How the Attenborough of his day survived being torpedoed and helped boost morale during WW2
During the darkest days of the Second World War, a British Army veteran and his Scottish golden eagle brought joy to children who, through no fault of their own, were growing up amid the chaos of a war.
The multi-talented First World War veteran Captain Charles Knight and his showbiz partner, a golden eagle called Mr Ramshaw, helped boost morale in Britain and America during the war.
Thanks to his natural showmanship, the veteran became one of the most famous naturalists, filmmakers and falconers in the world.
But it was a treacherous night in 1940 that solidified his place in history when he and Mr Ramshaw survived a torpedo attack while at sea in the Atlantic.
Their unique story of wartime bravery is being told in historian Nicholas Milton's new book, The Amazing Life of Captain Knight and his Golden Eagle.
Mr Milton said: "In his time, Knight and his golden eagle Mr Ramshaw were the biggest animal star performers in the world who blazed a trail for the likes of Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham.
"The Amazing Life of Captain Knight and his Golden Eagle, Mr Ramshaw, reads like an adventure from The Boy's Own Paper and deserves to be better known.
"It is the story of how Knight rose from working in a tobacconist before the First World War to become the most famous animal entertainer of his era during the Second World War."
And Mr Milton is not exaggerating.
By the end of the Second World War, Capt Knight and Mr Ramshaw had crossed the Atlantic 18 times to entertain troops, civilians and children with their unique show which consisted of natural history films, books, glass slide shows and as an impressive finale, the eagle flew over the heads of the audience.
But the moment that helped soar them to fame happened in August 1940 when, as the Battle of the Atlantic raged on, SS Volendam, a Dutch-owned transatlantic liner, set sail from Liverpool bound for Canada.
On board were 321 evacuated children, or 'sea-vacs', and more than 500 other passengers, including 56-year-old Capt Knight and his feathered co-star.
At 11pm the following night, the German submarine U-60 launched two torpedoes at the SS Volendam, resulting in a massive explosion that caused the ship to list dangerously.
To his dismay, Capt Knight was ordered to abandon ship, leaving his beloved eagle co-star trapped in a hold below deck on the transatlantic liner.
Somehow, both survived the traumatic ordeal and Capt Knight was reunited with Mr Ramshaw a few days later.
Of his admiration for Mr Ramshaw, Capt Knight wrote in his 1943 book All British Eagle, saying: "There can never be another Mr Ramshaw.
"What a personality; what poise; what dignity!
"And how tremendously alive he is!
"Nothing seems to escape his crystal-clear eyes or – for that matter – his keen ears."
A brief military history
Known as Chas to his friends, 18-year-old Charles from Sevenoaks, Kent, began his career in 1902 as a tobacconist's assistant in his family's tobacco business, Knight Brothers of London.
But then, as war broke out in 1914, Chas became Private Knight in the Honourable Artillery Company, 1/2nd Battalion, and while fighting in France and Belgium, he trained to become a sniper.
On a website dedicated to the work of Esmond Knight, a British actor and Capt Knight's nephew, the soldier's skill with a gun is remembered.
It says: "Knight was a crack shot and was soon selected as a sniper while serving with the Honourable Artillery Company in France (1914-15) and 'Sniper Knight' remained a nickname for many years.
"Even when hidden in the ruins of an old barn on sniping duty, he was still conscious of the wildlife and even wrote an article for Country Life called Wildlife In The Trenches, which was published in 1915, accompanied by his own photographs.
"Some were taken whilst perilously exposed to the enemy, up trees and in open ground."
After being wounded in June 1915, Knight was sent to the US as part of the British military mission to the country and was put in command of a demonstration drill team.
Two years later, he was awarded the Military Cross for action at Ypres, Messines Ridge and the Somme.
Described as having " breezy humour", Sniper Knight ended his time in the Armed Forces with the rank of captain.
The veteran appeared as Colonel Barnstaple in the 1945 British romance film, I Know Where I'm Going!, starring Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey and Pamela Brown.
Capt Knight's character, as seen from 17 minutes and 11 seconds into the film, was described by The Guardian as an "eccentric, foghorn-voiced eagle trainer".
Because, of course, Mr Ramshaw featured alongside him as 'Torquil the Eagle', much to the delight of many audience members.
Capt Knight's passion for wildlife, in particular falconry, never abated.
Before his death in Kenya in May 1957, the naturalist made a living by writing, photography and giving lectures.
Join Our Newsletter
