the journal of winston churchill spring 2007 • number 134

THE JOURNAL OF WINSTON CHURCHILLSPRING 2007 • NUMBER 134'0'/#/I

^ ^ ^THE CHURCHILL CENTRE AND SOCIETIESUNITED STATES • UNITED KINGDOM • CANADA • PORTUGAL • AUSTRALIAPATRON: THE LADY SOAMES LG DBE • WWW.WTNSTONCHURCHILL.ORGFounded in 1968 to foster leadership, statesmanship, vision and boldness among democratic and freedom-loving peoplesworldwide, through the thoughts, words, works and deeds of Winston Spencer Churchill.f^BOARD OF GOVERNORSDr. John V. Banta • Randy Barber • Paul H. Courtenay •Marcus Frost " Gary Garrison • Laurence S. Geller •Christopher Hebb • Judith Kambestad • Nigel KnockerRichard M. Langworth • James W. Muller • Suzanne SigmanOFFICERSLaurence S. Geller, President77 West Wacker Drive,Suite 4600, Chicago IL 60601Tel. (312) 658-5006 • Fax (312) 658-5797Email: lgeller@shci.comSuzanne Sigman, Secretary42 Dudley Lane, Milton MA 02186Tel. (617) 696-1833 • Fax (617) 696-7738Email: s.sigman@comcast.netChristopher Hebb, Treasurer1806-1111 W. Georgia St., Vancouver BC V6E 4M3Tel. (604) 209-6400 • Email: cavelLcapital@telus.netBUSINESS OFFICEDaniel N. Myers, Executive DirectorKaren Linebarger, Executive Assistant1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Suite 307Washington DC 20036Tel. (888) WSC-1874 • Fax (202) 223-4944Email: dmyers@winstonchurchill.orgBOARD OF TRUSTEESAmb. Paul H. Robinson, Jr., Chairman EmeritusRichard M. Langworth CBE, ChairmanTel. (888) 454-2275 " Fax (603) 253-6122Email: malakand@langworth.nameWinston S. Churchill • Senator Richard J. DurbinGovernor Jim Edgar • Marcus Frost • Laurence S. GellerThe Hon. Jack Kemp Christopher MatthewsThe Hon. Celia Sandys " Michael J. ScullyHONORARY MEMBERSWinston S. Churchill • Sir Martin Gilbert CBEThe Lord Deedes KBE MC PC DLRobert Hardy CBE • The Lord Heseltine CH PCThe Duke of Marlborough JP DLSir Anthony Montague Browne KCMG CBE DFCElizabeth Nel • The Hon. Colin L. Powell KCBAmbassador Paul H. Robinson, Jr.The Lady Thatcher LG OM PC FRSUNITED STATES CHAPTERSThe Churchill Centre is represented in the United Statesby local organizers in Alaska, Arizona, California (3),Chicago, DC/Dclmarva, Denver, Florida, Georgia,Michigan, Nashville, Nebraska, New England, NewOrleans, New York City, North Carolina, Ohio,Philadelphia and Texas. See "Datelines" for local contacts.AFFILIATESCalifornia ChurchilHans (Desert, North & South)Rocky Mountain Churchillians • WC Society of GeorgiaNorth Carolina Churchillians" SWSCS Vancouver IslandWashington Society for ChurchillINTERNET SERVICESWebsite: www.winstonchurchill.orgListserv: http://groups.google.com/group/ChurchilIChatModerator: Jonah TriebwasserTHE CHURCHILL CENTRE SUPPORTS ANDWORKS WITH THESE FRATERNAL INSTITUTIONSChartwell • Churchill Archives Centre CaambridgcChurchill Memorial Trust, UK and AustraliaChurchill Museum • Harrow SchoolWinston Churchill Memorial & Library, Fulton, Mo.LEADERSHIP & SUPPORTNUMBER TEN CLUBContributors of $10,000 annually to the work of the Centre:Laurence S. Geller • J. Willis Johnson • Michael D. RoseMichael J. ScullyCHURCHILL CENTRE ASSOCIATESAssociates are contributors to The Churchill Endowment,which offers three levels: $10,000, $25,000 and $50,000+,inclusive of bequests. Endowment earnings support the workof The Churchill Centre.Winston Churchill AssociatesThe Annenberg Foundation • David & Diane BolerColin D. Clark " Fred Farrow • Mr. & Mrs. Parker H. Lee IIIMichael & Carol McMcnamin • David & Carole NossRay & Patricia Orban • Wendy Russell RevcsElizabeth Churchill Snell • Mr. & Mrs. Matthew B. WillsAlex M. Worth Jr.Clementine Churchill AssociatesRonald D. Abramson • Winston S. ChurchillMarcus & Molly Frost • Jeanette & Angelo GabrielCraig &C Lorraine Horn • James F. LaneBarbara & Richard Langworth • John & Susan MatherLinda & Charles Platt • Amb. & Mrs. Paul H. Robinson Jr.James R. &C Lucille I. ThomasMary Soames AssociatesDr. & Mrs. John V. Banta • Solveig & Randy BarberGary J. Bonine • Susan & Daniel BorinskyNancy Bowers • Lois Brown • Carolyn & Paul BrubakcrNancy H. Canary • Dona & Bob DalesJeffrey & Karen De Haan • Sam & Judith DodsonGary Garrison • Ruth & Laurence GellerFrederick & Martha Hardman " Leo Hindery, Jr.Bill &C Virginia Ives • J. Willis JohnsonMr. & Mrs. Gerald Drake Kambestad • Elaine KendallDavid M. & Barbara A. Kirr • Phillip & Susan LarsonRuth J. Lavine • Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. LeahyPhilip & Carole Lyons • Richard & Susan MastioCyril & Harriet Mazansky • Michael W. MichelsonMr. & Mrs. James W. Muller • Wendell & Martina MusserBond Nichols • Earl & Charlotte NicholsonBob & Sandy Odell • Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm PageRuth & John Plumpton • Hon. Douglas S. RussellDaniel & Suzanne Sigman " Shanin Specter. Robert M. Stephenson • Richard &C Jenny Streiff| Peter J. Travers • Gabriel Urwitz • Damon Wells Jr.Jacqueline Dean Witter1 BOARD OF ACADEMIC ADVISERSProf. James W. Muller, Chairman| University of Alaska, Anchorage| 2410 Galewood Street, Anchorage AK 99508Tel. (907) 786-4740 • Fax (907) 786-4647i Email: afjwm@uaa.alaska.edu: Prof. John A. Ramsden, Vice ChairmanQueen Mary College, University of LondonI Prof. Paul K. Alkon, University of Southern CaliforniaSir Martin Gilbert CBE, Merton College, OxfordI Col. David Jablonsky, U.S. Army War College, Prof. Warren F. Kimball, Rutgers University\ Prof. John Maurcr, U.S. Naval War College| Prof. David Reynolds, Christ's College Cambridge1 Dr. Jeffrey Wallin, The American Academyof Liberal EducationThe Churchill Centre is the successor to the WinstonS. Churchill Study Unit (founded 1968) and to theInternational Churchill Society of the United States(founded 1971).The staff of Finest Hour, journal of The ChurchillCentre and Societies, appears on page 4.ALLIESINTL. CHURCHILL SOCIETY (UNITED KINGDOM)Nigel Knocker OBE, Chairman:PO Box 1257, Melksham, Wilts. SN12 6GQTel. & Fax (01380) 828609Email: nigel.knockcr@btinternet.comTRUSTEESThe Hon. Celia Sandys, ChairmanThe Duke of Marlborough JP DLThe Earl Jellicoe KBE DSO MC PC FRSDavid Boler • David Porter • Geoffrey WheelerCOMMITTEENigel Knocker OBE, ChairmanPaul H. Courtenay, Vice Chairman & Hon. SecretaryAnthony Woodhcad CBE FCA, Hon. TreasurerSmith Benson • Eric Bingham • Robin BrodhurstRandolph S. Churchill • Robert CourtsGeoffrey Fletcher • Derek GreenwellRafal Heydel-Mankoo • Michael KclionAmanda Laurence • Brian SingletonINTL. CHURCHILL SOCIETY OF CANADAAmbassador Kenneth W. Taylor, Honorary ChairmanRandy Barber, President14 Honeybourne Crescent, Markham ON L3P 1 P3Tel. (905)201-6687Email: randybarber@sympatico.caJeanette Webber, Membership SecretaryRR4, 14 Carter Road, Lion's Head ON NOH 1W0Tel. (519) 592-3082 • Email: jcanctte.webber@sympatico.caCharles Anderson, Treasurer489 Stanfield Drive, Oakvillc ON L6L 3R2Tel. (905) 827-0819 • Email: cwga@sympatico.caINTL. CHURCHILL SOCIETY OF PORTUGALJoao Carlos Espada, PresidentInstituto dc Estudos Poh'ticosUniversidade Catolica PortuguesaPalma de Cima 1649-023, LisbonTel. (351) 21 7214129 • Email: jespada@icp.ucp.ptCHURCHILL CENTRE AUSTRALIANeil Kcnworthy, Vice PresidentUnit 2, 3 Martha St., Donvale, Victoria 3111Tel. 61-3-9841-8170Email: ncilken@bigpond.net.auTHE RT. HON. SIR WINSTON SPENCERCHURCHILL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIAChristopher Hebb, President1806-11 11 W. Georgia St., Vancouver BC V6E 4M3Tel. (604) 209-6400 • Email: cavclLcapital@telus.netTHERT. HON. SIR WINSTON SPENCERCHURCHILL SOCIETY OF CALGARYDr. Ftancis LeBlanc, President126 Pinctree Dr. SW, Calgary AB T3Z 3K4Tel. (403) 685-5836 • Email: neuron@telus.netTHE RT. HON. SIR WINSTON SPENCERCHURCHILL SOCIETY OF EDMONTONDr. Edward Htitson, President98 Rehwinkcl Road, Edmonton AB T6R 1Z8Tel. (780) 430-7178 • Email: jchutson@shaw.caTHE RT. HON. SIR WINSTON SPENCERCHURCHILL SOCIETY OF VANCOUVER ISLANDVictor Burstall, PresidentPO Box 2114, Sidney, BC V8L 3S6Tel. (250) 727-7345 • Email: burst@shaw.ca

