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THE HISTORY OF ANNANETTA

History: Welcome

Updated Sept 2025

Through this website we've made great progress in tracing the history of Annanetta. New information is continually coming to light, none more so than what we’ve uncovered just this year (2025)

As we hoped our pages combined, we suspect, with significant coverage of Operation Dynamo (in which Annanetta paid no part) has indeed jogged memories and people have wonderfully been in touch!

We can only hope that this continues and if anyone reading now can provide yet further information we'd be most appreciative.

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Annanetta was built in 1939 in Graham Bunn’s yard in Wroxham, Norfolk. Graham Bunn had a long association with making beautiful wooden boats and Annanetta is definitely one of the those!

She was registered on 4th September 1939 to an Ernest Whitby of 48 Viceroy Court London NW8 who lived at this address with his wife Annie.

Ernest Whitby was clearly living the Art Deco dream! Ernest and Annie were living in the very latest, deluxe even, Art Deco accommodation with Viceroy Court only having just been built in 1937.

Just recently I’ve done further digging on Mr Whitby to get a better understanding of the man who commission what, as we will later learn, was quite the cutting edge vessel for her time. Ernest was born in Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire. It appears that he moved with his parents to London in 1901. His father George Frederick was a gunmaker and I suspect the family circumstances were comfortable. Ernest seems to have had some electrical training as by 1911, still living with his parents he is described as an Electrical Instrument maker.

A year later in 1912 Ernest was married to Margaret Everett and in 1914 they had a daughter Joan Marion.

It then gets a little messy as it appears that Margaret and Ernest split and our friend Ernest pops up next in 1939 living with a new wife Annie Whitby at 48 Viceroy Court St John’s Wood with the job description of Company Director. Now it could be that there are 2 Ernest Whitby’s and the gentleman from Brum has no connection with the resident at Viceroy Court but they both have the same birthdate and there is no other record of a Ernest Whitby before Viceroy Court with that birthday nor any other after that date. Except of course the gentleman called Ernest Whitby who died in Brighton in 1952 with the same birthdate and leaving his estate to a Joan Marion Whitby-Miller. I’m pretty sure that I have my man!!

Yet despite this interesting trawl we still have no further Annanetta pertinent details except that Ernest appears to have been a successful and competent electrical engineer! We still don’t understand the means or motivation that enabled Ernest to embark on his Annanetta adventure, we’re just very glad that he did!

While this avenue continues to require further investigation others have also been explored of late.

This year we again embarked on our annual pilgrimage on Annanetta up the Thames to the traditional Boat Festival at Henley. There we caught up with old likeminded Boaty friends and made some new ones. One particular contact Andy Smerdon on Rummy III introduced us to Gary Fletcher owner of Gerfalcon. Both Dunkirk Little ships but with an even prouder heritage of Royal Naval Patrol Service (RNPS). While we’ve always understood that Annanetta did not go to Dunkirk both Andy and Gary along with Colin on Aquabelle shared all sort of context and insight into what Annanetta might have done during the war.

Most exciting of all though was Gary's discovery of an article in Diesel Progress Magazine in July of 1940! Yes, a full spread article with photos of Annanetta. Full pictures of this are in the gallery but snapshots here. While this article doesn’t shine much light on to what Annanetta did during the war it was and is fascinating to look back over 85 years to where we live now!!

We’ll come back to Gary in a moment but the other recent and significant discovery for us came earlier in this year when I had an email from a Charles Conquest. Charles told me that his father Edward Conquest had been the skipper on Annanetta whilst he was in the Marines between 1940 and 1941!

Additionally, Charles shared that she had twin Lewis Machine guns fore and aft!! This tied directly with what I had been told by Peter Emms from whom I bought Annanetta back in 2003!! Charles went on the tell me that he and his father met Peter by chance in the 1980’s in Upton on Severn and supplied Peter with a photo of Annanetta at that time with those guns fore and aft! This was a photo that Peter talked about and flashed in front of me but never relinquished and I had put down to his marketing acumen. A photo unfortunately that is now lost in the mists of time!

Charles also shared that under his father’s command and with guns bristling Annanetta was used on the Blackwater estuary near Brightlingsea as an E and U boat deterrent and detection vessel. Apparently at this time, just after the evacuation at Dunkirk, this area on the north bank of the Thames estuary was anticipated to be the landing site for the imminent German invasion! So, a fascinating connection and one that put Annanetta into the RNPS territory of Andy and Gary!!

