The Westerman Yarns

Welcome to the second Westerman Seminar

2012-01-10T19:54:00.011Z

The 2012 Westerman Seminar at Portsmouth Grammar School on Saturday 11th February is only a few weeks away and I thought I would spend some time to tell you a little more about the exciting programme.

Guest speakers for this year are Dr Rachel Johnson from the University of Worcester with her talk How Westerman changed the Henty Hero and Dr Philip MacDougal with If war should come -the views of selected children's writers of the 1930s on the forthcoming European War and I will deliver Missing, Believed Lost – an update on research since the last seminar.

There are a few additional items including an interview/conversation with Eric Axford whose mother Amelia was Percy’s home help. Eric will bring along Percy Westerman’s writing chair from The Barge and tell the story of how he got it, plus many more anecdotes.

The University of Worcester have also loaned some items for display from Westerman Collection that were not available last year and we will have some previously unrecorded items from the Wareham Weekend Reminiscence Project that have been kindly loaned from Wareham residents/participants.

The seminar will be the platform to launch the latest Portsmouth Grammar School Monograph publication titled Tales of Pluck and Daring – the life and work of Percy F. Westerman. Each delegate will receive a complimentary copy of this limited edition full-colour publication.

The guest book dealer for this year will be David Schutte, a specialist in children’s books and Westerman Yarns will also have a small collection of books on sale.

Tickets are £15.00 and include all refreshments and a buffett lunch. For a booking form or if you have any questions about the event please email me at westermanyarns@gmail.com

The Westerman Seminar 2012

2011-11-20T18:31:00.020Z

The
Westerman Seminar
2012

Celebrating the life and works of
Percy F. Westerman (1876 – 1959)

Saturday 11 February, 2012
10am – 4pm
Portsmouth Grammar School

This seminar will build on the success of the first Westerman seminar held in 2011.

An opportunity to learn more about this great writer and his contribution to the ‘Ripping Yarns’ genre.

Speakers include: Dr Phillip MacDougal (author and historian), Dr Rachel Johnson (Research Librarian - The University of Worcester), Nigel Gossop (Westerman Yarns)

The Westerman Seminar is supported by Portsmouth Grammar School – Percy F Westerman attended the school between 1890 and 1893.

For ticket information and booking, please email Nigel Gossop at

westermanyarns@gmail.com

A Memorable Weekend in Wareham

2011-11-04T09:36:00.012Z

Westerman Yarns have had a busy few weeks in supporting Wareham Library, The Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre, The Redclyffe Yacht Club and Wareham Town Council in the delivery of the first celebration of Percy F. Westerman in the town where he spent the last 40 years of his life.

Westerman Yarns - inspiring another event
Following the success of the First Westerman Seminar my wife and I visited Wareham on the anniversary of the death of Percy F. Westerman back in February this year. Whilst we were there we approached Wareham Library and the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre and suggested that it would be good to include Percy F. Westerman in their promotional material alongside T E Lawrence and Thomas Hardy. I was delighted when they called me a few weeks later to say that they wanted to arrange a special weekend in honour of Percy F. Westerman.

The event titled ‘The Call of the Sea’ was held over Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October.

The Westerman Yarns Exhibition
Westerman Yarns supported the event by producing a series of information panels for an exhibition currently on display in the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre. The panels offer a brief outline of his life, following his journey from Portsmouth to Wareham.

The Westerman Yarns Reminiscence Project
On Saturday we launched a reminiscence project Thankfully, there are still people living in the area that had met or knew Percy and his wife Florence. The good news is that the project has got off to a flying start and we already have a number of interesting and useful stories, adding colour and detail to the Westerman research.
We had already met with a few Wareham residents with great memories including Michael Spilman whose father was a shipwright and who had carried out work on The Barge and Eric Axford whose mother worked for the Westerman’s and whose claim to fame was, that it was she and Florence wheeled Percy from The Barge into Wareham on a borrowed builders handcart after he fell and broke his leg. Their help has been invaluable in gathering and recording real memories that build on our knowledge of Percy F. Westerman.

If you would like to get involved in the project or know someone that may be able to help with information or memories or memorabilia, please email me at westermanyarns@gmail.com or pick-up a form from Wareham Library or the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre.

The Launch
Everyone attending the launch was welcomed into Wareham Library by music from Hugh Elms and his wind-up gramophone. The opening ceremony was well attended and after the speeches and the official opening by the Mayor of Wareham and the Commodore of the Redclyffe Yacht Club, we were treated to a polished and entertaining performance by Wareham’s own shanty group The Wareham Whalers (right).

Raft Race
The Wareham Library ran a model raft building competition open to children and adults culminating with a race on the River Frome. Competition was fierce, but the pirates, made up from Redclyffe membership (see picture at the top of the page) ensured fair play and the safe return of all the rafts.

An Illustrated talk ‘The Forgotten Author’
During the afternoon I gave an illustrated to talk on Percy F. Westerman. The talk was launched with a musical introduction by Dr Rachel Johnson from the University of Worcester who played The Westerman Hornpipe on her recorder. The University of Worcester kindly loaned some of the Percy F. Westerman Collection for the weekend and Dr Johnson was actively promoting the research collection. After the talk, the audience were invited to stay for refreshments provide by the Wareham WI. One memorable moment was when Michael Spilman from the reminiscence project told us that he had just recognised his father working on the roof of The Barge in one of the slides shown in the talk.

Literary Guided Walk and Redclyffe Yacht Club
Sunday began with a literary guided walk led by David Kemp. A tough collection of Wareham’s finest braved the rain for the walk finishing at The Redclyffe Yacht Club who opened their doors to provided welcome refreshments and an opportunity to see their own display of photographs showing the development of the club founded by Percy F Westerman, their first Commodore.

Captain Blundell’s Treasure – Play Reading
If I was to have a favourite event from the weekend, it has to be the play reading by a band of Wareham volunteers who bravely agreed to take on this project. My wife and I travelled up to Worcester in early September and copied the script sending it off to Wareham Library, giving them just a few weeks to rehearse. The play was produced and directed by David Kemp and narrated by John Barclay (writer and poet). Considering that the group only had a few weeks to study the script, their performance was excellent and included a special guest, Dr Rachel Johnson (Research Librarian, University of Worcester) in the role of Marjorie.

Acknowledgements
I really enjoyed the weekend and would like to thank the following people who worked so hard to make it all happen with apologies for anyone that I have inadvertently omitted, Jude Leyman and the staff of Wareham Library, Liz Roberts and David Kemp, and the staff of the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre, Rod Curtis, Town Clerk, Pam Boddy and Allen Wilkinson, Commodore, and the members of the Redclyffe Yacht Club and Eric Axford, Michael Spilman and Nigel Barnes, the friends of Westerman Yarns whose generosity, time, reminiscences and loan of material to progress research has been so valuable. Very special thanks to the University of Worcester and Dr Rachel Johnson for generously supporting the event with the loan of items from the Percy F. Westerman Collection. Finally, my wife Wendy, who is my rock in watching that I don’t run aground!
Viewing the Westerman Yarns display and Percy Westerman Collection from The University of Worcester.

A Special Celebration in Wareham

2011-09-21T20:09:00.006+01:00

The Wareham Westerman weekend programme is now complete. If you would like me to send you the poster or the leaflet as a PDF file please drop me an email to westermanyarns@gmail.com .

Alternatively, contact:
Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre
South Street,
Wareham.
BH20 4LU
Tel: 01929 552740
They will be pleased to post copies out.

WWW

2011-07-12T20:21:00.007+01:00

What does www. stand for? In this case it is Wareham Westerman Weekend.

Westerman Yarns is working with a very enthusuastic team of Wareham based organisations who are planning the towns first celebration of the life and works of their famous past resident, Percy F. Westerman. Time for a Westerman party!

Below is the first press release outling the early plans.

Wareham is busy making plans to celebrate the life and works of an, until now, overlooked famous, past resident. Children’s adventure book writer, and arguably, the originator of the ‘Ripping Yarns’ genre, Percy F Westerman, spent many years living the idyllic life on his houseboat ‘The Barge,’ moored by the towpath at Redclyffe, close to Wareham. It was from this converted Thames Barge that he penned more than 120 of his 174 published books.

The Wareham Westerman Weekend on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October, 2011, is being organised through a collaboration between Wareham Library, Purbeck Information & Heritage Centre, Wareham Town Council, and a host of other organisations and individuals, all keen to raise awareness of this remarkable author whose lasting gift to Wareham was the founding of the Redclyffe Yacht Club in 1933, with both Percy and his author son John having been past Commodores of the club.

A detailed programme will be available soon, but will include children’s pirate parade, make and race a model raft, a treasure hunt, a colouring competition and a live music event. An exhibition exploring Percy F. Westerman’s links with Wareham and a display of books from the Wareham Library reference collection, donated by the Redclyffe Yacht Club will be a key feature of the weekend along with an illustrated talk and a reminiscence project. Jude Leyman, Library Manager said “We are very excited about the weekend and an opportunity to raise awareness of this prominent children’s writer whose contribution to the literary heritage of Wareham should be celebrated by the town that he loved so much. The special collection of his books is an important feature of our reference collection here at Wareham Library”. Liz Roberts, Centre Manager said “We are delighted to be involved in the project and will be jointly organising a series of events of the weekend with our colleagues in Wareham Library”.

His stories covered tales of the sea, scouting, flying machines, deeds of derring-do, mysteries, two world wars, tales from history and much, much, more. Titles included The Scouts of Seal Island, The Bulldog Breed, Fighting for Freedom and The Flying Submarine. These gripping stories fired the imagination of generations of young readers encouraging a love of books and reading to remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Percy’s first book A Lad of Grit was published in 1908. During the 1930’s Percy was voted the ‘Most Popular Boys Author’ in a poll sponsored by a national newspaper and organised through public libraries. By his death on February 22 1959 his books had been published in many languages and had sold in excess of 1.5 million books worldwide.

Who is Pennington Cross?

2011-04-18T23:04:00.007+01:00

At the recent Westerman Seminar I explained how my research led me to discover that Percy F Westerman has written under the pseudonym Pennington Cross for stories published in The Scout. The name Pennington Cross is the name of the place near Lymington in Hampshire that became his home after leaving Portsmouth and where he lived between 1911 and 1918.

