Harry Heron: Midshipman's Journey

When young Harry Nelson Heron sets out to become a naval officer with his boyhood friend and companion, Ferghal O'Connor, neither of them can imagine what lays in store. Born in a troubled Ireland in 1789, Harry is the youngest son of Major James Heron, now a gentleman farmer in County Down, his road to London and, he hopes, a ship, is filled with adventure, but it's a good preparation for life as a junior midshipman first aboard the newly repaired HMS Bellerophon, and then aboard the 74-gun HMS Spartan as she voyages to Australia with a convoy of convict ships. 

In the vein of Horatio Hornblower, Patrick Cox weaves an exciting, authentic tale of Henry (Harry) Nelson-Heron, a young midshipman in the British Navy in the early 1800s. Born in 1789 during the Irish Rebellion, Harry must overcome the prejudice against the Irish, the ancient enmity between his family and another, and the usual hazards of an active and inquisitive youth in order to realise his dream of becoming an officer in Britain’s Royal Navy. When he and his faithful friend and companion Ferghal make the treacherous journey to London to find a ship, fate smiles on them for now — but has other intentions for their future. A future beyond their imaginations.