Ironbridge coracle man Harry remembered by Shropshire author

Harry died in 1967 at the age of 79. He was part of the Rogers dynasty, the last of the traditional coracle builders on the Severn. When his son Eustace died in 2003, it marked the end of an era.

hen Edwin Sayers first took up writing seriously and began looking for inspiration for a children's adventure story, his thoughts wandered back to his childhood.

"When I was 14 I met Harry Rogers, the coracle man of Ironbridge," said Mr Sayers, 85, of Ronhill Lane, Cleobury Mortimer.

"We were repairing a cottage at Buildwas Park and Harry would stop by at lunchtime for a cup of tea and tell of his life on the river. He painted such vivid pictures.

"I imagined the most wonderful adventures and it is to these adolescent daydreams that I have returned for my story 'The Coracle Boy'."

He added: "I enjoyed every moment I spent writing the book. I was a boy again."

The Coracle Boy features a boy called Harry who uses his knowledge of the rivers and forests when his home town comes under attack.

That was his first published book, and it came out in 2011. But there were some respects in which The Coracle Boy was, so to speak, not entirely watertight.

And now a new version of the book has been launched, putting right some of the little faults.

"It has been proof-read and edited since my first attempt, which received two five-star reviews from Amazon, even with so many mistakes, which were mostly punctuation," said Mr Sayers.

"I have written a sequel in which Meg, Harry's sister, joins him on his adventures up the rivers and into the mountains. This will be published in a few weeks' time.

"There is also a third story in the Coracle Boy series near completion, and an adult adventure novel set in the 1970s is with the proof reader. So I've been busy – and it keeps me out of mischief."

* The new edition of The Coracle Boy was published this month by DreamStar Books. It is paperback and costs £7.99.