Who is the Narrator's Father from Leaving This Island Place and what is their importance?

In the beginning of the story, the narrator's father lies dying in an almshouse, where the narrator visits him. The narrator explains that his father and mother were never married, so he does not carry his father's surname and was raised by his mother and stepfather. The narrator relates that his father was once the captain of the village cricket team, but he had been broken down physically and in spirit from repeated arrests for drunkenness by a local policeman. His mother forbade the mention of his father's name for eighteen years, but the narrator occasionally risked getting into trouble with her in order to visit him.