Published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1938. There is no information in their archive about the size of the edition. This book was the only one that Canning wrote as "Julian Forest". According to his sister Jean, he picked the name because his address at the time was Forest Farm. Three of his books appeared in the year 1938, one for each of the names he wrote under.
The setting is "Wearemouth", a fictional Plymouth. We are introduced to five children, Peter Chadcombe, son of the chief constable, Francis Jago, son of the local barber, who unlike his father hankers for a seafaring life, Vera Anstey, daughter of the widow Anstey who runs a sweetshop, Jean Lucas, and John Warren. On a walk to the cinema the children pass a local landmark, the Wooden Angel, made from a ship's figurehead and stand holding hands, making a wish. The rest of the book follows their careers to see how far the wishes come true. They marry and separate, take up careers and get involved in smuggling. We also follow the animosity between a local tearaway called Bill Avery and the chief constable, which culminates in Avery setting fire to to the Chadcombe house and the death of Mrs Chadcombe.
This is one of the best of the early Canning novels, and it is a shame that it seems to have vanished almost completely.