Peter Francis Burniston was born in Kenya and lived most of his young life in Africa other than when at boarding school in England. After school he grew tea in Malawi, but in his late twenties he left Africa and via Canada ended up farming in Devon, where he got married and raised his family. With its green fields, wooded valleys, flowing rivers and rich maritime history, his adopted home inspired The Adventures of Ratleigh, which he wrote for his young children.
