Jack Llewelyn Davies
| Jack Llewelyn Davies | |
|---|---|
Davies in naval uniform in 1914 at age 20
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| Born |
11 September 1894 London |
| Died | 17 September 1959 (aged 65) |
| Known for | foster son of J. M. Barrie |
John "Jack" Llewelyn Davies (11 September 1894 – 17 September 1959) was the second eldest of the Llewelyn Davies boys befriended by Peter Pan creator J. M. Barrie, and one of the inspirations for the boy characters in the story of Peter Pan. He served in the Royal Navy during World War I. He was the first cousin of the English writer Daphne du Maurier.
Davies and his elder brother George first met the writer on their regular outings in Kensington Gardens with their nurse Mary Hodgson and infant brother Peter in 1897. They took part in play adventures with Barrie which provided much of the inspiration for the adventures in the 1904 stage play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Shortly before writing the play, Barrie created a photo book titled The Boy Castaways, featuring the three oldest brothers pretending to be shipwrecked on an island and fighting pirates, themes that later appeared in the Peter Pan story. The character of John Darling, the older of Wendy's brothers, was named after him.
In 1906 Davies was recommended by Barrie to Captain Robert F. Scott for a position at Osborne Naval College, unlike his brothers, who all attended Eton College. Following the deaths of his parents Arthur (1907) and Sylvia (1910), Barrie became the main guardian of the five boys, supporting them financially. He reportedly harboured some resentment of Barrie, at times believing the writer was trying to take his father's place (especially after his father died). He was not as close to the writer as were his brothers, especially George and Michael.
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