Member of Parliamentfor Dundee, 1908SPRING 2007NUMBER 134THE JOURNAL OFWINSTON CHURCHILL13 Cover Story: The Nemon Statue and Churchill Arch • 14 Statuary: Churchill Memorials Worldwide • by James Lancaster16 Education: A Portrait at Churchill Junior High; A Teacher Seminar in Charleston • by Suzanne Sigman18 Churchill on the Chicago Scandals: Sir Martin Gilbert Essay Competition • by James Kirclnk and Sasha G. Rousseau22 "Thus Perished Operation Sea Lion": Korporal Hitler Made it Easier Than ir Might Have Been • by Ron Cynewulf Robbins25 The Time Bomb That Is Nairobi: Young Winston's Hasty 1906 Decision • by John Kamau26 Becoming Winston Churchill • by Michael McMenamin and Curt Zoller31 "Like Goldfish in a Bowl": The Alcohol Quotient • by Wairen F. Kimball35 Spencer Churchill (p) at Harrow School 1888-1892, Part II • by Geoffiey J. Fletcher40 Churchill's Shoulder: What If...? • by John V. Banta M.D.46 BOOKS, ARTS & CURIOSITIESTed Hutchinson finds two ostensibly similar new books that couldn't be farther apart Warren Kimball doesn't scoff at a pro-WSC writer'sUr n i V- J i A A ,», Rnhpi-rs' "HESP Gary Garrison remembers the Somme with Sir Martin Gilbert and Winstonlatest ... Paul Courtenay describes Andrew Robeits HE.M ... y Churchill Ouiz Olvm« "'-' — —- 1^ —Churchill himself... A son tracks his father's glimpse ofWSC ... Jim Lancaster Churchill l^uiz ... Ulymntacts 9 • UK & Canada News 11 • Wit & Wisdom 12 • Education 16Co,,,r: The N

DESPATCH BOXSCOTTISH TOUR 2008I received FH 132 this morningand had a good but not thorough look atit over lunch. The article on Iraq has aparticular poignancy over here just nowwith the PM recently blurting out that heagreed with Sir David Frost that the currentadventure there is a disasterIt sounds like the Churchill Tour ofEngland last year was a rousing successand enjoyed by all. I see you would liketo return to the North of England andScotland in the Spring of 2008; let meknow if I can be of any assistance inregards to the Edinburgh leg of such atour. There are many Churchill-relatedaspects in these parts, as members of pastChurchill Tours to Scotland know.DR. DAVID G. GRANT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR,LOGISTICS CENTRE, FAIRBAIRN UNIV., EDINBURGH• A Churchill Tour is planned for earlyMay 2008, starting and ending in Glasgow.Highlights include eight speakers, at least twofive-star hotels, Edinburgh, the ancestral homeof Clementine Churchill at Airlie Castle,WSC's old Dundee constituency, theHebridean Isle of Mull, the legendary golfingresort of Gleneagles, a black tie dinner in theState Dining Room aboard the Royal YachtBritannia, and a side trip to the LakeDistrict, We will visit every importantChurchill site in southern Scotland. Fulldetails will be available shortly.PROCEEDINGS AND LAST LIONI read Churchill Proceedings 2001-2003 and on the "Gathering Storm" inIraq, delivered in 2002, before the invasion.I was disappointed that you didn'tspeculate what WSC would do with Iraq,but as Lady Soames says, "How do youknow?" However, as with everything youwrite, it was interesting and easy reading.Any news on the third volume ofManchester's The Last Liori!SEVERAL READERS WRITING SEPARATELY• Well, I don't think he ever advocatedusing the military to "build democracy," only to encourage it (Greece, 1944).He might seal the borders (this is the mainproblem), let whomever was inside fight itout, and declare those lefi standing the winners;or partition it; or both. But of course Ican't say this in public! (See also the"Quotation of the Season,"FH 132:7).Paul Reid in Palm Beach is workingon Last Lion vol. 3. He hopes to finish in2007, perhaps for 2008 publication."NO MAN'S LAND" (PAGE 51)The world stopped for a moment asI read this aloud to Phil. Very moving.SUSAN LARSON, CHICAGOThe song is an extremely poignantand extraordinarily humbling reminder ofthe awesome and always gruesome wasteof young lives that are ever spent infulfilling someone's political, territorial,religious, or /and financial ambitions,or/and satisfying populist but personalinternal demons, fears, insecurities,inferiority complexes or even paranoia forgood, bad or whatever reason.LAURENCE S. GELLER, CHICAGOThe "Great Republic" is fallinginto a no man's land with one footrooted in the follies of the past and theother foot afraid to step boldly into thefuture. Never in history have we moreneeded Winston Churchill's vision,courage, and determination. We have lostour way and have become more preoccupiedwith style than substance. When ourleaders refuse to lead, and our warriorsrefuse to fight, then we will hear thatdistant trumpet play a mournful taps overwhat was once the greatest experimentin human liberty. Everything we holddear is being looted by the thugs of anew dark age. Who will wear a red poppyfor the USA?CDR. LARRY KRYSKE, USN (RET), GARLAND, TEXASThere is nothing so instructiveas to visit a third world country.Returning from Mexico, I realized howwonderful it is to live in America. Butmany of us don't realize how good wehave it, and how much we take for granted.I thought about Churchill's remark,"If mortal catastrophe should ever overtakethe British Nation, historians a thousandyears hence will...never understandhow a victorious nation suffered themselvesto be brought low, and to cast awayall that they had gained through measurelesssacrifice." Sacrifice like Private WillieMcBride.We have 20- and 30-year-olds whodon't even know who the Vice Presidentis. Our young people have inherited thegreatest nation on earth and they don'teven know what they have inherited orwhy or how they inherited it, or for thatmatter, I greatly fear in some cases, whatthe word inherited even means.MARCUS FROST, MEXIA, TEXAS MlFINEST HOUR 134 / 4

