Literary Figure. Michael Llewelyn Davies was the fourth of the five Llewelyn Davies brothers, whom the playwright, J.M. Barrie based the Darling family in his 1904 masterpiece play, "Peter Pan." After the death of the brothers' parents from cancer within three years, Barrie had become the guardian of the brothers by 1910. He was a student at Christ Church at Oxford University, when he and student colleague Rupert Buxton decided to go for a swim. Buxton was known to be an excellent swimmer, but Llewelyn Davies was considered a fair swimmer at best. The two went to Sandford Lasher, which is located above the lock at Sandford-on-Thames, adjoining the island known as Fidler's Elbow. The river's water appears to be calm on the surface, but the deep water reveals a strong current that can easily overcome any swimmer. An obelisk memorial had been erected at the site honoring two Christ Church students who had drowned at the site in 1843. Through the years, six other students had drowned at this site since 1843 and their names were added to the memorial. Llewelyn Davies and Buxton met the same fate, drowning in 1921. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain a mystery. The coroner's report stated accidental death for both. Later, their names were also added to the obelisk memorial. He was a first cousin of the author, Daphne du Maurier. "Peter Pan" became a 1911 novel and continued into films, with the first being a silent film in 1924. The play "Peter Pan" is still a favorite in the 21st century with a successful 2015 Broadway production of "Finding Neverland." His name is also listed on his parents' upright marker, along with his own marker.
Literary Figure. Michael Llewelyn Davies was the fourth of the five Llewelyn Davies brothers, whom the playwright, J.M. Barrie based the Darling family in his 1904 masterpiece play, "Peter Pan." After the death of the brothers' parents from cancer within three years, Barrie had become the guardian of the brothers by 1910. He was a student at Christ Church at Oxford University, when he and student colleague Rupert Buxton decided to go for a swim. Buxton was known to be an excellent swimmer, but Llewelyn Davies was considered a fair swimmer at best. The two went to Sandford Lasher, which is located above the lock at Sandford-on-Thames, adjoining the island known as Fidler's Elbow. The river's water appears to be calm on the surface, but the deep water reveals a strong current that can easily overcome any swimmer. An obelisk memorial had been erected at the site honoring two Christ Church students who had drowned at the site in 1843. Through the years, six other students had drowned at this site since 1843 and their names were added to the memorial. Llewelyn Davies and Buxton met the same fate, drowning in 1921. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain a mystery. The coroner's report stated accidental death for both. Later, their names were also added to the obelisk memorial. He was a first cousin of the author, Daphne du Maurier. "Peter Pan" became a 1911 novel and continued into films, with the first being a silent film in 1924. The play "Peter Pan" is still a favorite in the 21st century with a successful 2015 Broadway production of "Finding Neverland." His name is also listed on his parents' upright marker, along with his own marker.
Bio by: David Conway
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