The information below has been released earlier than I wanted, because, although I did ask at the Westerman Seminar to withhold the information until I had verified the details as much as possible, the word has got out.

My wife and I discovered the link last year, but still needed more proof. Thanks largely to Gregg Worwood who has trawled through many of the books, it does appear that the research has been proved correct. I have much more information on the Pennington Cross home and what PFW did whilst he was there, but I am saving that for a publication that will be available later this year.

There were 49 volumes of The Scout Annual published between 1908 and 1954. For a copy of the latest Pennington Cross titles list, please email your request to me at westermanyarns@gmail.com

The Westerman Yarns Seminar 2012

2011-03-18T17:43:00.006Z

Following the success of the first Westerman Seminar in February, I am pleased to announce that work has started on the next for 2012.

The date of the next seminar to be held at Portsmouth Grammar School is Saturday 11th February, 2012. Ideas and themes for the programme are being explored, but as 2012 is the 100th anniversary of one of Percy’s most popular books ‘The Flying Submarine’, I am considering an airship/submarine theme to the programme.

Tickets for the next seminar will not go on sale until the autumn. If you would like to receive advance programme details and booking notification, please email me at westermanyarns@gmail.com

Derek Brown - Journalist

2011-03-05T12:25:00.009Z

I was saddened to hear that one of Percy Westerman's most avid enthusiasts Derek Brown passed away last week. It was an article by Derek in 1982, titled 'Percy Pulls it Off' that inspired my early interest. He is survived by his wife Eileen and by his mother Renée, now 94, sister Sylvia and brother David. My thoughts are with them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/27/derek-brown-obituary

The Portsmouth Evening News - Obituary

2011-02-21T22:00:00.005Z

It is 52 years ago today that Percy F Westerman passed away. Spare a thought today, for Percy and the joy that his books brought to so many children during his fifty year writing career.

This is the Portsmouth local paper obituary. You can also view The Times obituary by clicking on the February '09 Blog Archive.

Books for Boys

Writer of 170 books for boys – mostly about adventure at sea. Mr Percy F Westerman who has died at the age of 82, was a native of Portsmouth.

He was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School and in his youth was a clerk in the Dockyard. He married in 1900 and his wife was a former Miss Florence Wager of Portsmouth.

While still working in the Dockyard, he began writing about nautical topics, but his first book for boys “A Lad O’ Grit” was not published until 1908. It was inspired by the Boy Scout movement which was founded by Lord Baden-Powell in that year.

Mr Westerman became interested in Sea Scouting, and many of his books had Sea Scouts has their heroes.

So successful were his early books that he resigned his Admiralty appointment in 1911 to become a full-time writer. For many years he lived on a houseboat on the River Frome at Wareham, Dorset. He never gave up writing and his latest book is due to be published in May. His output, up to the last three years, was between three and five books a year and sales of his books total 1,599,000.

In World War I, he was for a time employed on coast duties with the Royal Navy, but later held a commission in the Royal Flying Corps. In World War II he did valuable work for the Home Guard in Dorset.

The Portsmouth Evening News, Friday 27 February 1959.

The First 'Westerman' Seminar

2011-02-21T21:35:00.014Z

Although the weather in Portsmouth was wet, overcast and gloomy on Saturday 19 February, 2011 the atmosphere inside Portsmouth Grammar School was warm, bright and lively because this was the very first Westerman Seminar. This was a truly memorable day for me and I would like to thank everyone who attended for their enthusiasm , interest and passion in support of this event.

From a very personal point of view, I must say, how pleased I was to be able to put faces to all of the people that I have been in touch with through The Westerman Yarns weblog for the past few years. I was also touched by the kind thoughts and best wishes from those who were unable to attend for variety of reasons including a few that could not attend because it was a bit too far to travel for just one day - Australia, New Zealand, Los Angeles.

On behalf of all the delegates I would like to thank Portsmouth Grammar School for their kindness and generosity in allowing The Westerman Seminar the use of the school and facilities– special thanks to David, the Caretaker. Thanks to all of the guest speakers, James Priory - PGS Headmaster, John Sadden - PGS Archivist, Dennis Butts – Author and, in her absence Dr Rachel Johnson – Research Librarian at Worcester University (sadly Rachel was unwell, but with the aid of modern technology delivered a very interesting paper). Apologies to everyone for the techno failure (well done Microsoft) at the start of my presentation, but thanks to James Priory and Steve Rudge for the diversion – I don’t think anyone noticed.

I am very grateful to Dennis for bringing the very special copy of ‘A Lad of Grit’ to the seminar and to Steve Rudge for such an impressive display of beautiful Westerman books. A special thanks also to Dr Rachel Johnson and the University of Worcester Special Collections for the loan of some items from The Westerman Collection.

The programme was carefully fitted around numerous refreshment breaks to allow people to meet, network and consume plenty of tea and cakes. So, thank you to my small army of volunteers; Jennie, Lyn and John, plus, my very patient wife, Wendy.

Thanks to everyone who helped in the promotion of the event. A full list of organisations who assisted in the promotion of the event will appear in the ‘links’ when I get a moment..

All that remains to say is “book early for the next year”.

The Picture: Nigel Gossop (left) and Dennis Butts (right)

A very special Flying Submarine

2011-02-06T16:34:00.002Z

This really spectacular book cover illustration is sadly, anonymous. The book is published by The Musson Book Company Limited of Toronto under the strap line ‘Venture’ Books for Boys and priced at $1.25, which may give an indication of a publication date (at a guess – 1950’s). Other authors in the series include C. M. Bennett and Captain W. E. Johns.

Percy is now on Facebook

2011-02-06T15:16:00.020Z

Percy F Westerman

Promote your Page too

The Westerman Seminar Programme

2011-02-04T16:49:00.002Z

The Westerman Seminar
Saturday 19 February, 2011
10.00am - 4.00pm

The Portsmouth Grammar School
High Street
Portsmouth
PO1 2LN

For tickets call 023 92 37 55 94

Programme

1000hrs – 1020hrs: Registration, meet and greet (tea and coffee).

1020hrs – 1030hrs: Welcome message from the Headmaster of Portsmouth
Grammar School, James Priory and Introduction to the seminar
from Nigel Gossop.

1030hrs – 1115hrs: Nigel Gossop – ‘The story so far’ – What we know about
Percy F. Westerman.

1115hrs – 1130hrs: Break (tea and coffee).

1130hrs – 1230hrs: John Sadden – PGS Archive and Collection –
This talk will finish with a tour of the ‘Upper Junior School’ which once contained the whole Grammar School.

1245hrs – 1345hrs: Lunch (Buffet).
*an opportunity to view the collection of Westerman
books and related material on loan to the seminar.

1345hrs – 1430hrs: Dennis Butts – Meeting the Major – Recollections of
conversations with John F.C. Westerman.

1430hrs – 1445hrs: Break (more tea and coffee).

1445hrs – 1530hrs: Dr Rachel Johnson – ‘Life’s all a risk’: an introduction to
three unpublished manuscripts by Percy F. Westerman.

1530hrs – 1600hrs: Nigel Gossop - A review of the day.

You are welcome to stay for a while after the close. Tea and Coffee will be available.

*For the ‘Westerman’ books and related material on display at the seminar, I would like to thank:-
• Portsmouth Grammar School and John Sadden, PGS Archivist
• Worcester University Research Collections and Dr Rachel Johnson, Research Librarian
• Dennis Butts
• Steve Rudge
• my wife Wendy for being so understanding with my ‘Westerman’ obsession

Copies of ‘Children’s Literature and Social Change’ by Dennis Butts.
The Lutterworth Press will be available during the afternoon break, priced at £25.00

Disclaimer Programme details are correct at the time of printing. All details of programme and times may be subject to change without notice.

Westermanyarns Discussion Group

2010-12-22T20:31:00.004Z

A bad time of year to attempt something new, I know, but here goes. I aim to bring like-minded people together by establishing a discussion group/forum. Apart from wishing all my 'westermanyarns' friends 'Seasons Greetings and Very Best Wishes for the New Year, I don't anticipate much else happening with this new project until January, but feel free to surprise me.

Subscribe to westermanyarns

Email:

Visit this group

The First 'Westerman' Seminar

2010-07-24T18:04:00.014+01:00

You read it here first! The day has been named for the very first ‘Westerman’ Seminar. To be held in Portsmouth on Saturday 19 February, 2011, at Portsmouth Grammar School. The programme for the day will include guest speakers and an opportunity to view various book collections and ‘Westerman’ related material and memorabilia.

If you are interested in receiving details of this event please email me, and I will send, by return, the latest copy of The Westerman Yarns newsletter and an A4 seminar poster. The full programme will be announced at the end of September ’10.

There are several editions of The Westerman Yarns newsletter. Please let me know which edition you would like:-

Dorset Edition
Portsmouth Edition
General Edition

Tickets will be £10.00, but for the moment I simply need you to register your interest in attending.

For PDF files of the poster or newsletter, or to register interest in attending the seminar, email me at westermanyarns@gmail.com

Thanks
Nigel

A Sea Scout Yarn

2010-07-05T19:44:00.020+01:00

I have long talked about placing some of the Percy Westerman short stories on my blog. There are so many of these short stories and there are currently no comprehensive listings. They turn up in the most unlikely of places and it is such a thrill when a new story is found. The short story below was published in The Scout, dated May 9th, 1914.

The inspiration for this story may have come from an incident that happened in October 1913. A Mirror sailing vessel carrying eleven London Sea Scouts and two Assistant Scoutmasters from the Mirror Troop of Sea Scouts was run down by the steamer Hogarth in fog in the Thames Estuary at Gravesend, Kent. Three Sea Scouts and one Assistant Scout Master drowned. The inquest recorded that the Mirror was navigated with proper and seamanlike care.

This Sea Scout yarn contains a reference to ‘Turktown’ A nickname for Gosport, near Portsmouth in Hampshire. There are two possible suggestions as to where this name came from. The first is that there once was a strong Turkish community living in Gosport and the second refers to a Turkish ship whose crew became ill with disease that proved fatal for many of them. They were accorded British burial rights and buried at Haslar in Gosport.

In 1909 The Scout Magazine announced the formation of a Sea Scout branch in Glasgow and soon a Seamanship Badge was introduced. In the same year the cricketer Charles Burgess Fry (C.B.Fry) trialed Scouting on the water aboard T.S.Mercury, a nautical school primarily designed to prepare boys for service in the Royal Navy. This is believed to have been the start of the Sea Scout movement.