We were on a roll!! However, the mist again descends as investigation into the history of RNPS and the lists of boats involved in Brightlingsea's HMS Nemo base come up devoid of any Annanetta. Many of her contemporaries who we now know well such as Colin’s Aquabelle, Stefaan’s Prunella, Heather’s Gay Venture, Alain’s Breda (then called Dab II) appear on the lists, but Annanetta does not!!

Gary’s theory is that Annanetta was too good for such service! Obviously that aligns with our own prejudice. It also aligns with the July 1940 article which talks of her owner (our friend Ernest) living on board on the upper Thames during at least a chunk of 1940. It also aligns with the fact that we’ve found no record of Annanetta’s requisition until the 16th of December 1943! At this point we see that the owner was still Ernest as the War Department takes over. Yet it just doesn’t align with Charles’ first-hand stories from his father, the only direct human link that we have to these times.

However, if that were the end of it I might move the story on smoothly to Annanetta’s post war years, but it isn’t!!

Gary also unearthed a punchy little by-line in the Thanet Advertiser and Echo 6th August 1948. In this paragraph titled “Montgomery used her” the owner at the time a Mr Ronald Brazil (more on him later) suggests that Field Marshal Montgomery crossed the channel in Annanetta during the war.

While I remain a little sceptical Gary argues that at this time, so close to the end of the war, such a claim would be easily debunked and ridiculed if it were not accurate. It does also align with the period that we know Annanetta was seconded into the War Department as a prelude to Operation Overload and the D-Day landings from late 1943 to mid 1944.

What we currently believe is that some of Annanetta’s impressive credentials, new reliable state of the art engines (of Diesel Progress fame), long distance fuel and water tanks, advanced electrics and latest radio would have made her perfect for “Channel dashing”. There are records of similar vessels being used by the army under Montgomery for various swift trips across the channel to reconnoitre, pick up intelligence resources human and signals without perhaps drawing the attention of a bigger noisier MTB or high speed launch. So maybe Monty did use her or make use of her! We continue to hunt and this year’s discoveries show that her story may still be only page turn away.

Huge thanks to Gary Fletcher for all his help over the past months!!

History: Text

The Forties, Fifties and Sixties

Exactly what happened to Annanetta between April 1944 and somewhere in 1946 remains unclear. Records suggest that Ernest and Annie were still living in London in 1946 and he didn’t die until 1952 but for whatever reason Ernest didn’t want Annanetta back. Instead she was apparently sold on to Mr Ronald Brazil of Amersham Buckinghamshire. He of the Monty claim. Ronald (pictured below) owned her from around 1946 until his death in 1950.

During this time I think she was initially on the Thames in the Marlow area but at some point she was moved to the Norfolk Broads. I was fortunate to be in touch with Ronald's niece Annie Hamilton-Pike! Amazingly Annie has been able to supply me with copies of cinefilm from the late 1940s that show her Uncle with family and friends at sea with Annanetta. I believe somewhere on the East Coast. Some of that footage is on the blog! Below is a still from that video but do take a look at the video it really is quite something and I'm so glad to have it.

After Mr Brazil's death in 1950 Annanetta's ownership passed to a Charles and Peggy May. Until this year I knew little about this couple but again amazingly new contact was made when their nephew Peter Clements got in touch via the website! We had a long chat with Peter over the phone and he also kindly shared some family pictures most of which are in the gallery. The one below of his Aunt Peggy is fabulous! During their ownership, which covered most of the early 1950’s this vibrant couple kept Annanetta in the Brightlingsea / Mersea Island area living on her much of the time. So wonderful to firm up this connection!

Just look at those gorgeous teak laid decks, practically a nightmare but glorious to see.

In around 1955 the Mays sold on to someone who I expect they knew, a Mr Claude Henry Chaston. Claude was a builder and business man in Clacton on Sea / Brightlingsea area. Claude also owned a large joiners work shop and built cold moulded hulls for smaller craft. Later the Chaston family owned caravan parks in Clacton and it seems that their ownership of Annanetta was quite a lengthy and enjoyable one.

During the Covid lockdown period I was able to track down Claude's son John Chaston who told me about many happy holidays on Annanetta with trips to France and Belgium.

Dated around 1956 the above photo shows Annanetta motoring down the Colne in Essex with Claude Chaston standing on the port bow - Huge thanks to John Chaston for sharing this gem!

Later after John was unfortunately taken ill his daughter sent me some of Annanetta’s logbooks from 1959 through to the early 60’s. They show a busy and adventurous schedule of channel crossing and again our friend Gary Fletcher has a hand to play with the discovery of an article in the Daily Mirror from August 1960 about an eventful trip to Ostend!

Bold with their Y fronts in those days!!

The Chaston's then owned Annanetta until eventually selling her in 1967.

