell had been closely associated with Commander Crabbe led to a great deal of speculation as to whether he had been involved in, or had knowledge of, Commander Crabbe's disappearance. An extract from Page 30 of a book entitled "Frogman Spy", published in 1986, reads as follows:
"Crabbe hated letter writing, and even Pat Rose (Crabbe's Fiancee) confirmed that he never wrote to her when away. Before he departed from London for the visit to Portsmouth, however, he wrote to Petty Officer David Bell, a member of the Gibraltar team, saying how pleased he had been to meet up with him again.
" An extract from page 4 of the same book reads as follows : "We(Authors M.G. and J.E. Welham) telephoned an old friend whom we had not seen for some time, and after the usual pleasantries asked whether he had been in Portsmouth in 1956. He agreed guardedly, that he had, but when we asked what he knew about the Crabbe affair, he clammed up.
Though we pointed out that the whole affair was some 30years in the past, he insisted that he could say nothing. His exact words were that if "they" knew the source of the information, 'it would be more than my life's worth'. The man to whom we were talking was no ordinary chap. He had been decorated for dealing with bombs and mines while with the Naval Clearance Diving Branch, therefore he was not a coward." It was evident that whoever this man was, he knew something of the Crabbe affair, and if he was Brother Bell, then who better to have kept a secret?
∼Lieutenant Commander Crabb was a mine disposal expert who became a frogman during WW2 in Gibraltar he was awarded the George Cross for his work there. He was an investigative diver in the death of General Sikorski of the Polish Army. He dived in the investigations on the submarines HMS Truculent and HMS Affray. In 1956 he investigated a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. He was never seen alive again, but a frogman's body was found floating off Chichester harbour 14 months later minus his head and hands.This man was famous but the Bio is not good enough, if any one could write a better they are welcome.
Lt Commander Lionel Crabbe. RN
Whilst the duties of the frogmen included sailing into enemy waters on two-man submarines to gain information and to plant limpet mines, their main task was to locate and remove limpet mines from British and Allied shipping, placed thereon by Italian frogmen they risked their own lives on many occasions so that the lives of others might be saved, and both Crabbe and CPO Brother David Morrison Bell were awarded the George Medal on the same day, the 25th January 1944.
On the 19th of April 1956 Commander Crabbe was involved in a mission that entailed diving under the hull of a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. Aboard the cruiser were two leading Russian Politicians Bulganin and Kruschev, who were on a goodwill visit to Britain.
Commander Crabbe was seen in the water near the cruiser, and the Russians protested strongly to the British Government about the incident.
A few days later it was reported that Commander Crabbe was missing and despite numerous questions being asked about the matter, in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden would only state that in the best interest of the nation nothing more be said about the affair.
On the 9th of June 1957 his body was found in the waters of Chichester Harbour.
After examination the body was declared to be that of Commander Crabbe, and amid a great deal of controversy as to its true identity, was buried as such in Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth.
In most cases a 30year rule is applied to State secrets, but in the case of Commander Crabbe a IOO year rule was imposed, and the file will not be made public until the year 2057. T
The fact that Brother Bell had been closely associated with Commander Crabbe led to a great deal of speculation as to whether he had been involved in, or had knowledge of, Commander Crabbe's disappearance. An extract from Page 30 of a book entitled "Frogman Spy", published in 1986, reads as follows:
"Crabbe hated letter writing, and even Pat Rose (Crabbe's Fiancee) confirmed that he never wrote to her when away. Before he departed from London for the visit to Portsmouth, however, he wrote to Petty Officer David Bell, a member of the Gibraltar team, saying how pleased he had been to meet up with him again.
" An extract from page 4 of the same book reads as follows : "We(Authors M.G. and J.E. Welham) telephoned an old friend whom we had not seen for some time, and after the usual pleasantries asked whether he had been in Portsmouth in 1956. He agreed guardedly, that he had, but when we asked what he knew about the Crabbe affair, he clammed up.
