# Mr. Gaffikin — Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man character guide

> Mr. Gaffikin in Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man by Siegfried Sassoon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Good-natured Mr. Gaffikin, Cosmo Gaffikin, Cosmo Gaffikin, Esq.

**First appearance:** 0007-v

## Snapshot

A good-humoured, voluble sportsman of thirty-five who sells the narrator his finest hunter and treats the whole hunting field as an excellent joke.

## Who they are

Mr. Gaffikin is a familiar figure in the hunting community, puffy-faced and full-moustached, easygoing and slangy, always ready with a confidential explanation. He parts with Harkaway only because the horse is no longer up to his weight, and he does so with genuine regret and generous praise. His cheerful commentary on the field, from Jaggett's clumsiness to the huntsman's tricks, gives the narrator a model of how to belong in this world with good humour rather than anxiety.

## In the story

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se/chapters/iv)

Sells Harkaway to George, praises the horse, and wears a pink coat at the meet.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se/chapters/v)

George saw him ride a whirlwind finish on his black mare at the Dumborough Hunt Steeplechase, losing ten shillings.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se/chapters/ii)

A friendly rider who advises George during the Potford hunt.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se/chapters/iii)

Mentioned as the rider of the mare George followed during the hunt; suggests the run was a drag.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se/characters/mr_gaffikin
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_foxhunting_man_se/characters