William Wylie (marine artist) who lived in Tower House at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour was instrumental in founding The 1st Portsmouth Sea Scout Troop in July 1912. It was in the following year that Percy published his first Sea Scout book, ‘The Scouts of Seal Island’. Many of these books began life serialised in The Scout - the official organ of The Boy Scouts.

His son, John. F. C. Westerman moved back to Portsmouth with his wife Murial for a short time in the 1930’s. In 1933, he founded the 38th St Mark’s, Portsmouth Sea Scout Troop. The troop was temporarily disbanded when the Blitz came, as he and others left to join the forces, but the Rover Scouts reinstated the troop again in 1942.

Percy wrote several books with the theme of Scouting, and all of these stories were based near or on water.

The Scouts of Seal Island (1913)
The Scouts of the “Petrel” (1914)
Sea Scouts All (1920)
Sea Scouts Abroad (1921)
Sea Scouts Up-Channel (1922)
The Boys of the “Puffin” (1925)
The Sea Scouts of the “Kestrel” (1925)
The Mystery of the Broads (1930)
Haunted Harbour (1937)
Sea Scouts at Dunkirk (1941)
“Sea Scouts, Alert!” (1955)

The Derelict - A story of When the Sea Scouts Scored

By Percy F. Westerman

My eye! This is thick," remarked Patrol leader George Byng of the Beavers to his opposite number," Patrol Leader Dick Ford of the Seals!

Ford nodded, but said nothing. He had his work cut out in keeping his eyes fixed upon a small spirit compass placed on the grating of the boat's stern-sheets.

The 1st Saltport Troop of Sea Scouts had recently been presented with an ex-navy twenty-four-foot gig - a great improvement on the sixteen-foot cumbersome boat that had served the Sea Scouts during the earlier stages of their career. The gig had (been thoroughly overhauled by a boat-builder at Turktown; the donor, believing that half a gift is no gift, had generously added a complete equipment, and the two patrols had jonrneyed to Turktown to take over the delivery of their new craft.

Sixteen miles of sea separated Turktown from Saltport - sixteen miles of open water with hardly a haven capable of affording shelter should it come on to blow. Con-sequently with commendable caution the Scouts waited till a steady glass gave every promise of fine weather.

Upon arriving at Turktown they found the gig afloat, with all her gear on board. The weather, somewhat unfortunately, was too fine; not a catspaw disturbed the placid surface of the water. Sailing was out of the question. It was to be a case of steady pulling.

Cheerfully the lads tackled their task, the Beavers taking the first half hour, the Seals relieving them at the end of that time. But
before half the distance was covered, a thick sea-fog sweeping down with remarkable rapidity enveloped the boat till it was a. hard
matter to see one end of the gig from the other.

Patrol Leader Ford had just managed to take a compass bearing of Bull Point - a prominent headland not far from the entrance to Saltport Harbour - and allowing for the “indraght” of the tide, he was carefully holding on to the course, indicating with a slight motion of his hand any movement of the gig from her right direction.

“We ought to be picking up the land by now Dick?" said his chum after a while. "I should have thought so, too," agreed Dick. "Here, White, you give Clemson a spell in the bows. Keep your eyes skinned and your ears open and let me know if you see or hear any signs of the surf breaking over the reef.

"Jimmy White, who by the fact of his wear¬ing a naval crown on his left arm showed that he was a King's Sea Scout, made his way for'ard to take up the seemingly useless task of peering into a bank of white fog, while Clemson was glad to take his place on one of the thwarts and warm himself up by a steady pull at one of the heavy ash oars.

"Sure you're not out by this?” asked Byng in a low tone, indicating the compass.

"I hope not” replied Ford. "At any rate, we'll carry on another quarter of an hour before turning in shore. That ought to take us clear of the Point.”

“Something ahead!" sang out White, "A cliff, I think."

“Avast pulling,” ordered Patrol Leader Byng in his best nautical manner, for the lad was the son of a seafaring man and took to the water almost as naturally as a duck. "Back water, all."

Through the fog a dark object loomed up, seeming to overtop the comparatively small gig. It was a steamship, enlarged out of all proportion by the magnifying effect of the moisiure-ladien atmosphere.

"Ship ahoy!" shouted Ford at the top of his voice."Ship ahoy - ahoy!" came an echo.

“Give them another hail, Dick," suggested Byng, who by pulling the starboard yoke line had brought the boat almost parallel with the steamship.

But no response, save the mocking echo, came from the big craft. Except for the gentle lap of the water against her rusty iron sides an uncanny stillness pervaded the ship.

"Strange," remarked Byng. "I don't think she's anchored. I can see her anchor hove right up to her hawse-pipe, and there's enough tide running to show her starboard cable if that anchor is down. And she's not making way either. Give way, there, and let's see what she's like. Easy ahead, together now."

Keeping barely a boat's length off, the gig was rowed slowly past the port side of the ship, which at close quarters appeared to be a coasting tramp of about three hundred tons displacement.

"She's fairly light," observed Patrol Leader Ford, pointing to the Plimsoll mark that showed five feet above the water.

"It's the list she has," replied his chum, "She's heeling over to starboard. Cargo shifted, maybe."

"Her crew have taken to the boats," announced White. "Look at the falls of her davits."

The King's Scout was right. From the four davits on the port quarter a tangle of ropes showed that the crew had made a hasty departure, and that no one had been left on board to haul up the lowering tackle. On her stumpy counter was the name Ragtime of Blackport.

"Look!" exclaimed Ford. ''My word, what a hole !"

The gig had passed under the stern of the derelict and was now heading towards the bows. Almost amidships a jagged rent extending from far below the waterline to the rail betokened that the vessel had been in collision and had all but received her death blow, for on that side barely eight feet of freeboard were showing, whereas on this port side there was nearly twice that height.

"She's sinking. We ought to give her a wide berth," suggested Hythe, who possessing coastwarden's rank saw possibilities of his prowess as a lifesaver being brought into action.

"If she were sinking with that hole in her, side she would have gone down long ago, replied Patrol Leader Byng. "She has water¬ tight bulkheads, and they are keeping the water back. It's a salvage job, you fellows, so Be Prepared. Cox and Jones, you remain in this boat. Grey, take the painter and make her fast astern. Stand by and cast off, if necessary."

"What do you propose to do?" asked the Patrol Leader of the Seals, who in point of seniority had to yield to his chum.

"Do? Why, get her into Saltport Harbour if it can be done – and I think we ought to manage it now there's a breeze springing up. Thompson, you'll be bound to find a lead-line handy; see what depth we're in. Dick, old man, I want you to rummage in the fore-peak and see if there is any canvas. If we are where I think we are, with this light breeze we ought to bring her straight into the harbour. Gilson and Rawlins, you cut below and see what water there is in the holds. Keep your ears open, and if you hear me give a succession of short whistles get back on deck as fast as you know how."

Patrol Leader Byng realised that an opportunity had arrived for the Sea Scouts to show that they were prepared. His responsibility was great, but with an inborn con¬fidence he gave his orders calmly and de¬liberately.

Soon Thompson reported that the lead-line gave eighteen fathoms. Allowing five feet rise for the second hour of the flood, that reduced the soundings to a little more than seventeen fathoms, and Byng knew that the only soundings giving that depth anywhere within thirty miles of Saltport were three miles S.S.E. of Bull Point.

"We were a bit out of our coarse," he remarked. "But perhaps it will be a lucky stroke for us. I wish the fog would lift though."

Presently four of the Scouts came trooping aft, dragging two heavy sails behind them, which upon examination proved to be a stay¬sail and a trysail - just-the canvas Byng hoped to find on board. Both holds were reported dry, and only a few inches of water were found in the lee bilge. Except for the flooded compartment, the Ragtime was as tight as a bottle.

As quickly as possible the staysail was hanked on to the forestay and hoisted. Slowly the tramp’s head paid off, and as the trysail was sent aloft the old hooker gathered way. To Byng's delight she answered her helm in a satisfactory manner, and although the maximum speed was a bare three knots through the water, it was sufficient to keep her fairly under control.

"Take the helm, Dick," he said. "Here's the course; nor'east by north; Gibson, come for'ard with me."

Gibson was the tenderfoot of the Beavers, but a fairly intelligent youth who could be trusted to obey orders.

"Look here," continued the Patrol Leader. "See that lever? That works the compresser. Throw it over and the anchor will be dropped. I want you to stand by, and when I give the word 'let go,” do it, see? I may not .have to give the order for some hours yet, or I may have to very soon, but in any case, Be Prepared."

Byng hastened back to the bridge. The fog was still very thick, but at intervals, owing to the rising wind, it lifted in patches, so that occasionally he could see as far as the bows. Beyond that all was a blur of white vapour.

Presently a fog syren blared out at less than a mile away. Some lumbering tramp, thinking it sufficient to give a warning every five minutes, was ploughing her way as fast as her antiquated' engines could take her.

"She's coming straight for us," announced Ford after an interval. "The sound is much' louder."

Byng knew that as there was no steam raised on board, the syrens of the Ragtime were useless. The only way of giving an alarm was the ship's bell, which by the Board of Trade Regulations is in thick weather only to be used by a vessel at anchor. There was no help for it. The bell had to be used, so adopting a method as different as possible from the recognised anchored signal, Byng sent one of the lads to ring it every ten seconds.

This expedient proved successful, for the oncoming tramp slowed down and altered helm, yet so close, did she shave the Ragtime that the Scouts could distinguish her outlines in the fog.

The lead now showed nine fathoms. Byng began to get anxious, for the coast could not be very far off. Concealing his anxiety, he kept keenly on the alert for the sound of the reed foghorn on the lighthouse at the entrance to Saltport Harbour.

Eight fathoms; seven fathoms. The bottom was shoaling rapidly.

Byng was just on the point of ordering the anchor to be let go to prevent the vessel from going ashore, when with remarkable sudden¬ness the fog lifted. Right ahead, less than half-a-mile away, lay not Saltport Harbour, but Mudbury Haven, a tidal inlet three miles to the east of Saltport. Owing to the set of the tide the tramp had been swept well to the east'ard in spite of Byng's allowance for the rate of the flood.