EDITOR'S ESSAYTrends in Churchill Studiesur new President and Board of Governors have asked me to implement important changes inFinest Hour which are immediately evident in this issue—beginning with the new subtitle onour cover: "The Journal of Winston Churchill."What this means to signify is the shift of "institutional" articles—messages from or aboutofficers, events coverage, affiliate news, and business matters—to an expanded ChartwellBulletin, leaving Finest Hour with The Churchill Centre's "meat and potatoes": a dedicated exploration ofWinston Spencer Churchill's life and times (warts and all); a quarterly guide to Churchill's abiding relevance,inimitably summarized by Sir Martin Gilbert: "...as I open file after file of Churchill's archive, fromhis entry into Government in 1905 to his retirement in 1955,1 am continually surprised by the truth of hisassertions, the modernity of his thought, the originality of his mind, the constructiveness of his proposals,his humanity, and, most remarkable of all, his foresight."Thus "The Journal of Winston Churchill"—which has, in the words of our chairman of academicadvisers, Professor James Muller, "the quiet dignity that is in keeping with the idea of attaining permanentscholarly respectability for Finest Hour." The previous subtitle, "Published by The Churchill Centrefor Churchillians Worldwide," did not define what is inside and, given page 2, is redundant.Finest Hour will also be expanded in size, as this issue already is, reaching upwards of sixty pages,encompassing the important scholarly speeches and papers delivered at major Churchill meetings fromconferences to teacher seminars to the increasingly significant programs developed by our local affiliatesand chapters. This material, if we found room for it at all, formerly had to wait up to three years beforeappearing in our biennial Churchill Proceedings, which is now to be absorbed by Finest Hour.Nor will these increased articles and papers be strictly limited to The Churchill Centre. The editorswill enthusiastically seek out and arrange to publish work from many sources: lectures, theses, andmaterial from fraternal organizations like the Churchill Museum in London or the Churchill Memorialand Library in Fulton, which they might deem suitable for these pages. Some papers may actually bepublished on our website in advance of their appearance here, to solicit comment and debate; PresidentGeller has appointed a website committee to delve into all that, and it is already at work.Finally, Finest Hour's complimentary distribution list will be greatly expanded, to reach morescholars laboring in the Churchill vineyard, more students, more college and high school libraries, morenational and international leaders with a serious, established Churchill interest.The object of all this is to turn what was formerly always in part a kind of "club publication"into a true journal of Churchill studies—not a dry-as-dust academic journal, but one with the establishedpersonality that has produced its loyal following.Professor Warren Kimball, whom we consulted on all of this, had encouraging advice: "TheChurchill Centre doesn't have to conform to someone else's definition of a professional society.Professional yes—but on our terms. So what if some of our admired columns, like Around & About orWit & Wisdom or the Quiz, aren't what you might find in more scholarly periodicals? If they get thepublic to read it, great; perhaps they will then also read the professional articles it contains."You know of course that a more 'professional' approach could limit the editor's ability to interveneand argue a different case, as in the Second Front debate (FH 124). I'm not sure there are many inthis world, who can do that as you do. We've had our public and always pleasant disputes, and I don'tthink that such argumentation is by definition a bad thing. Will the editor tend more to be aloof, at leastin print? Is that a good thing? Perhaps, but is it good for Finest Hour? That's worth some discussion."Those are very kind words from my friend and sometime debate partner Warren Kimball; and letme reassure our readers. Don't worry—the revealing stories, the lively debates, and the reviews of newbooks on Churchill that readers have long enjoyed in FH will not disappear. —RML $FINEST HOUR 134 / 5

DATELINESWHEN ANYONE COULD TELEPHONETHE GOOD AND THE GREATLONDON, SEPTEMBER 20TH— Try to telephoneyour Congressman or MP today and you'll run agauntlet of barricades that will defeat all but theinfluential. Not so in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. A project to upload over a century ofQuotation of the Season1neof the ways to bring this war to a1 speedy end is to convince theenemy, not by words, but by deeds,that we have both the will and themeans, not only to go on indefinitely but to strikeheavy and unexpected blows. The road to victorymay not be so long as we expect. But we have noright to count upon this. Be it long or short, roughor smooth, we mean to reach our journey's end.—WSC, HOUSE OF COMMONS, 20 AUGUST 1940old British telephone directories to theinternet has revealed that statesmen,sporting heroes, icons of literature andstage stars were all oblivious of theterm "ex-directory" ("unlisted" in theUnited States and Canada).When Churchill was Chancellorof the Exchequer (1924-29) he wasavailable to talk about the nationalbudget on Paddington 1003, and youcould also consult the phonebook forhis address: 2 Sussex Square. Similarly,telephoners could dial Harry Houdini,P.G. Wodehouse, Alfred Hitchcockand John Gielgud. "I found celebritiesup until the 1950s," says Josh Hanna,managing director of the Ancestrywebsite. The ex-directoryservice was introduced three years afterthe first telephone book, but peopledid not use it: "It was a status symbolto be included in the phone book."Today, more than 50 percent oftelephone numbers are ex-directory.—Jack Malvern in The TimesGILBERT AT IRVINEIRVINE, CALIFORNIA, SEPTEMBER 28TH— TheUniversity of California at IrvineSchool of Humanities and theDepartment of History welcomed SirMartin Gilbert CBE to campus todayfor the Shreiar Distinguished Lecture.Sir Martin captivated a crowd of morethan 300, including members of theUC Irvine campus community and thepublic, with his discussion, "WasChurchill Totally Alone in the YearsLeading up to the War?" The officialbiographer of Winston Churchillcttvf ft • • *•mington*idtfngtMctorit • • •100*^X'hurci»Ul Rt. Hon. WinHon i8290litCOMMUNICATION: Winston Churchill in an early London telephone book (above, photographby Peter Nicholls). Sir Martin speaking at UC Irvine in September (below).began by explaining to the audiencethat for Churchill between 1933 and1939, moral issues dominated, andthese same moral issues are still verymuch with us today.Three questions that disturbedand divided Britain in those years, hesaid, were: How does one identify evilintentions of a government? Does oneseek an accommodation with an evilregime? And, does one challenge anevil regime?For the purposes of discussion,Sir Martin posed a fourth question:Was Churchill a person to listen to, orto ignore and belittle?The lecture was a tremendoussuccess, providing numerous southernCalifornians with insight intoChurchill, and demonstrating how hisstrength of moral conviction and charactermight be of use in world politicstoday.MILTON FRIEDMANSAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER 16TH— One ofthe most brilliant economic thinkers ofthe late 20th century, MiltonFriedman was a national monument—like the Golden Gate Bridge, which hecould see arching across San FranciscoBay from his apartment window. LikeChurchill, he became a legend in hisown lifetime. "The quantum change ineconomic debates towards neoclassical,anti-Keynesian assumptions was notsolely his achievement," wrote TheTimes. "Friedrich Hayek and RobertLucas were also among a group whoinfluenced the shift over severaldecades. But it was Friedman who by1980 supplanted Keynes as the world'smost influential economist."Friedman was a quiet admirerof Sir Winston. Ten years ago wecame close to getting him at aChurchill Conference, to lectureabout WSC as Chancellor of theFINEST HOUR 134/6

