Posted by Peter Ceresole on May 03, 2012 at 01:08:27 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: Beckfoot Lighting and Horning posted by Fergus Mason on May 01, 2012 at 15:26:52:
it seems that in Ransome's personal notes Joe was referred to as Joe Southgate. Southgates is of course the real name of Jonatt's boatyard. This may be a coincidence, but on the other hand at least one of the D&Gs' fathers might have been a bit more of a senior (therefore better paid) employee than I'd always assumed.
Either that, or it was AR's personal shorthand tag to keep the characters straight in his own mind. Joe (or his family) from Soutgates. When I read the Broads books, all the D&Gs,
including Joe, seemed to me to be drawn as boatbuilders' sons, on modest means with common schooling and manner of speech. Purely an impression, but a strong one.