The longshoremen at the little haven looked greatly surprised to see a fairly large steamer coming in under sail, and scenting a chance of .salvage half-a-dozen boats put off.

Still more surprised were the old shellbacks to find a crew of Sea Scouts aboard, who firmly yet politely declined the eager request to be allowed to give them a hand. Byng knew their little game.

Once the longshoremen gained a footing on the deck of the Ragtime, they had a right to demand a share of the salvage, even if their assistance were practically worthless; so with a chorus of maledictions upon their youthful rivals, the boatmen stood off and waited to see what sort of a mess the Scouts wouldi make of bringing the disabled tramp up in a small and fairly crowded haven.

But Byng knew his business. At a word of command the staysail came flapping down on deck. With a rattle, of chain the anchor plunged to the bottom, and the tramp, with little way on her, swung round head to wind and tide.

It was not long before the coastguards put off, and their amazement was great when they learnt that the new arrival was the Ragtime, for early that morning the officers and crew of that vessel had been landed at Saltport by s.s.Dumbshow. They reported that at midnight their ship had been run down in a fog.

Thinking from the nature of her injuries that she was doomed, the men hurriedly took to the boats, and after rowing aimlessly about for several hours were picked up by the Dumbshow.

For more than twelve hours the badly-injured Ragtime drifted, until the Sea Scouts fell in with her.

ln due course the Admiralty Court awarded a substantial sum to the Sea Scouts for salvage, and with the money the Saltport Troop purchased a floating guard-ship to take the place of the stranded hulk that had hitherto served as their headquarters; while to show that they possessed the true spirit of aiding others, they made a grant towards the funds of the poorer troop at Mudbary - the haven to which Patrol Leader Byng had brought his prize in safety after a nerve - racking ordeal in the fog-enshrouded sea.

Thank you to the Henty Society

2010-06-30T11:26:00.006+01:00

The Henty Society made my wife and I very welcome at Worcester University on Saturday 28 June at their summer gathering. After my presentation about the background and research into Percy and John Westerman we chatted over tea and cake – they really know how to treat visitors.

Topics of conversation included illustrators/artists who contributed work for both Percy Westerman and George Henty, book collecting and how my enthusiasm got the better of me in trying to find a hard, common link between Henty and Westerman through their love of sailing and boat ownership. Ann King (Secretary) who is a fountain of Henty knowledge, tactfully put me straight.

My darling wife who has been such a fantastic support and help in the research, and who is my prompt when I have those senior moments, held court with other members of the Henty Society discussing all things Henty and Westerman. It was such a memorable afternoon and so nice being with other special interest book collectors and enthusiasts.

My thanks also to Dr Rachel Johnson MA MCLIP, Research Librarian for Worcester University and her husband for recommending me, and for hosting my wife and I during our visit.

Dust Jackets - Dust Wrappers - Dust Covers

2010-05-27T17:20:00.019+01:00

I never know what to call them, but the term 'dust jacket ' works for me.

I recently visited a local bookshop and found that they had just purchsed a small, but well looked after, and valued collection of Percy Westerman books, all dated from the 1940's and into the early 1950's. These were obviously loved and cherished books that had been an important part of the previous owners growing up.

Dust jackets, although designed to be functional, are an iconic glimpse into the period of publication. The paper dust jackets can be so attractive. I was told by one book dealer that there are many collectors who only buy books for the cover art. It is such a shame that they are so fragile and do not easily stand the test of time. Dust jackets are often found in a poor state, torn with parts missing, or my personal favourite ' the cellotape repair'.... this stuff should be banned and withdrawn from sale or carry a government warning. Whoops! there I go again. Finding dust jackets in good condition is still exciting. Yes, "My name is Nigel and I have dust jacket envy".

The images with the cover artists/illustrators are:-

Standish Pulls it Off (1940) W Edward Wigfull

Squadron Leader (1946) Terrance T Cuneo

Golden Gleamer (1948) M Mackinlay

Sarabinda Island (1950) A Barclay

The Mystery of the Key (1948) Ellis Silas

Missing Believed Lost (1949) Will Nickless

Percy Westerman maybe a Bad Influence on Youth

2010-05-01T15:54:00.028+01:00

Recently, whilst researching some archived book reviews, I came across this article published in The Saturday Review dated July, 1926. I have copied it, complete with inaccuracies.

We deprecate the mania for inquiry into the tastes and thoughts of very young persons of which we have lately two illustrations. From Croydon it has been solemnly reported that the youth of the nation, so far as it is represented there, is intellectually in a bad way because the favourite author of boys is Mr P. F. Westerman and the favourite of girls is Miss Angela Brazil.

From a world-wide inquiry carried out by the Y.M.C.A. it appears that the youth of the world regards as the greatest men now living Signor Mussolini and Mr Ford, but thinks that in the British Empire there is a strong disposition to promote that eminence Buster Kearton, Douglas Fairbanks and Lou Cheney. But of what consequence is it what the average boy or girl thinks? Public opinion in the next decade, in these as in other matters, will be created, not by the boys and girls whose votes turn the scale in these plebiscites, but by a handful of young people holding quite other views. What matters is the attitude of a gifted minority, not that of the majority.
The Saturday Review
17 July 1926

Buster Kearton – should have read Buster Keaton
Lou Cheney – should have read Lon Chaney
Definition: Plebiscites – A direct vote on some question, usually of importance

It makes me think that the writer was probably ‘ an old hack’ with a very low opinion of young people, and, in an attempt to cobble together two quite unconnected pieces of information that had come his way, he was simply trying to give the reader his biased opinion.

The article was answered a little later by the Chief Librarian of Croydon Public Library – the source of the one of the two threads that generated to the initial article.

Intellectual Degeneracy

SIR – May I be allowed to say, in connexion with, your note on page 59, that it was not solemnly reported from Croydon that its youth were in a bad way because the favourite author of boys and girls were respectively, P.F. Westerman and Miss Angela Brazil. As a librarian I naturally keep watch, in the manner common to all modes of business, on the preferences of my readers. The inquiry that you mention was merely this check applied to the Junior department of the Croydon Public Libraries. The results were given, but no deduction was made from them, and certainly not the one with which you credit us.

Had I expressed any view, it would have been that Westerman is a hearty writer of health adventure yarns of the lineage of Henty and Fenn, and that Angela Brazil is at least wholesome. I wish as much could be said for the gifted young men who are producing fiction for older readers.

I am etc.,
W. C. Berwick Sayers
Chief Librarian
Croydon Public Libraries

Making Contact

2010-04-19T18:34:00.005+01:00

I have been accused of not making contact with me easy, and hiding my email address within the text of articles in the blog. In an attempt to answer those critics here is my email address:

westermanyarns@gmail.com

Write to me, Nigel aka Blasop. I look forward to hearing from you.

The Westerman Research

2010-04-19T17:41:00.009+01:00

It has been more than a year since I published anything new on this blog. However, it has made me quite a few new Westerman friends, or as Percy might have said ‘chums’ with whom I have been in regular contact. I know from recent email correspondence that a few people thought that I had lost interest, left the country, given up, got a new hobby, plus a few other options that are, quite frankly unprintable.

Anyway, the truth is that as the research into the Westerman’s is still developing. Unfortunately it cannot be done sitting in front of a PC, but necessitates visiting records offices, libraries, speaking with other Westerman collectors and visiting locations around the country. I have been reluctant to blog the information because it is still largely incomplete. Each time a new piece of information is found it throws up other leads or poses new questions. I still find it quite remarkable that for a chap who led such an interesting life and only died in 1959, just how little of a paper trail has been left.

The latest piece of research to surface is a once lost, but thankfully, now found, letter from John F C Westerman with reminiscences about his father. Over the past fifteen years the research has thrown up two letters from John in which he graciously talks about his father – it is just such a shame that no one asked him to talk about himself.

Below is a short excerpt from the new letter confirming a story that has been synonymous with Percy F Westerman for many years:

He took up writing Boy’s Books in 1907 as a result of a sixpenny bet with his wife who said he could not better a book that he read to me when I was confined to bed with chickenpox. He won his bet when his first book “A Lad of Grit” was published late that year by Blackie and Sons, with whom he signed a life contract sometime later.

John F C Westerman, Major.
Dated 17th March, 1978

So, the story that most Westerman fans already knew about did happen, but remember, this is story told by a storyteller to another storyteller who is telling it to us.

The Curious Tale of Percy F. Westerman's Ripping Yarns

2009-05-13T17:07:00.023+01:00

I have always been a follower of the Monty Python's Flying Circus series, and as with many other people of my generation, I can rattle off, verbatim, most of the classic sketch scripts when required... any excuse really.

Casting my mind back to Christmas 1971, among my presents, I received a copy of The Monty Python's Big Red Book (Methuen Press). It featured a spoof story titled 'Journey into Earl's Court' - A Raw Tale Of Bed-sitter Land by the Author of "Percy F. Westerman". What followed can only be described as pure Python. If you really want to read it, then follow this link. http://www.heretical.com/miscella/mpart.html

The link between Percy Westerman and the Python team appeared again, when the brilliant series 'Ripping Yarns' written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones came to the small screen. Was the inspiration for these wonderfully funny stories in anyway linked to the writer Percy F.Westerman? The booklet placed inside the DVD of Ripping Yarns explains that the idea for the first episode was prompted by a book called ‘Ripping Tales’. However, try as a might, I have been unable to trace a copy of this title, but would fascinated to know if anyone has a copy of this title that might be 'the book'.

Over the last few years there have been a number of debates with some very wise and knowledgeable people about this somewhat flimsy link, and we have discussed the connection at length, but there has not been a definite answer to the question...... until now.

The only way to settle this question was to ask the writer of Ripping Yarns, Mr Michael Palin, and here is the reply.
Thanks for your letter.

I'm afraid that as so often in Python the choice of name is completely arbitary! Percy F. Westerman was a name we were all brought up with, but his inclusion in the book was not meant to signify anything in particular. Nor was he in our minds when we started to write Ripping Yarns.

All best wishes

Michael Palin

So, there you have it. There was never a conscious decision to base any of the Ripping Yarns stories on anything by Percy F. Westerman. Still, some of the Westerman text does sound screen ready for the next series of Ripping Yarns, doesn't it?

The letter from Michael Palin appears with his kind permission.

