Cars and the Swallows and Amazons characters

[learnsslowly]

(or should I say automobiles for American readers?)
Of course in the 1930s cars were very much less common. So which characters could drive - and which had driving licenses?

Comments

[heliopausa]

Might the Callums have needed to drive when they were doing on-site excavations in north Africa? (Have I completely fantasised that they did this? I think I read it one of the books, but maybe I just imagined it!)

Also, my vote is for more of the sisters (the Farlands, the Blacketts) using motorbikes for courier-work at some stage or other in WW2. :)

[learnsslowly]

Thank you for commenting.
Ah, yes, the Callums senior could have done. So they might be able to drive but not actually have owned a car.
I was certainly planning for some motor -cycle based adventures probably for Peggy but so far have lacked specific inspiration. There is also the matter of testing out various one-person mini-submarine type devices.
As to the Farlands, they might be in France from summer 1940 onwards, I'm not sure.

[jenn_calaelen]

Very fun to see all this speculation! I agree about the Walkers and Callums being far less likely to learn to drive before the way (although I could see Nancy trying to teach John if he was at the lakes in any of the times after she was driving - although I expect it would be a rather terrifying experience for them both!). It is very interesting that you think Titty would be a good driver - I'd imagined that she would be far too likely to get distracted.

[learnsslowly]

Thank you. I'm basing "Titty drives competently" on the fact that she sails well enough - although she tends to get absorbed in what she is doing and she did in Secret Water. So maybe she'd concentrate on the driving but fail to notice what quiet well-intentioned mischief her children were up to in the back until they get to their destination.

"But we thought Auntie Susan would like holes all over her new dress to make it pretty like lace...."

Also, perhaps Titty is less distractable than Dick.
I may yet have a snippet of Nancy teaching John to drive.

John & Cdr Walker

[amazon_ahoy]

I'm not sure what the situation was in the 1930s but when I was at Sandhurst in 1992 officers were required to have a driving license; if you didn't have one when you arrived you got to spend your Sunday afternoons driving slowly round the academy grounds terrifying ducks. This seemed somewhat odd, as officers are discouraged from driving on duty unless it's absolutely necessary. Official policy is that if any unpleasantness does happen one of the common soldiery should be to blame.

Re: John & Cdr Walker

[learnsslowly]

Thank you. Given that ducks usually seem quite relaxed and nonchalant I'm now picturing the driving....
Well, that could be quite a problem for the Nancy teaching John to drive story, but since the other story(ies) aren't going anywhere it's possibly not urgent that I find out. That isn't going to stop me trying to find the information to settle the issue, now that you've raised the point, however.