DATELINESExchequer. (He maintained of coursethat Churchill had been right torestore the Gold Standard, but failedto take commensurate steps to avoidthe wage and price pressures that ledto the General Strike). But Friedman'shealth did not permit it.Among the outpourings oftributes, we appreciated the words of aChurchill Centre honorary member,Lady Thatcher: "Milton Friedmanrevived the economics of liberty whenit had been all but forgotten. He wasan intellectual freedom fighter. Neverwas there a less dismal practitioner of adismal science. I shall greatly miss myold friend's lucid wisdom and mordanthumour." Dead at 94. R.I.P.THESE RUINSARE INHABITEDSONGJIANG, CHINA, OCTOBER 15TH (Reuters)—Often regarded as the copy-cat capitalof the world, with ersatz designer bagsand even counterfeit cars, the People'sRepublic of China has added a newimitation: an English town.Here in this suburb, an hourfrom Shanghai's skyscrapers, is ThamesTown, which cost £334 million tocreate and will house 10,000 people—complete with pub, fish-and-chip shopand a bronze statue of WinstonChurchill. There is a neo-Gothicchurch as well as Georgian- andVictorian-style terraced houses thatwould not look out of place in theposhest parts of London."I wanted the properties to lookexactly the same as those in the UnitedKingdom," said James Ho, the directorof privately owned Shanghai HengheReal Estate Co. Ltd., one of the town'sfive developers. "I think English propertiesare very special. When we decideto learn from others, we should notmake any improvements or changes. Iemphasised this policy to my staff."All this was a shock to GailCaddy, owner of the Rock Point Innand Cobb Fish Gate in Lyme Regis,Dorset. Caddy got the shock of her lifewhen she saw in a British newspaperthat her properties had been cloned: "Iwas truly amazed Everything isexactly the same, there is no differenceat all. I would just like an explanationas to how it has all happened."Caddy demanded an explantionfrom the developers but James Ho wasunabashed: "I feel that there are manyunique features to English architecture.There must be some reason why thesebuildings have existed for hundreds ofyears, so we will imitate or copy, wewill not make any changes."WSC'S PARACHUTISTSLONDON, SEPTEMBER 26TH— Britain'sParachute Regiment, deployed inAfghanistan during 2006, has itsorigins in an elite force of commandosset up by the army at the request ofChurchill. It was first deployed on 10February 1941, jumping into Italy andblowing up an aqueduct in a raidnamed Operation Colossus, reportsCaroline Davies in The Times:"Almost a year later, the regimentcarried out Operation Biting,the Bruneval raid, to dismantle aWurzburg precision radar dish onthe northern French coast and bringit back to England for scientificresearch."At Arnhem, the regiment wonthe first two of its four VictoriaCrosses. Lt John Grayburn led his menacross the bridge to mount counterattacksdespite heavy fire by Panzersand SS grenadiers. Though injuredtwice, he refused to be moved out andstayed fighting at "the bridge too far"until he was killed on 20 September1944. Lionel Queripel, a captain withthe Royal Sussex Regiment attached to10 Para, led his badly outgunned company,despite being wounded, in a successfulattack on German machinegunners. When he and his party werecut off in a ditch he ordered his mento withdraw but insisted on remainingbehind, armed with hand grenades, tocover their exit. It was the last time hewas seen."Operations in Malaya, Suez,Northern Ireland and the Falklandsfollowed. The Falklands added twoFINEST HOUR 134/7more VCs to the tally when Lt. Col.Herbert Jones and Sergeant IanMcKay were killed in action."Cynics often scoff that Churchillhad one brainless idea after another, soit is nice to have his ParachuteRegiment to set down alongside thetank and the Mulberry Harbour.ELVIS IS NOT KINGLONDON, APRIL 3RD, 2005— Will they everfinish running popularity polls inEngland? Surely Churchill has retiredthe trophy: now being voted "the personmost of us would travel back intime to meet." WSC bested Elvis,Einstein and Marilyn Monroe, the runners-up.Princess Diana finished justseventh. Kind of an odd group?Perhaps the fact that the poll wasamong 1000 readers of The Sunexplains it. They also voted the"Swinging Sixties" as the decade theywould most like to be part of. Oh to bein Vietnam, now that Spring is here.CONFERENCE POSTSCRIPTCHICAGO, AUGUST 2iST— (Excerpts)WHEREAS Winston Leonard SpencerChurchill, whose mother wasAmerican, was proud of his Americanheritage and stated to Congress in1941, "Had my mother been Englishand my father American.. .1 mighthave got here on my own," andWHEREAS Churchill was agraduate of Sandhurst, served in themilitary, rode in the last major chargeof British cavalry, was Chancellor ofthe Exchequer and Prime Minister ofGreat Britain, and in partnership withPresident Franklin Delano Rooseveltfought and conqured the Axis powersin World War II, andWHEREAS Winston Churchillvisited Chicago three times, from 1901when he was twenty-one years old,through 1932, andWHEREAS in his first 1932speech at the Union League before1700 people, he quickly turned to hisfavorite theme, of the United Statesand Great Britain as the powers toremedy problems in the world, and »

DATELINESWHEREAS, in his second 1932speech at Orchestra Hall, Churchillgave stern warnings againstCommunism, which he likened asslavery to a despotic government, andWHEREAS Churchill lovedChicago, stating, "I have never seenanything like the friendliness andsentiments toward us there was asplendor in Chicago and a life thrustthat is all its own," andWHEREAS upon Churchill'sdeath, Chicago demonstrated an outpouringof grief and affection, and byorder of Mayor Richard J. Daleygovernment flags were lowered to halfmast for a week, andWHEREAS President John F.Kennedy, who awarded WinstonChurchill honorary American citizenshipin 1963, stated that he was "Themost honorable man to walk the stageof human history in the time in whichwe live," andWHEREAS, The ChurchillCentre, an international organizationheadquarted in Washington, D.C., andestablished in 1968 to foster leadership,statesmanship, vision and boldnessamong democratic and freedomlovingpeoples worldwide through thethoughts, words, works and deeds ofWinston Spencer Churchill, is holdingits 23rd International ChurchillConference at The Drake Hotel fromSeptember 27th to October 1st, andWHEREAS we are pleased as thecity of Chicago to be the host of thisconference organized to remember aman of such distinction who foughtfor freedom for all the world,WE, the City of Chicago, dohereby proclaim that we are honoredto have The Churchill Centre here,give it a warm welcome, and urge it tocontinue to preserve the memory ofthis great man."—PROCLAMATION BY MAYOR RICHARD M. DALEYFIRST STATE FELLOWSANCHORAGE, JULY 27TH— The first class ofForty-Ninth State Fellows at theUniversity of Alaska, Anchorage—university honors students speciallyAROUND & ABOUTonald Rumsfeld, President Bush's former ;Secretary of Defense, who resigned after theNovember election, has been "controversial" (to put itmildly) since things in Iraq started to go bad. When things were goingwell, with coalition forces sweeping into Baghdad four years ago thisSpring, the media doted on his every quip.A strong admirer of Winston Churchill, Rumsfeld has quotedWSC on many occasions lately, getting only into more hot water. In lateAugust the Secretary said that his detractors reminded him of Hitler'sappeasers: "Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, thecrocodile will eat him last." New York Times critic Frank Rich shot backon September 3rd: "He can quote Churchill all he wants, but if he wantsto self-righteously use [sic] that argument to smear others, the recordshows that Mr. Rumsfeld cozied up to the crocodile of Baghdad assmarmily as anyone."In his departure remarks at the White House on October 9thRumsfeld said, "I call to mind the words of Winston Churchill, who saidsomething like this: 'I have benefited greatly from criticism and at notime have I suffered a lack thereof.'" The Secretary quite properlyadmitted he was not quoting verbatim. The actual quotation is: "I havederivedcontinued benefit from criticism at all periods of my life and I do notremember any time when I was ever short of it." (House of Commons,27 November 1914.)Anorak, a British website "keeping tabs on the tabloids," tookthat up with a Churchill reference of its own: "As another wartime leaderof old might have put it, he came, he saw, he almost conquered butlacked a viable and speedy exit strategy." Anorak was paraphrasingChurchill's comment on General Charles Monro, who took commandof British forces at Gallipoli in October 1915 and supervised their evacuation:"General Monro was an officer of swift decision. He came, hesaw, he capitulated." (The World Crisis II, 489.)We could have provided Mr. Rumsfeld with a much more pointedChurchillism: "We do not resent the well-meant criticism of any manwho wishes to win the war. We do not shrink from any fair criticism, andthat is the most dangerous of all. On the contrary, we take it earnestlyto heart and seek to profit by it. Criticism in the body politic is like painin the human body. It is not pleasant, but where would the body bewithout it? No health or sensibility would be possible without continuedcorrectives and warnings of pain." (House of Commons, 27 January1940.)And, in tribute to the department Rumsfeld was leaving (whichused to be called the War Department, and maybe should be again):"I am going to do something that has never been done before,and I hope the House will not be shocked at the breach of precedent. Iam going to make public a word of praise for the War Office. In all theforty years I have served in this House I have heard that Departmentsteadily abused before, during, and after our various wars. And if mymemory serves me aright I have frequently taken part in the well-meritedcriticism which was their lot." (House of Commons, 2 August 1944.)FINEST HOUR 134/8

