Percy F. Westerman facts for kids

Percy Francis Westerman (born 1876 – died 1959) was a super busy writer who wrote many adventure books for kids. His stories often had exciting military and naval themes, meaning they were about armies and navies!

About Percy Westerman

Percy Westerman was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1876. He went to Portsmouth Grammar School. When he was twenty, he started working at Portsmouth Dockyard. In 1900, he married Florence Wager. They both loved sailing and even spent part of their honeymoon sailing in the Solent! Their son, John F.C. Westerman, born in 1901, also grew up to write adventure books for boys.

When Percy was 70, he had a fall and had to move from his houseboat to live on land. But that didn't stop him from writing! He kept writing a lot. He passed away when he was 82 years old. His very last book, Mistaken Identity, was published after he died in 1959.

How He Became a Writer

Percy Westerman's writing journey supposedly started with a fun bet. He was reading a story to his son, who was sick with chickenpox. Percy told his wife he could write a better story, and they made a sixpence bet!

His first book for boys was called A Lad of Grit. It came out in 1908. That same year, Baden-Powell started the Scouting movement. This movement really inspired many of Westerman's books. He was a big fan of the Sea Scouts.

He published three more successful books in 1911. They did so well that he quit his job that year to become a full-time author! He lived on a houseboat. It was a old Thames barge that he had changed into a home. He lived on the River Frome in Wareham, Dorset. This is where he wrote most of his amazing books.

His Books: Flying Submarines and More

One of his early books, The Flying Submarine (published in 1912), gives you a good idea of his style. This adventure novel for boys was about a mysterious inventor from South America. He discovered a new, super-light gas he called "helia." This gas was much lighter than helium or hydrogen. He used helia for many cool inventions. These included backpacks that let people float or fly, and an amazing submarine that could fly when enough helia was used! He even used his flying submarine to win a war for his country.

Percy Westerman likely got the idea for this super-weapon from Jules Verne's books. Verne wrote about a super-fast boat, submarine, car, or plane called the Terror.

Westerman During the Wars

During the First World War, Percy Westerman first worked for the Royal Navy on coastal duties. In 1918, he became an officer in the Royal Flying Corps. He taught people how to navigate planes. During the Second World War, he led a group of the British Home Guard in Dorset. He told his publisher that his service in both wars "neither appointment seriously interfered with my literary output." This means he kept writing a lot even while serving!

In the 1930s, Percy Westerman was voted the most popular author of stories for boys. His books sold over 1.5 million copies during his lifetime! He published at least 174 books with many different companies.

A Look at Some of His Books

Percy Westerman wrote a huge number of books. Here are just a few examples of his many exciting titles:

• A Lad of Grit (1908)
• The Flying Submarine (1912)
• The Sea Monarch (1912)
• The Scouts of Seal Island (1913)
• The Dreadnought of the Air (1914)
• The Fight for Constantinople (1915)
• The Secret Battleplane (1916)
• Winning his Wings (1919)
• The Airship "Golden Hind" (1920)
• Sea Scouts All (1920)
• The Pirate Submarine (1923)
• The Treasure of the Sacred Lake (1924)
• King of Kilba (1926)
• The Terror of the Seas (1927)
• The Last of the Buccaneers (1937)
• At Grips with the Swastika (1940)
• Sea Scouts at Dunkirk (1941)
• With the Commandos (1943)
• The Phantom Submarine (1947)
• Sabotage! (1952)
• Mistaken Identity (1959)

Book Series

One of his publishers, S. W. Partridge, included Westerman in a special collection called 'The Great Adventure Series'.

Images for kids

Pictures from Westerman's First Book

These pictures were drawn by Edward S. Hodgson for A Lad of Grit: A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea in Restoration Times (1908). This was Percy Westerman's first book. Edward S. Hodgson illustrated seventeen of his books! These images are shared thanks to Project Gutenberg.

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Pictures from a World War I Story

These pictures were drawn by Edward S. Hodgson for Winning his Wings: A story of the R. A. F. (1920) by Westerman. This is another story by Westerman that takes place during the First World War. Edward S. Hodgson illustrated this book too. These images are shared thanks to Project Gutenberg.

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