Though we pointed out that the whole affair was some 30years in the past, he insisted that he could say nothing. His exact words were that if "they" knew the source of the information, 'it would be more than my life's worth'. The man to whom we were talking was no ordinary chap. He had been decorated for dealing with bombs and mines while with the Naval Clearance Diving Branch, therefore he was not a coward." It was evident that whoever this man was, he knew something of the Crabbe affair, and if he was Brother Bell, then who better to have kept a secret?
∼Lieutenant Commander Crabb was a mine disposal expert who became a frogman during WW2 in Gibraltar he was awarded the George Cross for his work there. He was an investigative diver in the death of General Sikorski of the Polish Army. He dived in the investigations on the submarines HMS Truculent and HMS Affray. In 1956 he investigated a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. He was never seen alive again, but a frogman's body was found floating off Chichester harbour 14 months later minus his head and hands.This man was famous but the Bio is not good enough, if any one could write a better they are welcome.
Whilst the duties of the frogmen included sailing into enemy waters on two-man submarines to gain information and to plant limpet mines, their main task was to locate and remove limpet mines from British and Allied shipping, placed thereon by Italian frogmen they risked their own lives on many occasions so that the lives of others might be saved, and both Crabbe and CPO Brother David Morrison Bell were awarded the George Medal on the same day, the 25th January 1944.
On the 19th of April 1956 Commander Crabbe was involved in a mission that entailed diving under the hull of a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. Aboard the cruiser were two leading Russian Politicians Bulganin and Kruschev, who were on a goodwill visit to Britain.
Commander Crabbe was seen in the water near the cruiser, and the Russians protested strongly to the British Government about the incident.
A few days later it was reported that Commander Crabbe was missing and despite numerous questions being asked about the matter, in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden would only state that in the best interest of the nation nothing more be said about the affair.
On the 9th of June 1957 his body was found in the waters of Chichester Harbour.
After examination the body was declared to be that of Commander Crabbe, and amid a great deal of controversy as to its true identity, was buried as such in Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth.
In most cases a 30year rule is applied to State secrets, but in the case of Commander Crabbe a IOO year rule was imposed, and the file will not be made public until the year 2057. T
The fact that Brother Bell had been closely associated with Commander Crabbe led to a great deal of speculation as to whether he had been involved in, or had knowledge of, Commander Crabbe's disappearance. An extract from Page 30 of a book entitled "Frogman Spy", published in 1986, reads as follows:
"Crabbe hated letter writing, and even Pat Rose (Crabbe's Fiancee) confirmed that he never wrote to her when away. Before he departed from London for the visit to Portsmouth, however, he wrote to Petty Officer David Bell, a member of the Gibraltar team, saying how pleased he had been to meet up with him again.
" An extract from page 4 of the same book reads as follows : "We(Authors M.G. and J.E. Welham) telephoned an old friend whom we had not seen for some time, and after the usual pleasantries asked whether he had been in Portsmouth in 1956. He agreed guardedly, that he had, but when we asked what he knew about the Crabbe affair, he clammed up.
Though we pointed out that the whole affair was some 30years in the past, he insisted that he could say nothing. His exact words were that if "they" knew the source of the information, 'it would be more than my life's worth'. The man to whom we were talking was no ordinary chap. He had been decorated for dealing with bombs and mines while with the Naval Clearance Diving Branch, therefore he was not a coward." It was evident that whoever this man was, he knew something of the Crabbe affair, and if he was Brother Bell, then who better to have kept a secret?
∼Lieutenant Commander Crabb was a mine disposal expert who became a frogman during WW2 in Gibraltar he was awarded the George Cross for his work there. He was an investigative diver in the death of General Sikorski of the Polish Army. He dived in the investigations on the submarines HMS Truculent and HMS Affray. In 1956 he investigated a Russian cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. He was never seen alive again, but a frogman's body was found floating off Chichester harbour 14 months later minus his head and hands.This man was famous but the Bio is not good enough, if any one could write a better they are welcome.
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