Royal Mail workers have been urged to look out for an idealistic grammar school boy who vanished after reading George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London.
Arthur Heeler-Frood, 15, disappeared from his home in rural Devon more than two months ago, leaving his parents a letter explaining that he was bored with his life, asking them not to try to find him and promising to be back within the year.
His parents, Caroline and Jeremy Heeler-Frood, have made emotional appeals asking him to tell them he is safe but also want him to contact Missing People if he feels he cannot speak to them.
Paul Joseph, senior helpline manager at Missing People, said on Saturday: “When someone goes missing it can be an exceptionally difficult time for any family. When the missing person is a child, as in Arthur’s case, not knowing where a loved one is, or if they are safe and well, can be especially hard.
“We would encourage Arthur and anyone else who is missing or away from home to contact us by phone or email. It’s free and 24/7 and you can call in confidence. We will not make you go home and we cannot trace your call. Our team is here to offer advice and options that will help make you safe.”
The charity is also working with the Royal Mail to ask postal workers to look out for Arthur. Missing People said: “Through our partnership with Royal Mail, we are able to target alerts to particular geographical locations or, as in Arthur’s case, we can alert all 120,000 postal workers across the UK.
“Having postal workers looking out in their local communities for a missing person can bring great comfort to the families who are waiting for news and the police are increasingly requesting Royal Mail alerts as a key part of their search in high risk situations.”
Devon and Cornwall police are working on new leads following appeals from Arthur’s parents but Ms Heeler-Frood said on Saturday there had been no major developments.
The teenager left without his phone, any other electronic equipment or bank cards and had just £350 earned from a job working in a kitchen restaurant – which is exactly what Orwell did in Paris.
Speaking to the Guardian on Friday, Caroline Heeler-Frood said Arthur was an idealistic boy who liked the idea of adventure and may have been inspired by his older siblings, who had both travelled around Europe. But she said he had grown up in the country and was not streetwise.
“He was bright and had a strong interest in current affairs and politics,” said Heeler-Frood. “He was adventurous. He enjoyed all the Bear Grylls survival challenge programmes.
“For the last two summers his brother, Reuben, has hitchhiked across Europe. He travelled extensively into eastern Europe. His sister, Hester, went inter-railing. I think he was inspired by all that.
“We think that he felt he wanted his own adventure. Hester was leaving for university and he was going to be the last one at home with us. I think he wasn’t looking forward to being left alone with us. I think he wanted to test himself, prove his abilities.”
Heeler-Frood said Arthur was an avid reader. “The book he was reading before he left was Down and Out in Paris and London. You wonder if that had been influence. He was reading on a Kindle, which he left behind.
“The police have asked us if it is possible he jumped on the back of a lorry. We can’t rule out that possibility. He would have been following what was going on with refugees in Europe.”
The 15-year-old has not been seen since he left for Colyton Grammar school on his bicycle at 7.30am on Tuesday 6 September. His last words to his mother were: “Don’t worry, I’ve got my fluorescent.”
His custom was to leave his bike at a local post office and get the bus from there to school. When he did not return home, his mother went to the post office but could find no sign of the bike.
Next day a letter arrived in the post. It said: “To mum and dad. I have run away because I am bored of my life. Please do not try to find me or make me come home.
“I don’t know how long I will be away for but it won’t be longer than a year. You will find my school uniform in a bin bag in a small barn in the field on the green down the road near Membury church.
“My bike is chained to the fence. ...Please apologise to the restaurant and tell them that I will no longer be able to work there. I know you will be upset but please understand that I have to do this, from Arthur.” The letter had been posted in Devon.
Heeler-Frood said: “We have no idea what’s happened to him. He left with very little. His letter shows his departure was well-planned but he took very little with him. That gives us very little indication of what he had in mind or how he hoped to survive. We don’t know if he had a clear objective in mind or was just going to go whichever way the wind took him.”
Arthur had just received outstanding GCSE grades and started his A-levels the previous day at Colyton Grammar in Devon, one of Britain’s most highly rated state schools.
It has been very difficult for Devon and Cornwall police to find the teenager because he took no electronic equipment with him and has no bank account. No CCTV footage of him has been found.
His parents have travelled to towns on the south coast and cities including London, Liverpool and Manchester to try to find him, putting up posters and speaking to hospitals and homeless charities.
He is described as white, 5ft 4in tall, of slight build with short, light brown hair. Arthur may now have considerably shorter hair, possibly shaven.
• Missing People. Call Freefone: 116 000. Text: 116 000. Email: 116000@missingpeople.org.uk
- Anyone with information about Arthur can also contact the police by calling 101 or emailing 101@dc.police.uk quoting log 255 of 14 September.
