Arthur Ransome Connections


The Arthur Ransome Connections section was created as a place to collect anecdotes, stories, etc., by or about people who knew, met, or contacted Arthur Ransome and whose lives were affected as a result. By intent these are probably bits that wouldn't belong in the Literary Pages or other sections of All Things Ransome, or as a way to gather together links to such material if it apepars in other places on the site. The main idea is to collect items that might otherwise be overlooked or don't seem to have a logical place on ATR, including material that might originally have appeared in an ephemeral publication but seemed worth preserving separately.

We would be happy to include suggested material and encourage you to send any suggestions to AR Connections. All Things Ransome does reserve the final decision as to what to place on the site.


Harold Dobinson Arthur Ransome's Reply to a Reader Letter

Harold Dobinson was a long-time fan of Arthur Ransome and wrote to him in 1939 asking about specific locations for the stories. This is the reply card he received from AR.
Des Kelsall A Fisheries Officer on Lake Victoria

As a boy, Des Kelsall lived at Barkbooth across the Winster Valley from the Ransomes at Low Ludderburn. Ransome would come and read Des and his brother Dick the latest sections of Swallows and Amazons as the book was written. Their father devised the "shape signalling system" to communicate with Ransome concerning fishing trips, and which Ransome later incorporated in Winter Holiday. Des was also one of the children who posed for photographs from which Ransome later made his drawings (the pictures he termed "Hollywoods".

In the early 2000s Des moved to New Zealand, where he became the New Zealand Overseas Coordinator for TARS (The Arthur Ransome Society) and a subscriber to the U.S. newsletter Signals from TARSUS. In 2003 Des began a series of articles for SfT concerning his experiences as a Fisheries Officer on Lake Victoria in Tanzania, but was forced to leave off the series after the first few pieces.
Admiral Taylor Rhodes How I Became the Admiral of the United States Branch of the Swallows, Amazons & D's

As a young child in Kansas, Taylor Myers (later Taylor Rhodes) wrote a letter of appreciation to Arthur Ransome in 1939, and received a response appointing him Admiral of the "United States Branch" of the S's, A's, and D's! Much later he became a TARS member, and submitted this article and picture to the "Biographies" compiled in its early years by TARSUS, the United States Branch of TARS.
Marilyn C. Doolan Steele Arthur Ransome, Helene Carter and my introduction to S&A

Marilyn Steele was a young girl in 1956 when she wrote to Arthur Ransome and to Helene Carter. Here are images of the first letters.
Ellen Tillinghast Tea with Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Ransome

Ellen Tillinghast was a very early TARS member and the original Overseas Coordinator of the United States branch of TARS. In this article she recounts having tea with Arthur and Evgenia Ransome in December of 1956 when she and her family lived for a year in London.
Roger Wardale Interview with Philippa Ryan

Philippa Ryan was the daughter of Ursula Collingwood, the youngest of the Collingwood family who befriended Arthur Ransome as a young man. Roger interviewed her in the course of research for a book. Philippa knew Arthur and Evgenia Ransome as a child, together with the Altounyans and Collingwoods, and spoke easily of them.


In all cases, copyright of material in Arthur Ransome Connections is to the original authors or organizations, and material is presented on All Things Ransome with their permission. Permission to use material online which is copyright to the Arthur Ransome Estate has been given by the Arthur Ransome Literary Executors.

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