David Bone

Sir David William Bone MBE (22 June 1874[1] – 17 May 1959)[2] was a Scottish Commodore and author of nautical fiction.[3][4][5][6] His work includes The Brassbounder about a brassbounder,[4] a young apprentice on a British Merchant ship.[7] It was included as a recommendation in Literary Taste: How to Form It, a long essay with recommended readings written by Arnold Bennett. Brassbounder is "a classic of the squaresail era".[8]

Bone received the Coronation Medal from King George in 1937 for his long association with the Merchant Navy.[3] He also received CBE in 1943 from King George VI.[3]

Bone was born in Abbotsford Place in Glasgow, Scotland.[5] His father, David Drummond Bone (1841–1911) was a prominent newspaper publisher in Glasgow and his great-grandfather was a boyhood companion of Robert Burns.[3] Elizabeth Millar Crawford (1847–1886) was his mother. His brothers included the journalist James Bone and artist Muirhead Bone who illustrated some of David's books.[3] Bone studied at Partick Academy.[3]

Career

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 in Australia, with Anchor Line, and on a troop ship during the Boer War.[5] He corresponded and eventually became friends with Joseph Conrad who inspired him to stick with his career as a mariner and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship Bone captained.[3]

Muirhead Bone, one of his brothers, illustrated his book Merchantmen-at-Arms.[9]

Bone captained the SS Tuscania from New York on its first trip to Glasgow.[10]

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)[9]
  • The Lookoutman by David W Bone (1923)
  • Capstan Bars by David W Bone (1931)
  • Merchantmen Rearmed (1949)
  • The Queerfella by David W Bone (1952)[4]
  • Landfall at Sunset; the life of a contented sailor by David W Bone (1955)
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References
  1. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
  2. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
  3. "Sea captain and novelist". www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk.
  4. "Dave Bone and M.C. Bailey".
  5. "David W. Bone".
  6. "David W. Bone (Bone, David W. (David William), 1874-1959) - The Online Books Page". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu.
  7. "brassbounder". Merriam Webster.com. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  8. "The Brassbounder : David W Bone : 9781409991687". www.bookdepository.com.
  9. "Merchantmen-at-arms : the British merchants' service in the war by David W. Bone". gutenberg.org. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  10. "The Nautical Gazette". February 10, 1922 – via Google Books.
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