selected for achievement, character,and academic promise—took its freshmantutorial last spring with ProfessorJames W. Muller. They studiedChurchill's autobiography, My EarlyLife, along with a number of hisspeeches from Never Give In!, the collectionassembled by his grandson.Near the end of the term theclass, which had read about Churchill'sremark to Violet Asquith at their firstmeeting—"We are all worms; but I dobelieve I am a glowworm"—decided tocall themselves the "Glowworms."Having now advance to their sophomoreyear, the Glowworms willgraduate in 2009, the year of the semicentenaryof Alaska statehood. In themeantime, the second class of Forty-Ninth State Fellows, who entered collegelast autumn, studied The RiverWar in the University Honors course"Enduring Books," also taught byProfessor Muller.GAS POLICY IN 1940DOVER, JUNE 1940— Britain was preparedto use mustard gas to repel Germaninvaders after Dunkirk, but had only450 tons, less than five percent of theamount held by the Germans. Theplan would have delivered the entiresupply, using squadrons of Blenheim,Battle and Wellington bombers fittedwith spray tanks, in one mass attack,hoping it would work because it couldnot be repeated. If it failed, of course,the Germans could retaliate with theirown endless gas supply.Churchill ordered weekly reportsof gas production to be submitted personallyto him, generally scrawlingacross the bottom the terse comment,"Press on." By autumn 1941, with theinvasion threat abated, almost 6000people were employed researching andmanufacturing chemical weapons, andthe following spring Britain hadalmost 20,000 tons of gas. But, despiteshrill accusations on the internet andelsewhere, Churchill was determinednot to use it first.In March 1942 the Chiefs ofStaff stated: "It has been accepted »LOCALCONTACTS(affiliates in bold face)Local Affairs Coordinator:Gary Garrison (ccsgary@bellsouth.net)2364 Beechwood Drive, Marietta GA 30062tel. (770) 378-8389; fax (770) 565-5925Deputy Coordinator:Paul Courtenay (ndege@tiscali.co.uk)Park Lane Lodge, Quarley, Andover, Hants.SP11 8QB UK; tel. (01264) 889627Rt. Hon. Sir Winston S. Churchill Society of AlaskaJudith &C Jim Muller (afjwm@uaa.alaska.edu)2410 Galewood St., Anchorage AK 99508tel. (907) 786-4740; fax (907) 786-4647Churchill Centre ArizonaLarry Pike (lvpike@Chartwellgrp.com)4927 E. Crestview Dr., Paradise Valley AZ 85253bus. tel. (602) 445-7719; cell (602) 622-0566California: Churchillians of the DesertDavid Ramsay (rambo85@aol.com)74857 S. Cove Drive, Indian Wells CA 92210tel. (760) 837-1095Churchillians by the BayRichard Mastio (rcmastio@earthlink.net)2996 Franciscan Way, Carmel CA 93923-9216tel. (831) 625-6164Churchillians of Southern CaliforniaLeon J. Waszak (leonwaszak@aol.com)235 South Ave. #66, Los Angeles CA 90042tel. (323) 257-9279; bus. tel. (818) 240-1000x5844Churchill Friends of Greater ChicagoPhil & Susan Larson (parker-fox@msn.com)22 Scottdale Road, LaGrange IL 60526tel. (708) 352-6825Colorado: Rocky Mountain ChurchlliansLew House, President (Ihouse2cti@earthlink.net)2034 Eisenhower Drive, Louisville CO 80027tel. (303) 661-9856; fax (303) 661-0589England: ICS (UK) Woodford/Epping BranchTony Woodhead, Old Orchard, 32 Albion HillLoughton, Essex 1G10 4RD; tel. (0208) 508-4562England: ICS (UK) Northern BranchDerek Greenwell, "Farriers Cottage"Station Road, GoldsboroughKnaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8NTtel. (01432) 863225Churchill Centre North FloridaRichard Streiff (streiffr@bellsouth.net)81 N.W. 44th Street, Gainesville FL 32607tel. (352) 378-8985Winston Churchill Society of GeorgiaWilliam L. Fisher (fishl947@bellsouth.net)5299 Brooke Farm Rd., Dunwoody GA 30338tel. (770) 399-9774Winston Churchill Society of Michigan:Michael P. Malley (Michael@malleylaw.com)3135 South State St., Ste. 203, Ann Arbor MI 48108tel. (734) 996-1083; fax (734) 327-2973FINEST HOUR 134 / 9Churchill Round Table of NebraskaJohn Meeks (jmeeks@wrldhstry.com)7720 Howard Street #3, Omaha NE 68114tel. (402) 968-2773New England ChurchilliansJoseph L. Hern (jhern@fhmboston.com)340 Beale Street, Quincy MA 02170tel. (617) 773-1907; bus. tel. (617) 248-1919Churchill Society of New OrleansEdward F. Martin (tmartin@joneswalker.com)2328 Coliseum St., New Orleans LA 70130tel. (504) 582-8152Churchill Society of Greater New York CityPeggy Hatton (peggy.hatton@suny.edu)33 West 42nd St., 12th floor, New York NY 10036tel. (212) 221-8688North Carolina ChurchilliansA. Wendell Musser MD (amusser@nc.rr.com)1214 Champions Pointe DriveDurham NC 27712; tel. (919) 593-0804Churchill Centre Northern OhioMichael McMenamin (mtm@walterhav.com)1301 East 9th St. #3500, Cleveland OH 44114tel. (216) 781-1212Churchill Society of PhiladelphiaBernard Wojciechowski(bwojciechowski@borough.ambler.pa, us)1966 Lafeyette Rd., Lansdale PA 19446, el. (323-661-9856Washington Society for ChurchillDr. John H. Mather, Pres. (Johnmather@aol.com)PO Box 73, Vienna, VA 22182-0073tel. (240) 353-6782North Texas: Emery Reves ChurchilliansJeffWeesner (jweesner@centurytel.net)2101 Knoll Ridge Court, Corinth TX 76210tel. (940) 321-0757; cell (940) 300-6237Churchill Centre South TexasJames T. Slattery (slattery@fed-med.com)2803 Red River CreekSan Antonio TX 78259-3542cell (210) 601-2143; fax (210) 497-0904Tennessee: Vanderbilt Univ. Young Churchill ClubProf. John English (john.h.english@vanderbilt.edu)Box 1616, Station B, Vanderbilt University,Nashville TN 37235THE RT HON SIR WINSTON S. CHURCHILLSOCIETY, CANADACalgary: Dr. Francis LeBlanc, Pres. (neuron@telus.new)126 Pinetree Dr. SW, Calgary AB T3Z 3K4tel. (403) 685-5836; fax (403) 217-5632Edmonton: Dt. Edward Hutson, Pres.(jehutson@shaw.ca)98 Rehwinkel Road, Edmonton AB T6R 1Z8tel. (780) 430-7178British Columbia: Christopher Hebb, Pres.(cavell_capital@telus.net)1806-1111 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver BCV6E 4M3; tel. (604) 209-6400Vancouver Island: Victor Burstall, Pres.(burst@shaw.ca) P. O. Box 2114, SidneyBC V8L 3S6; tel. (250) 727-7345