The Pirate Submarine - A Possible Conclusion, by James Mackenzie

2009-04-18T13:31:00.039+01:00

This excellent and very interesting article is a first for the Westerman Yarns weblog. It has been kindly contributed for publication on this site with the kind permission of the author, James Mackenzie.

James is the author of 'Another Country: A guide to the children's books of the Lake District and Cumbria'; an absolute must for your holiday reading on your next visit to the region. James also manages the specialist weblog http://www.childrensbooksofthenorth.blogspot.com/.

Thanks James

‘I must hand her over to the new owner before the end of the present month, Gerald,’ declared Rollo Vyse, owner of the thirty-five feet motor-yacht, Ibex, to his chum Gerald Broadmayne.

This is the opening sentence of Chapter VI of ‘The Pirate Submarine’ and is 65 pages in to the storyline of this unusual story. It seems an extraordinary long time for the reader to wait for the arrival on the scene of the two characters who seem destined to be the heroes of the tale.

Yet, all in this book is not quite what it seems.

The opening chapters tell of the doings of two of the biggest villains ever to grace the pages of this author. They are Tom Trevorrick and Paul Pengelly, the rogues who are about to bring disgrace to all Cornish mariners. We see how they pass from shady business dealings just on the right side of the law to a life of outright crime. Dismantling surplus ex-Royal Naval ships in order to sell them for scrap value is not a particularly unorthodox way for former sailors to make a living. When the value of brass falls to an uneconomic level they know that they must find another way to bring in the cash. Very soon they must answer to their shareholders who will demand a dividend for their risky investments. There are also the employees who need paying.

Trevorrick’s solution to the problem is both simple and startling. They will save a doomed ship, disguise it, sneak it out on to the Channel and turn it into a modern day pirate. The whole idea seems totally preposterous. Yet such is the application of the writer to his craft that Westerman starts devising a cunning account of how they can set about their nefarious scheme. He deals with the practical details of getting the discarded submarine ready for her voyage. The location of the small shipyard is a neglected creek not far from Falmouth. The rogues have the location and the facilities to prepare their chosen vessel. The workforce have been especially selected to be rootless and without close dependents. They are invited to join a salvage expedition which will remove gold bars from a sunken vessel. Secrecy is essential if rivals are not to discover the precious wreck and steal their prize. The local Inspector is a mere cipher more intent upon drawing his pay for very little work than checking what happens to the decommissioned men of war.

Trevorrick’s command of the human factor in his plan is never in doubt. The men commit themselves to one risky but not illegal exercise and find themselves ready for something more outrageous when these plans seem to go wrong. The Naval inspector is duped and then overpowered and kidnapped when he stumbles into the wrong place at the wrong time.The disguised submarine can only make progress on the surface (no underwater engines can be operated) but it can rise and submerge on the spot. Each problem that arises is overcome by Trevorrick’s sheer nerve and inventiveness. He soon has a Cornish crew committed to piracy and even has a local smuggler to transport and handle the stolen goods. He has also adopted his nomme de guerre Captain Cain.

At page 65, by an unhappy accident ,the pirate submarine Alerte rises from the water and rescues Vyse and Broadmayne from the dinghy of their burnt out motor cruiser. At this point the pirates’ plans begin to unravel. The rest of the book recounts the adventures up to page 296 when the unlucky Alerte reaches its final resting place. You might expect that Vyse and Broadmayne find their own way of outwitting the pirate and undoing his schemes. Very soon, for example, Broadmayne manages to win the approval of some of the pirate crew by defeating their champion in improvised boxing match.

‘Tough,desperate ruffians they might be, but they were sportsmen, members of a race that produces the best winners and the best losers in the world.”

Captain Cain keeps his men in check by promising that they will never be called on to fire at an English ship. Somehow he also can’t bring himself to deal with the young heroes that may have been brutal but which would have been sensible. Somehow in return the youths feel a grudging respect for the man who has them prisoner. Later, however, they both play their part in trying to hunt him down. By the end of the book the rascally and cowardly Pengelly has gone to his fate in prison. Yet the sheer defiance and unnatural courage of Captain Cain stays with him to the end. In fact Broadmayne’s final reflections suggest something more. He ponders over what happened to Cain ?

‘It was to him a fascinating and yet unsolved mystery. Did Cain succeed in his last desperate attempt to escape ? Or did the bed of the land-locked Bahia Arenas hold the secret of the fate of the pirate submarine until the sea gives up its dead ?’

Now that I see the title ‘Captain Cain’ as Westerman’s next book for the same publisher in the following year I realise what the conclusion must be. You can’t keep a good (or a bad) man down.

James Mackenzie

The Mystery of the Flying Submarine

2009-03-22T06:38:00.030Z

This is a brief look at some of the news items, technological development’s and influences that may have effected the creation a few of the ‘Westerman’ yarns that involve submarines and airships – after all, airships really do look like flying submarines, don’t they?

If you have an opinion or an observation you would like to contribute regarding this item please email me westermanyarns@gmail.com

The Submarines
The early 1900’s were exciting times in the development of new technological break-through’s. In 1870 the French novelist Jules Verne had captured the imagination of the public with his book ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ Over the next thirty years the real working submarines began to take shape and become viable tools of war.

Craft designed by Frederich Otto Vogel (German), Claude Goubet (French), Gustave Zede French), Josiah H.L Tuck (American) all contributed to the development of submarine development. For Britain however, one name became synonymous with the submarine – John Phillip Holland (Ireland). Holland (Pictured left) had been designing submarines in America since 1875, but it was one of his designs that was chosen and accepted by the British Navy as the first British submarine type.

Built at Barrow in Furnace, Holland 1 was launched on October 2, 1901 and was began service with the Royal Navy, Portsmouth in 1902.

Submarines, at this time were always newsworthy. In 1904 as part of a Royal Naval exercise with the First Fleet, five Holland submarines were assigned to defend Portsmouth and successfully torpedoed four warships. The same year saw the first major submarine accident when, close to the Nab Tower Lighthouse, Holland’s latest design, the A-1 was hit, whilst submerged, by the SS Berwick Castle (a passenger ship) with the tragic loss of all hands (Seven of the crew were from Portsmouth).

It is very likely that Percy would have read ‘Twenty thousand Leagues Beneath the Sea’ as he was growing up and this would have sparked his creative imagination, but during his time, working as a clerk in the Naval Dockyard these elements of technological fantasy were becoming fact. When the Holland 1 arrived in Portsmouth to be based at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport (HMS Dolphin), Percy was working in the Naval Base as a clerk. The 1904, A-1 accident off the Nab Tower was reported in the Portsmouth News, and the sad fact that seven of the crew were local men would have made this a talking point. Submariners were the astronauts of their time, and this was seen as a very risky area of development to be involved in. Only a few years later the A3 was also sunk with another loss of all hands following a collision off Bembridge, IOW with the ironically named, HMS Hazard.

The Airships
Progress in taking to the skies had been rapid since the first powered flight of a fixed wing aircraft by the Wright Brothers in 1903. Yet in 1900 the first airship had taken to the skies from a floating hanger on Lake Constance. The airship, the LZ1, designed by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, containing 400,000 cubic feet of potentially explosive hydrogen gas and measuring a massive 420 feet long with a 38 foot diameter, became the largest man-made object to take to the air.

In the early days of the First World War Germany launched a series of attacks from the air with their Zeppelin fleet. On the night of 25 September 1916 a Zeppelin attack on Portsmouth took place. The banks of search-lights in the Naval Base picked out the eerie shape of the Zeppelin as it delivered the towns ;first of many, aerial bombardments, as it moved slowly down the eastern side of the town , heading out to sea in the direction of the Isle of Wight. The town defences filled the air with sound of gunfire. It is not clear from my research, what the impact of the raid was, but a national report for that date, tells that on that night, a total of seven Zeppelin’s attacked British soil with 43 killed and 31 injured.

The pre titled Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps was formed in to the Royal Naval Air Service on 1st July 1914 where by only 198 men of all ranks were transferred under the command of Commander E A D Masterman. This was later known as the Airship Section. It was recognised that a sea-warfare advantage could be obtained with an eye in the sky, submarine spotting capability. Development of what became known as the Submarine Scout (SS) class airships. Introduced in 1915, these small craft could be launched from the deck of a ship; carry a crew of two; a wireless; have an arsenal of 160lbs of bombs; enough fuel for eight hours flying and a top speed of 50mph.

The British had been building airships since WW1 and the R-34 made the first East -West crossing of the Atlantic in 1919. The R-100 had her maiden flight on December 16, 1929. Built by a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong by a design team led by Barnes Wallis and assisted by Neville Shute Norway* (Senior Stress Engineer).

Percy had left Portsmouth before the Zeppelin incident of 1916, but his mother was still living in Campbel Road, Southsea just a few miles away from the centre of the raid so it would be safe to assume that he would have been concerned for her safety.

and so to finish...
In 1926 one of the famous Sexton Blake stories was titled ‘The Submarine that Sank Upwards’ published by Amalgamated Press (Author: Anon). On the Blakiania website (http://www.sextonblake.co.uk/) the story has been adapted and re-titled ‘The Case of the Flying Submarine’. How close is that to the Percy Westerman idea from the ‘The Mystery of the Flying Submarine’?

The fantasy of a vessel that can both fly and dive beneath the waves will capture the imagination of the reader, but put this into the context of the period when airships and submarines are still making the news. Strange but true, the frontpice image from 'The Mystery of the Flying Submarine' (top of the page) makes for a real stretch of the imagination, but a San Francisco based artist, Matt Hope in collaboration a China based inflatable company recently produced a one-third scale inflatable replica of a Russian submarine!!

