Themis & Carnaby

Reader's Letters & Queries: NarrowBoat, Autumn 2007

I have read the Summer edition of NarrowBoat with interest and I am able to add two points to the article by Euan Corrie about Eddie Hambridge’s Family Album. The boat in the bottom photograph on page 7 is the Small Woolwich motor Themis which, as suggested in the caption, was operating as a trip boat having been taken out of service for this purpose in 1949/50 (although it was still available for carrying service if required!). Themis was later fitted with a permanent trip boat conversion and in 1959 was renamed Water Kelpie. Water Kelpie was sold by British Waterways in 1964 and is still extant as a house boat in the Northwich area, renamed Themis. The caption to the bottom left photograph on page 10 suggests that Carnaby is no longer on the Grand Union Canal as a maintenance boat. Although not taking part in the historic boat event at Stoke Bruerne in June, Carnaby was tied directly above the third lock down the Stoke Bruerne flight, and is still a BW maintenance boat. Carna…