The Real Peter Pan (42 page)
Read The Real Peter Pan Online
Authors: Piers Dudgeon
Kenneth Grahame’s son, Alastair, who was close to Rupert Buxton before Michael met him. He committed suicide by lying across the railway line in Oxford.
Michael’s close friend with the film star looks, Rupert Buxton – the boy with whom he drowned in Sandford Pool.
Eilean Shona: ‘Superb as is the scene from the door,’ wrote Barrie, ‘Michael, who has already been to the top of things, says it’s nought to what is revealed there.’
Barrie (standing), Michael, and Roger Senhouse (right) at Shona. At first, Barrie’s desperate attempts to bring Michael back on side looked doomed to fail.
The view west from Shona across the Western Isles. Here Michael wrote his last two poems.
Michael in a boat off Shona, preparing to break free from Barrie. It was a struggle he would not win.
Sandford Pool, Oxford: ‘The pool under Sandford lasher, just behind the lock, is a very good place to drown yourself in.’ – Jerome K. Jerome.
Barrie after learning of Michael’s death. Rupert and Michael ‘were either wildly gay or very serious as they walked together to Sandford’, he wrote.
First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
The Robson Press (an imprint of Biteback Publishing)
Westminster Tower
3 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7SP
Copyright © Piers Dudgeon 2015
Piers Dudgeon has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the publisher’s prior permission in writing.
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Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them.
ISBN 978-1-84954-925-7
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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