Alan Villiers
| Alan Villiers | |
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Alan Villiers aboard the Grace Harwar in 1929
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| Born | Alan John Villiers 23 September 1903 Melbourne, Victoria |
| Died | 3 March 1982 (aged 78) Oxford, Oxfordshire |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Notable works | Whalers of the Midnight Sun |
| Notable awards | Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers 1950 |
| Years active | 1928-1965 |
Alan John Villiers (23 September 1903 – 3 March 1982) was an author, adventurer, photographer and mariner.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Villiers first went to sea at age 15 and sailed on board traditionally rigged vessels, including the full-rigged ship Joseph Conrad. He commanded square-rigged ships for films, including Moby Dick and Billy Budd. He also commanded the Mayflower II on its voyage from the United Kingdom to the United States.
Villiers wrote 44 books, and served as the Chairman of the Society for Nautical Research, a Trustee of the National Maritime Museum, and Governor of the Cutty Sark Preservation Society. He was awarded the British Distinguished Service Cross as a Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve during the Second World War.
Alan John Villiers was the second son of Australian poet and union leader Leon Joseph Villiers. The young Villiers grew up on the docks watching the merchant ships come in and out of the Port of Melbourne and longed for the day on which he too could sail out to sea.
Leaving home at the age of 15, he joined the barque Rothesay Bay as an apprentice. The Rothesay Bay operated in the Tasman Sea, trading between Australia and New Zealand. Villiers was a natural seaman. He learned quickly and gained the respect of his shipmates.
An accident on board the barque Lawhill beached Villiers in 1922, by then a seasoned Able seaman. He sought employment as a journalist at the Hobart Mercury newspaper in Tasmania while he recovered from his wounds.
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