I also was disappointed with the programme. I was surprised to see that
Kipling was shown, not only as always driving his car, but as driving it
fast. The general concensus of opinion seems to be that Kipling did not
drive, and indeed he had a long-term live-in chauffeur at Bateman's, a Mr.
Fleck. Given that motoring in the early days required not only driving
skills but also considerable mechanical aptitude due to the frequency of
breakdowns, it would not be surprising that Kipling, with his eyesight
problems and clumsiness, would need a chauffeur.
In the Kipling Society's own notes on "Something of Myself" it states
that "Kipling never drove, but depended on a chauffeur from the beginning".
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