DATELINESthat we should not initiate the use ofgas unless it suited our book to do soduring the invasion." But the events of1940-41 showed that if a nation's survivalis at stake, it is unlikely to putobligations like the Geneva Protocolahead of military expediency.— The Times, 12 February 2002.MANY MOREGENEROUS SUPPORTERSThe list of supporters sent outwith our 2006 Heritage Fund appeallisted—aside from members whosupported the 2005 Heritage Fund—Churchill Centre Associates, supportersof the 2005 Churchill Lecture andReves Award benefit dinner, and memberswho renewed their subscription at$1000 or more each year. But weomitted a great many other generousmembers who renew at well over the$50 minimum—at $100, $250 and$500 per year—including quite a lotof our personal friends!As a partial apology we list hereour roll of Benefactor Members, whorenewed last year (and in many casesfor several previous years) at $500; andSupporting Members ($250). Theirgenerosity is deeply appreciated.In next year's Heritage Fundmailing, we will list everyone whorenews their dues at more than thebasic level: over one-third of ourmembership. RMLBenefactor Members ($500 per year)Darius Anderson, Benjamin B.Baker, Dr. Michael A. Berk, Charles K.Bobronskoy, GaryJ. Bonine, Mr. &Mrs. Michael J. Close, Steven M.Crane, Paul B. Edgerley, GaryGarrison, Jay S. Goodgold, W.,Thomas Hudson, Dr. David R. Jones,Philip J. Lyons, Laird M. Malamed,Terrance W. McGarry, Michael T.McMenamin, Dr. A. Wendell Musser,Lawrence Neubauer, John H. Noonan,Charles S. Northen III, VincentOsterman, Sen. Bob Packwood, AlfioK. Pennisi, Matthew R. Simmons,Cita Stelzer, Glenn E. Stinson, James& Lucille Thomas, Mark & PatriciaTreadwell, Daun van Ee, William D.Vasilion, Matthew B. Wills, Jason P.Wise, Michael L. Youngman.Supporting Members ($250 per year)W. Sheperdson Abell, MaureenAdams, W. Thad Adams III, Ian A.Aitchison, Andrew Alexander, MichaelS. Allen, Randall Baker, Dr. & Mrs.John Banta, F. H. Barker, Peter L.Baumbusch, John G. Beckett,Christopher Beckmann, Herbert P.Benn, Alan F. Bland, Henry V. Bohm,Robert A. Bohrer, Wayne Brent,Frederick M. Brosio Jr., PeterCanzano, Donald S. Carmichael,Casey Carmony, A. William Cohen,Lawrence S. Collamore, Adelaide E.Comegys, Brian Corbey, Charles C.Cornelio, Dr. Martin S. Cousineau,Charles W. Crist, Linda WoodburyDeal, Thomas C. Deas Jr., DawneDeeley, Timothy C. Egan, Jarulv G.Egeland, Nanci C. Eichel, Douglas J.Feith, Dr. Joseph J. Fins, LauraFiskow, Tranum Fitzpatrick, Lee A.Forlenza, Theodore Fosdick, KenGack, Robert J. Giuffrajr., Dr. StevenD. Goldfien, William R. Goodall,Jeffrey M. Gudman, Robert H.Halfyard, Fred C. Hardman, Dr.Donald E. Harris, Dr. Lee S. Harris,Keith T. J. Hart, Robert E. Hartland,Steven F. Hayward, Paul M. Higbee,Eric G. Hoerner, Mr. & Mrs. D. CraigHorn, William S. Hummers, J.Heffrey Hutter Sr., Col. DavidJablonsky, Donald E. Jakeway, AlanJones, Joseph L. Just, Raymond &Nancy Kann, Justin Kennedy, JackKoers, Beth Krzywicki, F. Stuart Kuhn,Patrician D. Kurtz, James F. Lane,Susan and Philip Larson, Parker LeeIII, Darren & Linda Leonard, Dr.Terrence W. Leveck, J. WilliamLovelace, James E. Lukaszewski,Ronald Luke, Bertil Lundqvist, JamesE. Lutton III, Gerard P. Lynch, GeneLyons, Thomas B. McCullough, Jr.,W. Stuart McKee, Dickson McLeanJr., Alvin J. Meiklejohn Jr., Alan B.Miller, David Minnerly, Dirk P.D.Mosis III, Dr. & Mrs Andrew Ness, R.Kendall Nottingham, Robert P. OdellFINEST HOUR 134 /10WANTED:ASSISTANT EDITORWe seek an assistant with adriving interest (encyclopedicknowledge is not required) in theentire Churchill saga (not justWW2), understanding thatChurchill was not infalllible, andwho enjoys communicating hiswords and deeds.An assistant editor should bea good writer (we have wonderfulproofreaders who often save usfrom ourselves), familiar withdesktop publishing applications.(Ours is Quark Express.) We seeka proven ability to meet deadines(often one a month), and a longtermcommitment. These are theessentials. This is a paid position,and the pay will increase as theassistant does more. We do notanticipate any sudden changes,rather a gradual drift toward newhands who will carry on for a longtime. Thus, applicants should bein their fifties or younger. Contactmalakand@langworth.name or tollfreeat (888) 454-2275. Referencesand resumes are requested. -Ed. $Jr., Dr. Paul J. Olscamp, David E.Olson, Dr. Malcolm I. Page, ThomasPaul, Dr. Robert L. Pfaltzgraff Jr., Dr.Steven D. Pieper, Lance Philman,Lawrence V. Pike, William R. Piper,David R. Pohndorf, William E. Postma,Dr. Jack D. Proctor, James C. Reynolds,Michel K. Riethmiller, LeonardRobbins, Dene Rogers, Dr. JamesRogers, Jerker O. Runnquist, John R.Sapp, Robet S. Schuler, Thomas Selby,Alan Shaw, William Slayman, MichaelF. Smith, L. Neal Smith Jr., Mr. & Mrs.Sherwood H. Smith Jr., John L. Stavert,Dr. John E. Stumbo, William H.Sullivan, Fred W. Tegarden, Mrs.Frederick Townley, Donald R. Tracy,Peter J. Travers, Dr. Joseph E. Troiani,Lowell Tuttman, Paul E. Violette,Charles A. Viviano, Harry & BethWarren, Damon Wells Jr., James T.Williams, L. Mark Wine, Teresa S.Woodside, Alex M. Worth Jr. $

