David_Bone
David Bone
Commodore and author (1874–1959)
Sir David William Bone CBE (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 VI in 1937 for his long association with the Merchant Navy.[3] He was appointed a CBE in 1943 and awarded a knighthood in 1946.[3][9]
Bone was born in Abbotsford Place in Glasgow, Scotland.[5] His father, David Drummond Bone (1841–1911) was a prominent newspaper publisher in Glasgow[10] 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, including Merchantmen-at-Arms.[11][3] Bone studied at Partick Academy.[3]
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] Bone captained the SS Tuscania from New York on its first trip to Glasgow.[12] Merchantman Rearmed describes his experiences during World War II, including the Allied invasion of Sicily.[13]
