New Museum painting, a nod to the past
By Lookout Production on Jan 17, 2024 with Comments 0
Alan Dennis presents a painting of Royal Navy vessel HMS Griffin to Tatiana Robinson, CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Curator, Nov. 17. Photo: Peter Mallett/Lookout
Peter Mallett, Staff Writer
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HMS Griffin returns to homeport
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum now boasts another great addition to its collection: a historic painting of the Royal Navy (RN) vessel HMS Griffin.
The acrylic on canvas rendering of the Griffin is the creation of Hugh Knollys, former Royal Navy (RN) Lieutenant-Commander and marine artist who died in 2006.
The painting was presented to Tatiana Robinson, Curator of the museum, by Alan Dennis, whose father, former RN Commander (Cdr) John Alexander ‘Alec’ Dennis, was a good friend of Knollys.
“The painting has been in our family for decades, but I know my father would be happy to know it has made its way back to the Navy,” said Dennis.
The Griffin was a G-class destroyer commissioned for Britain’s Royal Navy in 1936. The ship became an escort destroyer for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and was renamed HMCS Ottawa in April 1943.
Knollys became friends with John Dennis while attending Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in 1931. Dennis is unsure how the painting made its way to the family but thinks his father either commissioned Knollys or he gifted it to his father.
Robinson said initial conversations about the painting began with Dennis in the summer of 2023, and she was delighted to accept the painting into the museum’s collection.
“The museum is delighted to add this wonderful painting to our collection,” she said. “It really captures the true essence of HMCS Ottawa H31 (originally HMS Griffin) at sea while celebrating the legacy of the Royal Navy and its strong ties to the RCN.”
Cdr Dennis served 27 years in the RN before retiring in 1957 and immigrated to Canada shortly after. During the Second World War, he served in naval destroyers Griffin, HMS Savage, and HMS Valorous. Following the war, he served in minesweeper HMS Tetcott. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 90.
“HMS Griffin was considered a lucky ship and the only one of its flotilla to survive the war, so I hope the same good fortune for Ottawa on its sails,” Dennis said.
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum is open Monday–Sunday from 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
The Museum is situated inside the Naden Gate, and visitors must present a government-issued photo ID before entering. Once inside the gate, the blue arrows on the road will guide you to the Museum.
To learn more, visit www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org.
The acrylic on canvas rendering of the Griffin is the creation of Hugh Knollys, former Royal Navy (RN) Lieutenant-Commander and marine artist who died in 2006.
The painting was presented to Tatiana Robinson, Curator of the museum, by Alan Dennis, whose father, former RN Commander (Cdr) John Alexander ‘Alec’ Dennis, was a good friend of Knollys.
“The painting has been in our family for decades, but I know my father would be happy to know it has made its way back to the Navy,” said Dennis.
The Griffin was a G-class destroyer commissioned for Britain’s Royal Navy in 1936. The ship became an escort destroyer for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and was renamed HMCS Ottawa in April 1943.
Knollys became friends with John Dennis while attending Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in 1931. Dennis is unsure how the painting made its way to the family but thinks his father either commissioned Knollys or he gifted it to his father.
Robinson said initial conversations about the painting began with Dennis in the summer of 2023, and she was delighted to accept the painting into the museum’s collection.
“The museum is delighted to add this wonderful painting to our collection,” she said. “It really captures the true essence of HMCS Ottawa H31 (originally HMS Griffin) at sea while celebrating the legacy of the Royal Navy and its strong ties to the RCN.”
Cdr Dennis served 27 years in the RN before retiring in 1957 and immigrated to Canada shortly after. During the Second World War, he served in naval destroyers Griffin, HMS Savage, and HMS Valorous. Following the war, he served in minesweeper HMS Tetcott. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 90.
“HMS Griffin was considered a lucky ship and the only one of its flotilla to survive the war, so I hope the same good fortune for Ottawa on its sails,” Dennis said.
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum is open Monday–Sunday from 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
The Museum is situated inside the Naden Gate, and visitors must present a government-issued photo ID before entering. Once inside the gate, the blue arrows on the road will guide you to the Museum.
To learn more, visit www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org.
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