UK & CANADA NEWSSecretaries Reunite in LondonICS Canada Has New WebsiteICS (UK)LONDON, NOVEMBER6TH— The ChurchillMuseum celebrated itsreceipt of the highlyprestigious 2006Council of EuropeMuseum Prize. Guests at a reception atthe Cabinet War Rooms includedLady Soames, the Hon. Celia Sandys,Minnie Churchill and Duncan Sandys.Two notable guests were formersecretaries to Sir Winston. Honorarymember Elizabeth Layton Nel was asecretary during 1941-45; after the warshe married and moved to South Africawhere she still lives, and she turns 90in 2007. Her charming memoir, Mr.Churchill's Secretary, was published byHodder & Stoughton in 1958. LadyWilliams of Elvel—formerly JanePortal—filled the same position during1949-55; two of her uncles were R.A.Butler and Marshal of the RAFViscount Portal of Hungerford; she waswell connected with "life at the top."OTHER UK NewsMembership is currently 424,but ought to be higher; all membersare again urged to try to recruit friendsand other contacts. There were 99 newChurchill Fellows in 2006 (followingtheir travels and projects sponsored bythe Winston Churchill MemorialTrust); one was already a member andfour others have joined.Study Pack for Schools. RobertCourts is devoting much time andeffort to devising this ambitious project,which aims to assemble a largenumber of writings by and aboutWSC, culled from books, articles,speeches etc. These will be collated ina pack and made available to schools;teachers will be able to draw on itfor sources, while the comprehensivecoverage of the many facets of WSC'slife will be conveniently available toboth teachers and students.The 2007 Annual GeneralMeeting will take place on Saturday21 April at the Imperial War Museum,Duxford (on the Mil, about eightmiles south of Cambridge); among theattractions is the American AirMuseum. Particulars will be circulated.An Annual Dinner in Londonwas proposed last year at a probablecost of about £50 a head, with anotable speaker. February was suggestedas a suitable month, as not much else isusually in the cards at that time of year.Owing to limited support by the membership,however, this idea has beenshelved.ICS (CANADA)winstonchurchilicanada.caOCTOBER 15TH The new ICS Canadawebsite is up and running.We hope youfind it interestingand useful.Included isa brief history ofICS Canada as partof The ChurchillCentre, and of Churchill's connectionto Canada; activities past and future;important dates in Churchill's life; andFINEST HOUR 134/11a membership application, to which weask Canadians to refer friends. Weappreciate comments on improvingthis important method of communicationto widen the interest in Churchilland his relevance in the 21st Century.An "Evening with Sir Winston"was held in January and included thefinal episode of Sir Martin Gilbert'sBBC Film Biography "Never Despair."This follows the very well receivedVolume 3 ("The Beginning of theEnd"), shown at our event on October30th. Thanks to Director Peter Allenfor arranging that program and providingthe film. Full details were noted ina flyer to be mailed to members andincluded on the website. See alsoChartwell Bulletin 12, April."From Winston to Western" wasthe heading in the Globe and Mail,announcing that Sir Martin Gilberthad "been lured to the University ofWestern Ontario as an adjunctresearch professor". (See Finest Hour133:7, "Sir Martin Heads West.") ICSCanada will invite Sir Martin to joinus when his schedule permits.From the Bookshelf. One of themost controversial books aboutChurchill, by his doctor, Lord Moran,was recently republished (see FH 132:46). The Churchill family was criticalof what they held an abuse of the doctor/patientrelationship, but Moransaid historians told him he would befailing the public by not writing aboutWSC's health, which was an importantfacet of his life and his actions. A discussionand excerpts appeared in ournewsletter.Comments, suggestions and articleswould be much appreciated bynewsletter editor Terry Reardon, 182Burnhamthorpe Road, Toronto, ONM9A 1H6 (reardont@rogers.com),telephone (416) 231 -6803. ¥>

Bopping the BocheAFTER "FIGHT IN THE HILLS," did Churchillsuggest socking the Germans with beer bottles?have read somewhere that thespeech in the House ofCommons on 4 June 1940, wasedited; and that Churchillallegedly said, after his "we shallfight in the hills" peroration, somethingto to the effect of throwing beerbottles at the Germans, since there wasno shortage of bottles. Is this true, ornot? Sir Winston is my political rolemodel; his conservative skepticism isthe only sane perspective on the world,albeit depressive.LARS BERGLUND, LJUNBY, SWEDENThis remark has been rumored (lessin regard to the House speech thanChurchill's subsequent broadcast of it),but never completely proven. In fact,we can find only one reference, in apopular biography, Winston Churchill:An Informal Study of Greatness, byRobert Lewis Taylor (New York:Doubleday, 1952). Taylor, an itinerantbiographer, wrote a good book becausehe managed to find and interviewmany people who knew Churchill asfar back as the Boer War. But he providedno footnotes, so his attributionsare hard to pin down. (You can easilyfind the book, which is very common—trywww.bookfinder.com).Taylor writes (223-24):"There has always been somedispute about the aside that Churchilltacked onto his famous speech inwhich he promised that 'We shall fighton the beaches,' and in other localspots. After crying out the now familiarrepetitions, accenting the 'We shallfights' like hammer blows, he finished,then added a half-whispered commentas he sat down. The best authoritiessay that his words were: 'But Godknows what we'll fight with.'"The version of the speech thathe broadcast carried a positive amplificationof this aside. Oneof England's highestclergymen, who was presentin the studio,reports that Churchill ended hisspeech, placed his hand over themicrophone, and added, 'And we willhit them over the heads with beer bottles,which is about all we have got towork with.'"We are not sure who the "clergyman"could be, but the late Sir JohnColville, who was present at all of the1940 broadcasts, does not mentionChurchill's passing remark in his memoirs.Incidentally, it was this speechwhich gave rise to the claim that actorNorman Shelley substituted forChurchill and read his speeches overthe BBC—a myth long since demolished.See http://xrl.us/sp8m.am working on a lesson planfor a university seminar atMunich University andheard in a film that WSCspoke in the Commons in1946 of the deaths of Hansand Sophie Scholl of the Munich resistancegroup "Weifie Rose." Does thisremark exist and how can I find it?ANDREW BOOT, COPENHAGEN, DENMARKWe found one source: RichardLamb, Churchill as War Leader(London: Bloomsbury, 1991, 292):"After the war Churchill statedhe had been misled by his assistantsabout the considerable strength andsize of the anti-Hitler Resistance... 'inGermany there lived an oppositionwhich was weakened by their lossesand an enervating international policy,but which belongs to the noblest andgreatest that the political history ofany nation has ever produced. Thesemen fought without help from withinFINEST HOUR 134/12or from abroad driven forward onlyby the restlessness of their conscience.As long as they lived they were invisibleand unrecognisable to us, becausethey had to camouflage themselves.But their death made the resistancevisible.'"Lamb's footnote to this passagereads: "Churchill's remarks about theResistance have been quoted by severalGerman historians including Pechel inDeutscher Wilderstand. Doubts onwhether Churchill really said thesewords have been cast, but Churchillwrote on 19 November 1946 to WalterHammer of Hamburg:" 'Since the receipt of your letterI have had a search made through myspeeches for the passage to which youand Count Hardenburg refer; but sofar no record can be found of any suchpronouncement by me. But I mightquite well have used the words youquote as they represent my feelings onthis aspect of German affairs.'"Churchill makes no mention ofthe Scholls or WeifSe Rose, nor arethese words in any transcripts.We would be very doubtfulabout quoting such offhand referencesin a film without attribution. Digitalsearches now enable us to search morethoroughly than ever, yet the only referenceto these words, or even to partialphrases, is Richard Lamb's book—with his cautionary footnote.We suggest you quote Lamb, notthe film, and include Lamb's footnote,which shows that although Churchillmay not have said these exact words,he did share the sentiments.Thanks for a most interestingchase through the literature! RML Mi

