eddie1 - I followed exactly the same route as you: Lonnie Donegan then Woody, Lead Belly, Cisco etc then Nic Jones and the British singers. I think it's a fairly common path and a fairly logical one if you think about it.
Captain Colin - I remember Stan Francis of Liverpool and his making a 12-stringer for Pete Seeger. He used to play the ukelele and sing with the Spinners at Sampson & Barlow's in the city, if my memory serves me right.
DocJ