Between 1967 and 1972 Annanetta seems to have changed hands a few times. Initially being owned by a Stella Dorothy Meadway of Pulborough Sussex before quickly transferring to a Mr Brian Spoor and Frederick Horseman of Whitley Bay. She seems to have stayed with these two gentlemen for a couple of years before being sold in May 1972 to the person from whom I bought her, Peter Emms.

The Seventies, Eighties and Nineties

This period of Annanetta's life was defined by the ownership of Peter Emms. Under Peter's ownership Annanetta had an active life between his home in Upton on Severn near Worcester and his holiday home in Falmouth. I understand he made regular trips down the Severn, around Land's End to moor up off St Mawes in the Falmouth estuary in Cornwall. Here she is off St Mawes during the 1980s

Over the years I've heard various stories about Peter. Some have fond memories such as his step daughter and others from Upton on Severn who remembered Peter and Annanetta and the parties held on her. Peter Emms ceratinly seems to been quite a character. Property developer and stuntman being two aspects of his life that I've been able to unearth. Below is a picture of Annanetta moored in Upton circa late 1980s I believe.

Again this year I unearthed a new connection as a narrowboater pulled up alongside this summer and told us that he remembers Annanetta as Peter Emms was his uncle! Crazy small world!

Unfortunately when I met Peter in Falmouth in 2003 he wasn't well and I don't think I saw him at his best. He was tricky to deal with and I struggle to get past the fact that he didn't feel able to share with me the history of Annanetta that he was obviously very proud of.

I like to think though that he would , like many previous owners, be very pleased if they could see their Annanetta now.

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All the 2000's

Falmouth Harbour is where I first saw Annanetta in 2003. There's a video in the blog but some stills here. As you can see she was in quite a state as Peter had been unwell and unable to visit her. With hindsight I can't quite believe that I took her on!

She was though exactly what I wanted - a large Classic TSDMY! Lengthy negotiations with Peter ensued but eventually we got there!

That summer of 2003 she came out of the water down at Mylor and all her exterior work was restored by the lovely Michael Johnman (I’d love to hear from him again). Again I have pictures and video to load. We then popped her back in the water for some fun for a few days before pulling her out again at Falmouth Docks and road trailing her to Penton Hook on the Thames. I've posted some video of her coming off the trailer and into the water. Quite an amazing sight some of which you can see in videos in the blog section!

She spent a few months at Penton Hook while we did various pieces of work ably undertaken by Stuart Emms (no relation to Peter). Stuart has had a huge hand in the the rest of the Annanetta story and I take this opportunity to thank him wholeheartedly for accompanying me on this fantastic journey!

Once ready we cruised the few miles and 4 hours down to her permanent new home by Kingston Bridge. It rained all the way!

At some point I'll flesh the next 17 years out a little but gradually I saved and spent and Stu worked and worked to return, cabin by cabin, Annanetta to her glory! A glory that is both honest to her heritage, design and material BUT also a practical full time liveaboard!

Along the way I married the lovely Emma, who thankfully loves Annanetta as much and at times more than I! We had our first daughter Ellie while living aboard then moved away for a few years to care for my ailing mother.

It was this period away in Sussex that enabled us to properly embrace the services of Steve at Dennett’s Boatbuilders getting her out of the water and returning her hull, decks and wheelhouse again to tip top condition.

Unfortunately my Mother died in 2016 and initially we decided to stay down in Sussex and were blessed with our second daughter, Maisy.

For many Maisy’s arrival would have been the end of any notion of returning to boat life but in the end it was Emma who persuaded us to abandon a very comfortable 5 bed house in Sussex and return to Annanetta, which we did in spring of 2019.

Ultimately the lure of Lucy, Stu and Annanetta was just too strong!

Sadly after nearly 20 years of other priorities we concluded that her 1950's TS3 engines (a joint venture between Rootes and Lister and sold by Blackstone Marine) were not the way forward for Annanetta so we bit the bullet and replaced them with two new Nanni diesels.

Annanetta came out of Steve's hands in early March 2021 and her return to Kingston is again captured in our blog. Then with a newly fitted lithium battery and Inverter system we attended our first Henley Traditional Boat Festival in August 0f 2021.

Quite a fantastic experience as we fulfilled an ambition that I started with over 18 years ago and that the family have all now whole heartedly embraced.

As mentioned earlier we have now attended the last 5 years worth of the Trad! Making new friends and discoveries every year. Being the cowards that we are we haven’t been bold enough to leave our mooring and turn determinedly left , down river to the tidal Thames and beyond but those days will surely come!

Even if only as far as St Katherine’s.