English poet laureate. He was the third of six children of George Edward and Caroline Louise. After both parents died prematurely, his mother in 1885 and his father in 1891, parenting skills passed to an uncle and aunt. Trained as an officer in the merchant marine, he suffered a disastrous maiden voyage to Chile at age 15, returning to England physically depleted. His aunt demanded he remain in the service, insisting he sail to America. Upon arrival there, he resigned and found work both as a barman and in a carpet factory. Back in England by 1897, his previous time at sea provided fodder for his initial foray into poetry, such as "Salt-Water Ballads," "Sea Fever," and "Cargoes." The rise and fall of tall ships as depicted in "The Wanderer" introduced his reoccurring theme of failed endeavors. Encouraged by W.B. Yeats, he became a full time writer in 1901. He wed Constance de la Cherois Crommelin in 1903 in London. The marriage produced a daughter, Judith and a son Lewis, who was killed in action in 1942. In 1913, with the publication of "Dauber" he returned to his maritime experience for inspiration. At the start of World War I, he joined the British Red Cross and was posted at a hospital in France. After completing his first lecture tour in the US, he wrote "Gallipoli" about the Allied effort in the Dardanelles, a haunting look into the life of a common soldier. His most popular poem "Reynard the Fox" was published in 1919. Mansfield also tried his hand at play writing but his efforts never met with the success that his prose garnered. Beginning in 1924, he began to publish novels, "Lost Endeavour", "The Bird of Dawning" and "Dead Ned," being the most vivid of his twelve books. He continued speaking engagements and added two autobiographies to his list of publications. By the end of his life, his "Collected Poems" had sold over 200,000 copies, only one of his fifty volumes of poetry. He served as president of the Society of Authors and the National Book League and received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale and the University of Oxford. Poet Laureate from 1930 to his death in 1967, only Alfred, Lord Tennyson held the office longer. His wife died in 1960 and in 1967, Mansfield died of gangrene. His cremated ashes were placed in Poets' Corner. It was discovered later, that he had wanted his ashes to be scattered anonymously. "I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. " from "Sea Fever."