The Books
Below is a list of books that feature submarine and airship influences – Please note that this is not a conclusive list. Please email any comments or corrections that will help in ensuring the accuracy of the list:-
‘The Flying Submarine’ (1912), Illustrator: John de Walton
‘Rival Submarines’ (1913), Illustrator: C. Fleming Williams
‘The Dreadnought of the air (1914)’, Illustrator: C. Fleming Williams
‘The Secret Battleplane’ (1916). Illustrator: Ernest Prater
‘The Submarine Hunters’ (1919), Illustrator: Edward S. Hodgson
‘A Sub and a Submarine’ (1919), Illustrator: Edward. S. Hodgson
‘The Airship “Golden Hind”’, (1920, Illustrator: C. Fleming Williams
‘The Pirate Submarine’ (1923), Illustrator Galli
‘The Black Hawk’,(1934), Illustrator: Rowland Hilder
‘The Phantom Submarine’ (1947), Illustrator: J. C. B. Knight

* In 1933 Neville Shute Norway moved his company Airspeed Ltd to the Portsmouth Airport site where he remained as Managing Director until 1938. One of his books Lanfall: A Channel Story uses Portsmouth and the region as the backdrop.

www.airships.net/
www.submarine-history.com/NOVAtwo.htm

www.sextonblake.co.uk

Promoting the The Wireless Officer

2009-03-08T08:46:00.011Z

As most Westerman collectors are aware, there were many reprints for some of the more popular titles, and as few of the books included a synopsis at the beginning to attract the reader*, the art-work was often the main attraction. Occasionally, in order promote the reprints, Blackie included an insert with a synopsis. In most cases it does sound as though the synopsis was probably written by the author. The language and style of writing are very similar.

I have attached an image of a synopsis that was found inside a copy of The Wireless Operator. The copy in question does not include an inscription that would have helped to date it. The tone is a little strange, I am really not sure who the book is being targeted at, as it includes a romantic reference – a bit odd for a book aimed at young boys, even for the 1920’s.

The Wireless Officer
Percy F Westerman
Illustrated by W E Wigfull

The story gets properly under way with the steamer West Barbican, though before a sense of mystery and intrigue has seized upon the reader .The hero looses no time in showing up – a burning oil-tanker down channel gives opportunity for a display of grit and skill.
The West Barbican is deserted by most of her passengers at Cape Town, but those who remain carry the story through its exciting course to a romantic conclusion. By means of a forged message the West Barbican is diverted from her course, but her valuable cargo is discharged safely in place of going down with the ship, which is later treacherously destroyed in mid-ocean.
The Wireless Officer has a daunting experience during the wreck, but later on takes charge of his companions , and at last reaches the mainland in safety. Here he gets a British firm out of a right corner, and secures a good position and charming life partner.

Blackie and Son Limited
London Glasgow Bombay

The review is from the periodical, The Bookman’ and is a contemporary review for the same book dated December 1922. The descriptions are so very different that it is hard to believe that they are for the same book.

The Wireless Officer
By Percy F Westerman (Blackie)

Here’s another volume by Mr Westerman. We begin well. Our hero, Peter, although a promising and energetic wireless officer, has been out of work for a bit. At last a job comes along. “The West Barbican mater. I fancy she is one of the Blue Crescent Line. If so ,it’s East Africa and possibly India this trip”. Then we are introduced to a wily German. “The English fondly imagine”, says he, “that now the war is over, there is no need for admirable secret service. As you know , that organisation still exists most healthily; only instead of being the Imperial it is now the German Commercial Secret Service”. The German desired to get a big order for steel work, which was given to a British firm of which Peter’s father was director: and the cargo went on Peter’s ship. Mr Westerman makes the most of this situation. On the ship sails the German spy, disguised as on William Porter, out to prevent the cargo from ever arriving. Good material, capably used: a book boys will like very much.

The Bookman (Dec. 1922)

*Some paper dust jackets did have a synopsis on the inside of the wrap-over.

Calling all Westerman Enthusiasts

2009-03-04T19:24:00.013Z

Westerman enthusiasts

When I first became interested in and collecting books by Percy and John Westerman, I thought that someone was bound to establish a society, fellowship or similar organisation that would aim to promote the Westerman dynasty. Every now and then, I would search the net for a sign, but apart from some excellent sites that promote book collectiing and book sales, I have found nothing.

Fifty years after the death of Percy maybe a good time to start something, and I would like to hear from other Westerman enthusiasts that would be interested in helping to found such an organisation.

Please email me at westermanyarns@gmail.com . Tell me about your interest, collections etc. It would also be useful to know where you are based ie. Dorset, Hampshire (UK) or further afield. When I think that I have enough support, I will arrange a gathering.

Thanks

Blasop

Redclyffe Remember Percy Westerman

2009-03-03T19:43:00.004Z

Percy Westerman was the first Commodore of the Redclyffe Yacht Club.

The original clubhouse was built by Percy with help from his son John and recently the club celebrated their diamond anniversary (75 years) and have installed a plaque commemorating their founding in 1933. The club is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the west bank of the River Frome at Redclyffe, near Wareham, Dorset.

2009-02-24T19:16:00.005Z

A celebration of author's life at town library

From the archive, first published Friday 27th Jan 2006.

WAREHAM will honour the works of one of its most famous sons Percy Westerman on the anniversary of the celebrated author's death.

The First World War veteran, who served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Flying Corps, wrote nearly 200 popular books for boys, mostly about adventures on land, sea and in the air.

In recognition of his life Wareham Library will launch the Percy Westerman Reference Collection on the anniversary of his death next month as part of a celebration of his life and works.

A spokesman for the library said: "Up until his death in 1959 he was one of Wareham's more colourful characters and his life and work deserve to be known about by a much wider audience, both in Dorset and further afield."

Mr Westerman's writing career began as a result of a sixpenny bet he made with his wife that he could write something better than the story he was reading to his son who was in bed with chickenpox. He won the bet when his first book A Lad of Grit was published in 1907.

The keen yachtsman, who was a founder member and Commodore of Wareham's Redclyffe Yacht Club, lived on a converted barge where he did much of his writing.

Among the cast of heroes who featured in his books were Standish of the Air Police, Cadet Alan Carr, of the Merchant Navy, and Lieutenant John Cloche.

The Percy Westerman Reference Collection is kept in the reference section of the library and consists of 65 works of children's fiction, donated by the Redclyffe Yacht Club, as well as biographical information about the author.

The library said it hoped to develop and extend the collection in the future through donations of books or information from the public.

Dust Jacket Image Collection

2009-02-22T10:02:00.006Z

I have a collection of around 80 Westerman books, a good mix of both Percy and John. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find books with good condition paper dust jackets and pictorial cloth designs. The cover designs are wonderful iconic images that reflect the popular book cover art-style of the time and I am always keen to see good examples.

It is interesing to note here, that some of the paper dust jacket designs were changed when the books were reprinted. I am interested to see examples of cover artwork and through this blog establish and build library of the cover images. Please send any contributions to my blog site for inclusion in the dust jacket library.

Send any images to: Westermanyarns@gmail.com

Thanks

Blasop

Wilmshurst of the Frontier Force

2009-02-21T20:53:00.011Z

Wilmshurst of the Frontier Force
Percy F Westerman

This is the very first Percy Westerman ebook that I have discovered on the web. To open, just double click on the hyperlink below. Go to the bottom of the webpage to 'Download this ebook for free'. Click on the highlighted item called 'Main Page'.

www.gutenberg.org/files/26642/26642-h/26642-h.htm

This eBook is for the use of anyone, anywhere, at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

