Sir David William Bone (22 June 1874
[''Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950''] – 17 May 1959) was a Scottish
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
and author of
nautical fiction
Nautical fiction, frequently also naval fiction, sea fiction, naval adventure fiction or maritime fiction, is a genre of literature with a setting on or near the sea, that focuses on the human relationship to the sea and sea voyages and highligh ...
.
[ His work includes ''The Brassbounder'' about a brassbounder,][ a young apprentice on a British Merchant ship. It was included as a recommendation in '' Literary Taste: How to Form It'', a long essay with recommended readings written by ]Arnold Bennett
Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...
. ''Brassbounder'' is "a classic of the squaresail era".
Bone received the Coronation Medal from King George VI in 1937 for his long association with the Merchant Navy.[ He was also appointed a ]CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1943.[
Bone was born in Abbotsford Place in ]Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland. His father, David Drummond Bone (1841–1911) was a prominent newspaper publisher in Glasgow[The Late Mr David D. Bone.](_blank)
The Scottish Referee, 27 October 1911. Scan via London Hearts Supporters Club and his great-grandfather was a boyhood companion of Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
.[ Elizabeth Millar Crawford (1847–1886) was his mother. His brothers included the journalist James Bone and artist ]Muirhead Bone
Sir Muirhead Bone (23 March 1876 – 21 October 1953) was a Scottish etcher and watercolourist who became known for his depiction of industrial and architectural subjects and his work as a war artist in both the First and Second World Wars.
A ...
who illustrated some of David's books, including ''Merchantmen-at-Arms''.[ Bone studied at Partick Academy.][
Bone's career at sea began when he apprenticed at 15 on the ''City of Florence'', "an old-time square-rigger". He also served on ]windjammers
A windjammer is a commercial sailing ship with multiple masts that may be square rigged, or fore-and-aft rigged, or a combination of the two. The informal term "windjammer" arose during the transition from the Age of Sail to the Age of Steam ...
in Australia, with Anchor Line, and on a troop ship during the Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
.[
Bone captained the SS ''Tuscania'' from New York on its first trip to ]Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
Bibliography
*''The Brassbounder'' (1910) by David W Bone
*''Broken Stowage'' by David W Bone (1915), a collection of short stories
*''Merchantmen-at-arms; the British merchants' service in the war'' by David W Bone (1919)
*''The Lookoutman'' by David W Bone (1923)
*''Capstan Bars'' by David W Bone (1931)
*''Merchantmen Rearmed'' (1949)
*''The Queerfella'' by David W Bone (1952)[
*''Landfall at Sunset; the life of a contented sailor'' by David W Bone (1955)
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bone, David
1874 births
1959 deaths
20th-century British male writers
Writers from Glasgow
British Merchant Navy officers
People from Partick
Members of the Order of the British Empire
British Merchant Service personnel of World War I
Knights Bachelor
British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II
Scottish male writers
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...