Jim Davis

Born at the turn of the 19th century in the sleepy riverside town of Newnham‑on‑Severn, the narrator’s early life is marked by loss and longing. After the deaths of his mother and father, a distant uncle arrives, whisking the boy away from his familiar garden walls on a rattling coach. The departure is both thrilling and frightening, a sudden thrust into a world he has only watched from the riverbank.

The journey introduces him to bustling ports, towering West‑Indiaman ships, and the rough‑handed sailors who hoist their sails. He tastes his first real meal of bacon and eggs, feels the strain of a capstan under his small hands, and watches the glittering flags flutter above the decks. These vivid first impressions of travel, sea, and new faces set the tone for a life that will continually chase the horizon beyond the quiet Gloucestershire fields.