Midshipman Bracegirdle? a new candidate for the Indy

[nodbear]

I was inspired to post these pics by newcomer to the comm di_daydreamer and eglantine_brs comments about worthy and cuddly Mr Bracegirdle.
Bracey is as we know loyal and dedicated and utterly to be relied on in any crises - he and the Indefatigables actual first lieutenant John Thomson had all that in common- but Lieutenant Thomson also had his son on board -JT the

Comments

[vespican]

I can see him as Isaac Hotchkiss in The Stone Island Sea Stories. Still haven't come across any actor I'd envision as Edward Pierce, however. On the other hand, there are a couple of more minor characters in the books that I have always seen as being portrayed by specific actors.
Dave

[nodbear]

Yes it must be fascinating to play the game of who would play your characters - we are sort of playing the other way round wondering who would play the real Indy's crew and officers. Interesting that you have never so far found your ideal Edward Pierce - maybe that is the thing with a major character that really is so vivid to an author.
maybe you still will eventually..
we have found that the real Indy mids nearly all tend to have something of them in Hornblower and have expanded on that in our book

[vespican]

Also, I haven't thought of anyone who could be Evangeline. For me, I think the main characters in the story are imagined but not always defined.
Dave

[eglantine_br]

He is very easy on the eyes. And he does look like his dad-- Older Coy has aged very well I think.

I am sure that EP had the same weird experience we had with the Navy-- a world where you get older and older and it seems as if everyone else stays the same age!

To bad we will never know how cuddly John Thompson was-- they don't put that down in the Naval records!

[nodbear]

As to JT's cuddliness - as you say that was sadly not something Ned reported on his lieutenant for in admiralty records- but there is a portrait and he does look kindly :) He and Ned were to become of course eventually grandfather and great uncle to the same two little girls - JT juniors daughters- but sadly JT senior only in name because he died before his son and Ned's niece married.We know for certain that Ned knew and loved that young family so I would not be surprised if he told the girls about their brave grandpa:)

I think Ned and Susan did have that experience like you -but they were also both young at heart sorts whose kids and grandkids kept them young - and you are on the way to so being too:)

[di_daydreamer]

Junior is definitely not difficult to look at. I imagine he would look good in uniform as well.

[nodbear]

I think he would indeed .I have not so far succeeded in finding a photo to post of a suitably uniformed junior- but he does appear in the Whale the film about the whaling incident that inspired Moby Dick so I shall post today a pic from that

[mylodon]

What a nice lad. I can imagine him as POB's Mowett.

[nodbear]

Nice lad indeed - sadly not one pic can I find of him and his dad together
Mowett - yes could be

[katriona_s]

Wow, a good looking guy, I like him! And he looks like his father. Thank you for posting his pics here :)

[anteros_lmc]

Oh my! He is rather handsome isn't he?! He'd definitely pass the pulchritude test for Indefatigable midshipmen!

I take it the picture of Jonathan Coy you're thinking of is the one of him playing the loathsome Kurt in Brideshead Revisited? Awful character, but brilliantly played!

[nodbear]

Coy junior has been several villains as well I gather - does bad boy and good as well as father too
Nice to see an ongoing acting dynasty ( I think Coy snr is at least second generation himself )

I still need to write something linking our Bracey with his most famous namesake Anne Bracegirdle - something about stage and quarter deck and the acting qualities required on both ,
was this morning just wondering how often Sir Edward ,Bracey and Bowlesy (and still more historical Ned, George B and John G) left the youngsters feeling brave and confident on deck only to write home full of doubt and worry in the privacy of their cabins... 'We fear for nothing while we have this brave commander...'
which being translated means Nicky had had one of those 'adventure and adversity' addresses perhaps