Colonel Kelsall was a neighbour of Arthur Ransome; his house Barkworth was near Low Ludderburn in Windermere. AR went fishing with Kelsall; in the middle of December at Appelby they had to break the ice at the edge of the river first (AAR p328). Dick Kelsall went regularly to see AR in Cheadle Royal Hospital in 1965. He was unable to speak and near death after a series of strokes, but was excited by reminiscences of the pleasure given by his stories (TLE p365)