Posted by RichardG on July 02, 2003 at 11:56:35 from 213.120.149.165 user RichardG.
In Reply to: what would they be like today? posted by Jonathan Labaree on July 01, 2003 at 19:27:25:
".....such as parents allowing their pre-adolescent kids to camp alone for two weeks on an unfamiliar island, which is owned by someone else...."
I have always rather suspected that Mrs Walker would have consulted with the Jacksons at Holly Howe, and arranged any necessary permissions, regarding the ownership of the island and its suitability for camping, before cabling Commander Walker for permission for the Swallows to camp there.
I suspect that the two main differences in 21st Century Britain would be the requirement to wear lifejackets, and the likelihood of carrying a mobile phone for emergencies. Otherwise, reasonably enlightened parents who trusted their children could be willing to allow a scenario not too dissimilar from that created by AR.