Just before his mother's death, Davies became an officer in the
Royal Navy, after attending the
Royal Naval College at Osborne. As a regular naval officer he served in the North Atlantic during
World War I. His brother George was killed in action on the
Western Front in 1915. His brother Michael drowned in an apparent accident in 1921. His brothers Peter and
Nico (the youngest) outlived him. He married 19-year-old Geraldine "Gerrie" Gibb in 1917, without first asking permission of Barrie, who only grudgingly approved of the relationship. Nonetheless, Barrie gave the couple charge of the Davies family house, where Michael and Nico still lived during school holidays, in the care of Mary Hodgson. Friction between Gerrie and Hodgson led to the elder woman's resignation. The couple had two children: Timothy (1921–1965) and Sylvia Jocelyn (named after Davies's mother, but always known as Jane) (1924–1969). Davies was appointed to the naval rank of
lieutenant commander in 1924. Upon retirement from the Royal Navy, he and Gerrie moved to a cottage in
St Endellion, Northern Cornwall. During the late 1940s, his brother Peter, a publisher, consulted with him regarding details of a family history informally titled "The Morgue". Davies died on 17 September 1959 at the age of 65 from lung disease; his brother Peter committed suicide about seven months later. ==Portrayals==