The Book List

2009-02-20T23:38:00.010Z

Book List

Percy. F. Westerman

1. A Lad of Grit - Blackie 1908
2. The Winning of Golden Spurs - Nisbet 1911
3. The Young Cavalier - Pearson 1911
4. The Quest of the Golden Hope - Blackie 1911
5. The Flying Submarine - Nisbet 1912
6. Captured at Tripoli - Blackie 1912
7. The Sea Monarch - A.C.Black 1912
8. The Scouts of Seal Island - A.C.Black 1913
9. The Rival Submarines - Partridge 1913
10. The Stolen Cruiser - Jarrolds 1913
11. When East Meets West - Blackie 1913
12. Under King Henry's Banners - Pilgrim Press 1913
13. The Sea-Girt Fortress - Blackie 1914
14. Sea Scouts of Petrel - A.C.Black 1914
15. The Log of a Snob - Chapman and Hall 1914
16. 'Gainst the Might of Spain - Pillgrim Press 1914
17. Building the Empire - Jarrolds 1914
18. The Dreadnought of the Air - Partridge 1914
19. The Dispatch-Riders - Blackie 1915
20. The Nameless Island - Pearson 1915
21. The Fight for Constantinople - Blackie 1915
22. A Sub. of the R.N.R. - Partridge 1915
23. Rounding up the Raider - Blackie 1916
24. The Secret Battleplane - Blackie 1916
25. The Treasures of the "San Philipo" Religious Tract Society *
26. A Watch-dog of the North Sea - Partridge 1916
27. Deeds of Pluck and Daring in the Great War - Blackie 1916
28. To the Fore with the Tanks! - Blackie 1917
29. Under the White Ensign - Blackie 1917
30. The Fritz-Strafers - Partridge 1917
(Keepers of the Narrow Seas)
31. Billy Barcroft R.N.A.S. - Partridge 1918
32. A Lively Bit of the Front - Blackie 1918
33. The Secret Channel and Other Stories - A.C.Black 1918
34. The Submarine Hunters - Blackie 1918
35. A Sub. and a Submarine Blackie 1918
36. With Beauty off Jutland - Blackie 1918
37. Whilmshurt of the Frontier Force - Partridge 1919
38. Winning his Wings - Blackie 1919
39. The Thick of the Frey at Zeebrugge - Blackie 1919 *
40. 'Midst Artic Perils - Pearson 1919
41. The Airship "Golden Hind" - Partridge 1919 *
42. The Mystery Ship - Partridge 1920
43. The Salving of the "Funi Yama" - Blackie 1920
44. Sea Scouts All - Blackie 1920
45. Sea Scouts Abroad - Blackie 1921
46. The Third Officer - Blackie 1921 *
47. Sea Scouts Up Channel - Blackie 1922
48. The Wireless Officer - Blackie 1922
49. The War of the Wireless Waves - Oxford University Press 1922
50. The Pirate Submarine - Nisbet 1923
51. A Cadet of the Mercantile Marine - Blackie 1923
52. Clipped Wings - Blackie 1923
53. The Mystery of Stockmere School - Partridge 1923
54. Sinclair's Luck - Partridge 1923
55. Captain Cane - Nisbet 1924
56. The Good Ship "Golden Effort" - Blackie 1924
57. The Treasure of the Sacred lake - Pearson 1924
58. Unconquered Wings - Blackie 1924
59. Clinton's Quest - Pearson 1925
60. East in the "Golden Gain" - Blackie 1925
61. The Boys of the "Puffin" - Partridge 1925
62. The Buccaneers of Boya - Blackie 1925
63. The Sea Scouts of the "Kestrel" - Seeley 1925
64. Annesley's Double - A.C.Black 1926
65. King of Kilba - Ward Lock 1926
66. The Luck of the "Golden Dawn" - Blackie 1926
67. The Riddle of the Air - Blackie 1926
68. Tireless Wings - Blackie 1926
69. The Terror of the Seas - Ward Lock 1927
70. Mystery Island - Oxford University Press 1927
71. Captain Blundell's Treasure - Blackie 1927
72. Chums of the "Golden Vanity" - Blackie 1927
73. In the Clutches of the Dyaks - Partridge 1927
74. The Junior Cadet - Blackie 1928
75. On the Wings of the Wind - Blackie 1928
76. A Shanghai Adventure - Blackie 1928
77. Pat Stobart in the "Golden Dawn"
78. Rivals of the Reef - Blackie 1929
79. Captain Starlight - Blackie 1929 *
80. Captain Sang - Blackie 1930
81. Leslie Dexter, Cadet - Blackie 1930
82. A Mystery of the Broads - Blackie 1930 *
83. The Secret of the Plateau - Blackie 1931
84. The Senior Cadet - Blackie 1931
85. In Defiance of the Ban - Blackie 1931
86. The Amir's Ruby - Blackie 1932
87. All Hands to the Boats - Blackie 1912
88. Captain Fosdyke's Gold - Blackie 1932
89. King for a Month - Blackie 1933
90. Rocks Ahead - Blackie 1933
91. The White Arab - Blackie 1933
92. The Disappearing Dhow - Blackie 1933 *
93. Chasing the Pleiad - Blackie 1933
94. Tales of the Sea (with others) - Blackie 1933
95. The Westow Talisman - Blackie 1934 *
96. Andy-All-Alone - Blackie 1934
97. The Black Hawk - Blackie 1934
98. Standish of the Air Police - Blackie 1935 *
99. Sleuths of the Air - Blackie 1935
100. On board the "Golden Effort" - Blackie1935
101. The Call of the Sea - Blackie 1935
102 The Red Pirate
103. Captain Flick - Blackie 1936 *
104. His First Ship - Blackie 1936
105. Midshipman Roxworthy - Blackie 1936
106. Ringed by Fire - Blackie 1936
107. Winged Might - Blackie 1937
108. Under Fire in Spain - Blackie 1937
109. The Last of the Buccaneers - Blackie 1937
110. Haunted Harbour - Blackie 1937
111. The Unfinished Voyage - Blackie 1937
112. Cadet Alan Carr - Blackie 1937
113. Midshipman Webb's Treasure - Blackie 1938
114. Standish Gets His Man - Blackie 1938
115. Sea Scouts Alert ! - Blackie 1939
116. Standish Looses his Man - Blackie 1939
117. In Eastern Seas - Blackie 1939
118. The Bulldog Breed - Blackie 1939
119. At Grips with the Swastika - Blackie 1940
120. Eagles' Talons - Blackie 1940
121. In Dangerous Waters - Blackie 1940
122. Standish Pulls it Off - Blackie 1940
123. When the Allies Swept the Seas - Blackie 1940 *
124. The War - and Alan Carr - Blackie 1940
125. War Cargo - Blackie 1941
126. Sea Scouts at Dunkirk - Blackie 1941
127. Standish Holds On - Blackie 1941
128. Fighting for Freedom - Blackie 1941
129. Alan Carr in the Near East - Blackie 1942
130. On Guard for England
131. Destroyer's Luck - Blackie 1942
132. Secret Flight - Blackie 1942
133. With the Commandos - Blackie 1943
134. Sub-Lieutenant John Cloche - Blackie 1943
135. Alan Carr in Command - Blackie 1943
136. Alan Carr in the Arctic - Blackie 1943
137. Combined Operation - Blackie 1944
138. Engaged the Enemy Closely - Blackie 1944
139. Secret Convoy - Blackie 1944
140. One of the Many - Blackie 1945
141. Operation Successfully Executed - Blackie 1945
142. By Luck and Pluck - Blackie 1946
143. Return to Base - Blackie 1946
144. Squadron Leader - Blackie 1946
145. Unfettered Might - Blackie 1947
146. Trapped in the Jungle - Blackie 1947
147. The Phantom Submarine - Blackie 1947
148. The "Golden Gleaner" - Blackie 1948
149. First Over - Blackie 1948
150. The Mystery of the Key - Blackie 1948
151. Missing, Believed Lost - Blackie 1949
152. Contraband - Blackie 1949
153. Beyond the Burma Road - Blackie 1949
154. Sarabinda Island - Blackie 1950
155. The Mystery of Nix Hall - Blackie 1950
156. By Sea and Air - Blackie 1950
157. Desolation Island - Balckie 1950
158. Held to Ransom - Balckie 1951
159. The Isle of Mystery - Blackie 1951
160. Working Their Passage - Blackie 1951
161. Sabotage ! - Blackie 1952
162. Round the World in the "Golden Gleaner" - 1952
163. Dangerous Cargo - Blackie 1952
164. Bob Strickland's Log - Blackie 1953
165. The Missing Diplomat - Blackie 1953
166. Rolling Down to Rio - Blackie 1953
167. Wrested from the Deep - Blackie 1954
168. A Midshipman of the Fleet - Blackie 1954
169. The Ju-Ju Hand - Blackie 1954
170. The Dark Secret 1955
171. Davantry's Quest - Blackie 1955
172. The Lure of the Lagoon - Blackie 1955
173. Held in the Frozen North - Blackie 1956
174. The Mystery of the Semiphone - Blackie 1957
175. Jack Craddock's Commission - Blackie 1958
176. Mistaken Identity - Blackie 1959

Obituary - Percy F Westerman

2009-02-20T23:00:00.007Z

The launch of this blog coincides with the 50th anniversary of the death of Percy Westerman who passed away on February 22, 1959

The Times

Obituary

Mr. Percy. F.Westerman

Adventure Tales for Boys

Mr. Percy. F. Westerman, a popular writer of books for boys, has died at the age of 82.

He was born in Portsmouth in 1876 and educated at Portsmouth Grammar School. The sea attracted him from his earliest days and by the age of 20 he had taken up a promising clerical appointment in Portsmouth Dockyard.

He married Florence Wager of Portsmouth in 1900 and though he had written briefly on nautical topics in his twenties his first book for boys entitled A Lad of Grit was not published until 1908. This was written under the stimulus of Scouting which Baden-Powell founded in the same year after an experimental camp at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour in 1907. Westerman was greatly attracted to the idea of Scouting on the water and became keenly interested in Sea Scouting.

His early books, which stressed adventure and the open-air life both on land and sea, were so successful that Westerman resigned his Admiralty appointment in 1911 to devote himself to full time writing for boys. For many years he lived on board a houseboat on the River Frome at Wareham in Dorset, but a fall when he was 70 made him reluctantly, take to dry land.

In the First World War he was for a time employed on coastal duties with the Royal Navy, but later held a commission, like Captain W. E. Johns in the Royal Flying Corps and found flying as full of adventure as boating and sailing.

In the Second World War he did valuable work for the Home Guard in Dorset, while his nautical figure and peaked yachting cap made him a well-known personality in his spare time among the boys of the county.

Of his service in the two wars he once wrote to Blackie "neither appointment seriously interfered with my literary output".

His last book will be published in May by Blackie & Son who have been his publisher since Lad o' Grit appeared in 1908. He wrote in all 170 books and his total sales at death were 1,599,000. He had one book published in each of the last three years, and before then his output varied from tree to five books a year.

In post war years Percy Westerman became something of a recluse and was rarely, if ever seen in London. But his work never faltered and remained of a high quality. He never ceased to give his readers real life heroes who revelled in danger and high adventure, usually in the Services or Sea Scouting. His books had been translated into over half a dozen European languages and also into Braille.

The Times
Wednesday 25 February, 1959.

The Secret Battleplane

2009-02-20T11:46:00.005Z

Current read:

Author: Percy F Westerman

Illustrator: Ernest Prater

Publisher: S W Partridge & Co Ltd.

Cover illustration: "Blake released his grip of the rough and ready dart"

Chracters: Dick Tracey, Athol Hawke and Desmond Blake

Time and date of story: March 1916

Locations: Shrewsbury, Wyle Cop, English Bridge, Church Stretton, Wenlock Edge, Ludlow and Birmingham.

