Masefield, John: - John Edward Masefield was an English poet and writer who served as Poet Laureate from 1930 to 1967. Among his best-known works are the children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, as well as the poems "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever". Masefield was born in Ledbury, Herefordshire, to solicitor George Masefield and wife Caroline. He was baptized in Preston Cross Church, located just outside of Ledbury. When Masefield was six years old, his mother died while giving birth to his sister, so he moved in with his aunt. His father died soon after from a mental breakdown. After an unsatisfactory schooling at the King's School in Warwick, where he boarded from 1888 to 1891, he departed to board HMS Conway, both to prepare for a life at sea and to overcome his reading addiction, which his aunt thought little of. He spent several years on this ship and discovered that he could spend a lot of his time reading and writing. Masefield developed a passion for storytelling while onboard the Conway. While on the ship, he listened to stories about maritime lore, read more, and decided that he wanted to be a writer and storyteller. Masefield describes life on the Conway in his novel New Chum.