Most sensible parents wouldn't dream of letting their children out of their sight for a minute.

But just over a century ago, a Worthing boy made an epic 6,000-mile journey on his own with only £15 in his pocket.

Master Adrian Lyall was a tall, intelligent-looking lad, with sharp brown eyes and a somewhat restless manner.

He was also quite an adventurer - even at the tender age of 11.

Most pre-teen boys get the urge to climb trees, play cowboys and indians or kick a football around the local park.

But in the spring of 1901, Adrian crossed a continent and an ocean for an emotional reunion with his mother, who resided at 2 Madeira Avenue, Worthing.

Adrian was born in England but at the age of two he was taken to California, where his father ran a ranch.

However, it would appear there were some marital difficulties and Adrian, an only child, embarked on an epic, daunting and potentially dangerous journey home without a chaperone or guardian.

The resourceful youngster had just £15, including £12 he earned himself and £3 from his father, which he was determined "not to throw away on trash", but spend on food.

The first part of the adventure involved a 3,000-mile train journey from the west coast of America to New York, across sunbaked prairies and over snowcapped peaks.

He soon made friends with the engineers and at one stage during the five-day trip helped them dig the train out of a snowdrift, which took five hours.

On reaching New York, Adrian, who had a slight American accent, bought his own ticket for the voyage across the Atlantic and boarded the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, the largest and fastest of the German mail steamers.

He later recalled: "It had four funnels and three or four masts."

Adrian was delighted to learn his second-class ticket was all inclusive and included regular meals, which started with breakfast at 7am.

This was followed by tea, sandwiches and apples at 10am; dinner at noon; tea, lemonade or ice cream at 4pm, and supper at 6pm.

In addition to the set meals, Adrian also enjoyed sandwiches at 11pm, which he ate while listening to the band.

The 3,000-mile voyage was fairly eventful and the Kaiser Wilhelm was battered by several fierce storms, with one giant wave almost tipping the vessel on her side as the decks were swamped.

After a short stop at Cherbourg, the ship reached Southampton and then it was just a short trip along the coast into the loving arms of his mother.

Adrian, wearing knickerbockers, was interviewed by a Worthing reporter who, at the end of their chat, pressed half-a-crown into the boy's hand.

The intrepid youngster rushed out of the room, saying he would invest the money in a bicycle ride.

The reporter concluded: "He obviously has an abundant stock of self-reliance, which makes it easy to understand how he so light-heartedly undertook his memorable transatlantic trip, and which should stand him in good stead in his future career, whatever shape it may assume."

Sadly, Adrian then disappears from view and we have no knowledge of how his life unfolded or his ultimate fate.

He may well have fought in the First World War, although there is no record of his name on the war memorial in Chapel Road.

Perhaps he emigrated back to America, to take up ranching like his father, and raised children whose offspring still tend the land today.

We will never know, unless a relative reads this article and has his or her memory jogged.