Percy Westerman - Book List

2009-02-20T10:13:00.025Z

Book List

Percy. F. Westerman

1. A Lad of Grit - Blackie and Son Limited: 1908
2. The Winning of Golden Spurs - Nisbet 1911
3. The Young Cavalier - Pearson 1911
4. The Quest of the Golden Hope - Blackie and Son Limited: 1911
5. The Flying Submarine - Nisbet 1912
6. Captured at Tripoli - Blackie and Son Limited: 1912
7. The Sea Monarch - A.C.Black 1912
8. The Scouts of Seal Island - A.C.Black 1913
9. The Rival Submarines - Partridge 1913
10. The Stolen Cruiser - Jarrolds 1913
11. When East Meets West - Blackie and Son Limited: 1913
12. Under King Henry's Banners - Pilgrim Press 1913
13. The Sea-Girt Fortress - Blackie and Son Limited: 1914
14. Sea Scouts of Petrel - A.C.Black 1914
15. The Log of a Snob - Chapman and Hall 1914
16. 'Gainst the Might of Spain - Pillgrim Press 1914
17. Building the Empire - Jarrolds 1914
18. The Dreadnought of the Air - Partridge 1914
19. The Dispatch-Riders - Blackie and Son Limited: 1915
20. The Nameless Island - Pearson 1915
21. The Fight for Constantinople - Blackie and Son Limited: 1915
22. A Sub. of the R.N.R. - Partridge 1915
23. Rounding up the Raider - Blackie andSon Limited 1916
24. The Secret Battleplane - Blackie 1916
25. The Treasures of the "San Philipo" Religious Tract Society *
26. A Watch-dog of the North Sea - Partridge 1916
27. Deeds of Pluck and Daring in the Great War - Blackie 1916
28. To the Fore with the Tanks! - Blackie 1917
29. Under the White Ensign - Blackie 1917
30. The Fritz-Strafers - Partridge 1917
(Keepers of the Narrow Seas)
31. Billy Barcroft R.N.A.S. - Partridge 1918
32. A Lively Bit of the Front - Blackie 1918
33. The Secret Channel and Other Stories - A.C.Black 1918
34. The Submarine Hunters - Blackie 1918
35. A Sub. and a Submarine Blackie 1918
36. With Beauty off Jutland - Blackie 1918
37. Wilmshurst of the Frontier Force - Partridge 1919
38. Winning his Wings - Blackie 1919
39. The Thick of the Frey at Zeebrugge - Blackie 1919 *
40. 'Midst Artic Perils - Pearson 1919
41. The Airship "Golden Hind" - Partridge 1919 *
42. The Mystery Ship - Partridge 1920
43. The Salving of the "Funi Yama" - Blackie 1920
44. Sea Scouts All - Blackie 1920
45. Sea Scouts Abroad - Blackie 1921
46. The Third Officer - Blackie 1921 *
47. Sea Scouts Up Channel - Blackie 1922
48. The Wireless Officer - Blackie 1922
49. The War of the Wireless Waves - Oxford University Press 1922
50. The Private Submarine - Nisbet 1923
51. A Cadet of the Mercantile Marine - Blackie 1923
52. Clipped Wings - Blackie 1923
53. The Mystery of Stockmere School - Partridge 1923
54. Sinclair's Luck - Partridge 1923
55. Captain Cain - Nisbet 1924
56. The Good Ship "Golden Effort" - Blackie 1924
57. The Treasure of the Sacred lake - Pearson 1924
58. Unconquered Wings - Blackie 1924
59. Clinton's Quest - Pearson 1925
60. East in the "Golden Gain" - Blackie 1925
61. The Boys of the "Puffin" - Partridge 1925
62. The Buccaneers of Boya - Blackie 1925
63. The Sea Scouts of the "Kestrel" - Seeley 1925
64. Annesley's Double - A.C.Black 1926
65. King of Kilba - Ward Lock 1926
66. The Luck of the "Golden Dawn" - Blackie 1926
67. The Riddle of the Air - Blackie 1926
68. Tireless Wings - Blackie 1926
69. The Terror of the Seas - Ward Lock 1927
70. Mystery Island - Oxford University Press 1927
71. Captain Blundell's Treasure - Blackie 1927
72. Chums of the "Golden Vanity" - Blackie 1927
73. In the Clutches of the Dyaks - Partridge 1927
74. The Junior Cadet - Blackie 1928
75. On the Wings of the Wind - Blackie 1928
76. A Shanghai Adventure - Blackie 1928
77. Pat Stobart in the "Golden Dawn"
78. Rivals of the Reef - Blackie 1929
79. Captain Starlight - Blackie 1929 *
80. Captain Song - Blackie 1930
81. Leslie Dexter, Cadet - Blackie 1930
82. A Mystery of the Broads - Blackie 1930 *
83. The Secret of the Plateau - Blackie 1931
84. The Senior Cadet - Blackie 1931
85. In Defiance of the Ban - Blackie 1931
86. The Amir's Ruby - Blackie 1932
87. All Hands to the Boats - Blackie 1912
88. Captain Fosdyke's Gold - Blackie 1932
89. King for a Month - Blackie 1933
90. Rocks Ahead - Blackie 1933
91. The White Arab - Blackie 1933
92. The Disappearing Dhow - Blackie 1933 *
93. Chasing the Pleiad - Blackie 1933
94. Tales of the Sea - Blackie 1933
95. The Westow Talisman - Blackie 1934 *
96. Andy-All-Alone - Blackie 1934
97. The Black Hawk - Blackie 1934
98. Standish of the Air Police - Blackie 1935 *
99. Sleuths of the Air - Blackie 1935
100. On board the "Golden Effort" - Blackie1935
101. The Call of the Sea - Blackie 1935
102. Captain Flick - Blackie 1936 *
103. His First Ship - Blackie 1936
104. Midshipman Raxworthy - Blackie 1936
105. Ringed by Fire - Blackie 1936
106. Winged Might - Blackie 1937
107. Under Fire in Spain - Blackie 1937
108. The Last of the Buccaneers - Blackie 1937
109. Haunted Harbour - Blackie 1937
110. The Unfinished Voyage - Blackie 1937
111. Cadet Alan Carr - Blackie 1937
112. Midshipman Webb's Treasure - Blackie 1938
113. Standish Gets His Man - Blackie 1938
114. Sea Scouts Alert ! - Blackie 1939
115. Standish Looses his Man - Blackie 1939
116. In Eastern Seas - Blackie 1939
117. The Bulldog Breed - Blackie 1939
118. At Grips with the Swastika - Blackie 1940
119. Eagles' Talons - Blackie 1940
120. In Dangerous Waters - Blackie 1940
121. Standish Pulls it Off - Blackie 1940
122. When the Allies Swept the Seas - Blackie 1940 *
123. The War - and Alan Carr - Blackie 1940
124. War Cargo - Blackie 1941
125. Sea Scouts at Dunkirk - Blackie 1941
126. Standish Holds On - Blackie 1941
127. Fighting for Freedom - Blackie 1941
128. Alan Carr in the Near East - Blackie 1942
129. Destroyer's Luck - Blackie 1942
130. On Guard for England - Blackie 1942
131. Secret Flight - Blackie 1942
132. With the Commandos - Blackie 1943
133. Sub-Lieutenant John Cloche - Blackie 1943
134. Alan Carr in Command - Blackie 1943
135. Alan Carr in the Arctic - Blackie 1943
136. Combined Operation - Blackie 1944
137. Engaged the Enemy Closely - Blackie 1944
138. Secret Convoy - Blackie 1944
139. One of the Many - Blackie 1945
140. Operation Successfully Executed - Blackie 1945
141 By Luck and Pluck - Blackie 1946
142. Return to Base - Blackie 1946
143. Squadron Leader - Blackie 1946
144. Unfettered Might - Blackie 1947
145. Trapped in the Jungle - Blackie 1947
146. The Phantom Submarine - Blackie 1947
147. The "Golden Gleaner" - Blackie 1948
148. First Over - Blackie 1948
149. Mystery of the Key - Blackie 1948
150. Missing, Believed Lost - Blackie 1949
151. Contraband - Blackie 1949
152. Beyond the Burma Road - Blackie 1949
153. Sarabinda Island - Blackie 1950
154. Mystery of Nix Hall - Blackie 1950
155. By Sea and Air - Blackie 1950
156. Desolation Island - Balckie 1950
157. Held to Ransom - Balckie 1951
158. The Isle of Mystery - Blackie 1951
159. Working Their Passage - Blackie 1951
160. Sabotage ! - Blackie 1952
161. Round the World in the "Golden Gleaner" - 1952
162. Dangerous Cargo - Blackie 1952
163. Bob Strickland's Log - Blackie 1953
164. The Missing Diplomat - Blackie 1953
165. Rolling Down to Rio - Blackie 1953
166. Wrested from the Deep - Blackie 1954
167. A Midshipman of the Fleet - Blackie 1954
168. The Ju-Ju Hand - Blackie 1954
169. The Dark Secret 1955
170. Davantry's Quest - Blackie 1955
171. The Lure of the Lagoon - Blackie 1955
172. Held in the Frozen North - Blackie 1956
173. The Mystery of the Sempione - Blackie 1957
174. Jack Craddock's Commission - Blackie 1958
175. Mistaken Identity - Blackie 1959

Portsmouth Novelists (publication)

2009-02-20T10:13:00.017Z

A publication in the Portsmouth Papers series titled 'Portsmouth Novelists (74) by David Francis contains a biographical entry on Percy Westerman as well as many other authors linked to Portsmouth including Arther Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Neville Shute.

The book can be purchased from Portsmouth City Museum and costs £3.75 inc. postage.

Follow the link below.

http://www.portsmouthmuseumsshop.co.uk/acatalog/74_Portsmouth_Novelists.html

John F C Westerman - Book List

2009-02-20T10:13:00.011Z

Book List

John. F. C. Westerman

1. The Antarctic Treasure - Oxford University Press, London 1929
2. The Gold Consignment - Oxford University Press, London 1930
3. Bringing Down the Air Pirate - Ward, Lock & Co. 1930
4. A Mystery of the Air - Oxford University Press, London 1931
5. Peter Garner, Cadet - Ward, Lock & Co London & Melbourne 1931.
6. Fortune Island - Nisbet & Co. London 1932
7. King Solomon's Treasure - Oxford University Press, London 1932
8. The Looted Gold - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1932
9. Treasure Chest Island - Oxford University Press, London 1932
10. The Power Projector - Oxford University Press, London 1933
11. On Secret Service - Nisbet & Co. London 1933
12. Peter Garner's Luck - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1934
13. The Ocean Bandits - Oxford University Press, London 1934
14. The Aero-Contract - Oxford University Press, London 1935
15. The Terror of the Noiseless Sound - Ward, Lock and Co. London & Melbourne 1935
16. The Shanghaied Stowaway - Hutchinson & Co. London 1935
17. The Soten Monoplane - Oxford University Press, London 1936
18. The Secret Island - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1936
19. The Air Record Breakers - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1937
20. The Invisible Plane - Oxford University Press, London 1937
21. Battling Through - Ward, Lock & Co. London 1938
22. Menace from the Air - Oxford University Press, London 1938
23. John Wentley Takes Charge - Collins, London & Glasgow 1938
24. John Wentley Investigates - Collins, London & Glasgow 1939
25. Overdue - Oxford University Press, London 1939
26. The Northway's Quest - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1939
27. A Spot of Bother - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1940
28. John Wentley Wins Through - Collins, London & Glasgow 1940
29. The Counter-Stroke - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1946
30. Twelve Months to Win - Ward, Lock & Co. London & Melbourne 1953

Art at the Centre - Pete Codling (Artist)

2009-02-20T08:27:00.008Z

These are images of a Portsmouth city centre redevelopment arts project (2003 -2005), The public arts instalation can be found in Arnudel Street, near Commercial Road, Portsmouth. Designed by the artist, Pete Codling, the work celebrates the literary heritage of Portsmouth and includes a line from 'The Young Cavilier' by Percy F Westerman.

"We lost no time in taking our departure for already my quick ear detected the sound of approahing horses along the distant Portsmouth road".

Please visit Pete Codlings web site to see some of the other brilliant arts projects he has delievered.

http://www.petecodling.co.uk/