John Llewelyn Davies (11 September 1894 – 17 September 1959) was the second eldest of the

Llewelyn Davies boys The Davies boys were the inspiration for the stories of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, in which several of the characters were named after them. They were the sons of Sylvia (1866–1910) and Arthur Llewelyn Davies (1863–1907). Their mother w ...

, who were befriended by

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

creator

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, and one of the inspirations for the boy characters in the story of

. He served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Additionally, he was the first cousin of the English writer

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

Childhood

Davies and his elder brother George first met writer J. M. Barrie on their regular outings in

Kensington Gardens Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Pa ...

with their nurse Mary Hodgson and infant brother

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

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 ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'', often known simply as ''Peter Pan'', is a work by J. M. Barrie, in the form of a 1904 play and a 1911 novel titled ''Peter and Wendy''. Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievou ...

''. 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 Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. Following the deaths of his parents

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

(1907) and Sylvia (1910), Barrie became the main guardian of the five boys, supporting them financially. Jack reportedly harboured some resentment towards 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 Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

.Birkin, Andrew, ''J. M. Barrie and the Lost Boys''.

Adulthood

Just before his mother's death, Davies became an officer in the

, after attending the

Royal Naval College Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

at Osborne. As a regular naval officer he served in the North Atlantic during

. His brother George was killed in action on the Western Front in 1915. His brother Michael drowned in an apparent accident in 1921. His brothers Peter and

Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...

(the youngest) outlived him. He married 19-year-old Geraldine "Gerrie" Gibb in 1917, without first asking permission of Barrie, who only grudgingly approved of the relationship. Nonetheless, Barrie gave the couple charge of the Davies family house, where Michael and Nico still lived during school holidays, in the care of Mary Hodgson. Friction between Gerrie and Hodgson led to the elder woman's resignation. The couple had two children: Timothy (1921–1965) and Sylvia Jocelyn (named after Davies's mother, but always known as Jane) (1924–1969). Davies was appointed to the naval rank of lieutenant commander in 1924. Upon retirement from the Royal Navy, he and Gerrie moved to a cottage in

St Endellion St Endellion () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet and parish church are situated four miles (6.5 km) north of Wadebridge. The parish takes its name from Saint Ende ...

, Northern Cornwall. During the late 1940s, his brother Peter, a publisher, consulted with him regarding details of a family history informally titled "The Morgue". Davies died on 17 September 1959 at the age of 65 from lung disease; his brother Peter committed suicide about seven months later.

Portrayals

In the 1978

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

''The Lost Boys'', he was portrayed at various ages by Nicholas Borton,

Guy Hewitt Guy Arlington Kenneth Hewitt (born November 1967) is a Barbadian British Anglican priest, racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion advocate, and specialist in social policy and development. He held the ambassadorial appointment of H ...

, David Wilson, and Osmund Bullock. In the 2004 film '' Finding Neverland'', he was portrayed as a child by Joe Prospero.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Jack 1894 births 1959 deaths Jack People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne Royal Navy personnel of World War I Royal Navy officers Du Maurier family Military personnel from London