COVER STORY: STATUARYThe Nemon Statueand Churchill ArchBYJAMESLANCASTERhere used to be a rule in the House ofCommons, endorsed by Churchill himself,that prevented the erection of statues to statesmenin the Palace of Westminster until tenyears after their death. Most ConservativeMPs thought this rule should be waived in the case ofChurchill and won their point after considerable debate.Oscar Nemon was given a commission of £10,000 for alarge statue in bronze, which was unveiled on 2December 1969. Replicas are in many cities, includingToronto, Halifax and Brussels.Rubbing Churchill's left foot on the way in tothe Commons Chamber has been a good luck habit forConservative MPs for years, but its effect can be seenclearly on the cover photograph. In 2006 it was discoveredthat there were hairline fractures in the foot. OscarNemon used periodically to make the shiny foot lessconspicuous by darkening it, but he died in 1985. TheSpeaker's advisory committee on works of art is currentlylooking at the problem. It is most unlikely, even in aLabour Government, that MPs will no longer be able topay their respects by rubbing Sir Winston's foot.The story of the Churchill Arch goes back to 10May 1941, when bombs destroyed the Chamber of theCommons. A famous photograph shows Churchill,accompanied by his faithful Parliamentary PrivateSecretary Brendan Bracken, looking at the broken archwhile standing on a pile of rubble.Those were stern and trying times. On thisfirst anniversary of his Premiership Churchill had justrouted the rebels on a Vote of Censure—but Britain stillstood alone. Now the birthplace of parliamentarydemocracy, Churchill's spiritual home, had witnessedsacrilege. The Ministry of Information wanted to down-play the disaster, but Churchill said: "Publish it to theworld, and leave that arch to remind those who comeafter how they kept the bridge in the brave days of old.' :Churchill insisted that the Chamber be rebuiltexactly as it had been before:There are two main characteristics of the House of Commonswhich will command the approval and the support of reflectiveand experienced members. They will, I have no doubt, soundodd to foreign ears. The first is that its shape should be oblongand not semi-circular. Here is a very potent factor in our politicallife.. ..It is easy [in a semi-circular assembly] for an individual tomove through those insensible gradations from Left to Right,but the act of crossing the Floor is one which requires seriousconsideration. I am well informed on this matter, for I have accomplishedthat difficult process, not only once but twice....The second characteristic of a Chamber formed on the lines ofthe House of Commons is that it should not be big enough tocontain all its members at once without over-crowding, and thatthere should be no question of every member having a separateseat reserved for him. The reason for this has long been a puzzleto uninstructed outsiders, and has frequently excited the curiosityand even the criticism of new members. Yet it is not so difficultto understand if you look at it from a practical point of view.If the House is big enough to contain all its members, ninetenthsof its debates will be conducted in the depressing atmosphereof an almost empty or half-empty Chamber. The essenceof good House of Commons speaking is the conversational style,the facility for quick, informal interruptions and interchanges.Harangues from a rostrum would be a bad substitute for theconversational style in which so much of our business is done.But the conversational style requires a fairly small space, andthere should be on great occasions a sense of crowd and urgency.It was not until 26 October 1950 that theHouse of Commons returned to its old Chamber.Following Prime Minister Attlee's opening address,Churchill said, "I am a child of the House of Commonsand have been here I believe longer than anyone. I wasmuch upset when I was thrown out of my collectivecradle." Attlee had earlier told the House that the arch,which had been faithfully restored stone by stone, wasnow named the Churchill Arch. That evening Churchilltold his friend Lord Camrose that he had always wantedthe arch to be preserved, but that he had no idea that itshould be given his name. He said that "Attlee had beenvery nice" in naming the arch after him. $FlNESTHOUR 134/13

RESEARCH PROJECTS: STATUARYChurchill Worldwideinest Hour herewith begins along-anticipated project:recording the details of allChurchill memorials all overthe world. Eventually this maydevelop into a useful handbook, chartingsites from Anchorage to Zagreb. Itwill also certainly be amalgamated in asection on our website. It is an ambitiousproject, since we want it to becomprehensive and up-to-date—amust for any Churchill traveller orexplorer. By way of example, we haveput together an initial list of statuesand busts, which we do not pretendfor a minute is complete.Beyond just statues, we willinclude institutions, libraries, artgalleries, colleges and schools, museums,memorials, houses (private andopen to the public), busts, plaques,avenues, squares and parks.There will be a chapter for eachcountry, describing everything of interestin that country. We will include asmuch as we can find: photographs,historical background, dates, openingceremonies, sponsors and financing,activities and services, contact details,websites, interesting stories, and informationon the artist, architect andsculptor if applicable.Help WantedWe will be using many differentsources, but we will never be able toproduce a truly comprehensive guidewithout help from readers of FinestHour. We are therefore asking you tocontact us by email with any informationon memorials, statues, schools,etc. where you live, or which youknow about and have visited. We especiallyneed photographs, and your helpin talking to people on the spot. Allcontributions from readers will beacknowledged in these pages and inmore permanent forms of the handbook,unless of course you specificallyrequest no acknowledgment. ThankA HANDBOOK OF CHURCHILL MEMORIALS is to be producedby Finest Hour, designed to guide users to Churchillianathroughout the world. Reader assistance is essential—James Lancaster explains how you can help.you for your help in creating a guidewhich will of great interest and valueto Churchillians all over the world.Email to: jimlancaster@wanadoo.frSTATUES & BUSTSPlease send us your additionsand corrections...AUSTRALIACanberra: Ivor Roberts-Jonesstatue near Churchill House; a similarone at Australian National University.BELGIUMBrussels: Oscar Nemon statue.BRUNEIBandar Sen Begawan: Nemon statue.CANADAEdmonton, AB: Nemon statue.Halifax, NS: Nemon statue.Fredericton NB: John Forrestallbronze statue, Legislative Building.Quebec: Nemon bust.Toronto: City Hall Nemon statue;Sunnyvale Hospital Rabb bust.CZECH REPUBLICPrague: Ivor Roberts-Jones statue;Belsky statue, British Embassy.CHINAShonjiang, Shanghai: Bronzestatue, real estate development.DENMARKCopenhagen: Nemon bust.FRANCEParis: Jean Cardot statue.HUNGARYBudapest: Innre Varga bust.ITALYBaveno, Lake Maggiore: Granitestatue by local sculptor, Sr. Polli.LUXEMBOURGLuxembourg City: Oscar Nemonstatue, Place Winston Churchill, 1973.MALTAValletta: Upper Baracca Gardens.MEXICOMexico City: Nemon statue.NORWAYOslo: Ivor Roberts-Jones statue.RUSSIAYalta: Bronze statue by ZurabTseriteli of Churchill, Roosevelt andStalin marking 60th anniversary ofYalta conference.UNITED KINGDOMBletchley Park: Nemon bust.Cambridge: Oscar Nemon bust,Churchill College; Franta Belsky bust,Churchill Archives Centre.Ditchley Park: Angela Connorlarge bronze bust.Dover: Nemon statue lookingtowards Dover Patrol Memorial.Harrow: Epstein Bust.Hoddesdon: Franta Belsky bust,Conservative Club.FINEST HOUR 134/14

-«*^ -' s "">5l3f ^k< ':-.VALLETTA, MALTA: Unknown to many,this bust by an unnamed sculptor atUpper Baracca Gardens carries theChurchill Arms at its base and aninscription: "To The Rt HonourableWinston Spencer Churchill KG, ThePeople of Malta and Gozo, MCMLV."London: Franta Belsky bust,Churchill Hotel; Nemon seated statue,Guildhall; Nemon statue, House ofCommons; Jacob Epstein bust,MacConnal-Mason Gallery; OscarNemon bust, National PortraitGallery; Lawrence Holofcener seatedstatue of Roosevelt and Churchill onbench, New Bond Street; Ivor Roberts-Jones statue, Parliament Square;Margarita Hernandez bust, RoyalCollege of Defence Studies.St. Margaret's Bay, Kent: OscarNemon statue, The Pines Garden.Westerham: Nemon statue, southend of big lake, Chartwell; Nemonstatue, village green.Windsor: Nemon bust commissionedby HM The Queen in 1953,Windsor Castle.Woodford Green: David McFallstatue; small Oscar Nemon Bust,Conservative Party headquarters.UNITED STATESFulton, MO: Franta Belsky statue,Churchill Memorial, WestminsterCollege; Belsky bust in entry lobby.Hillsdale, MI: Heather Tritchka(Hillsdale alumna) statue withChurchill's stand-up desk, HillsdaleCollege.Kansas City: Oscar Nemon statue,"Tribute to Married Love," commissionedby Churchill.New Orleans: Nemon statue.Washington: William M. McVeystatue, British Embassy.LUXEMBOURG'S STATUE:RESTORATION NEEDEDA project like this offers all sortsof ancillary benefits, such as checkingon the current condition of ChurchillMemorials around the world.Mark Weston, a resident ofLuxembourg, wrote to us of the"desolate and degraded" Nemon statuein Luxembourg City: "There are manysignificant American businesses herethat are fond of their heritage: theJohn F. Kennedy Road from Kirchbergthrough the city itself; the RooseveltRoad that stretches through the city.Yet the hero who said 'NeverSurrender,' who would have fought tothe death for liberty, has only a statuefar from the crowd, covered in birdexcrement. I would restore it myselfbut I have no idea where to begin."Mr. Weston's letter may be ofinterest to other readers faced withdilapidated Churchill memorials, andinspire restoration efforts such as theone undertaken in Toronto by ICSCanada and the ParliamentaryDemocracy Society (FH 128:12). It isindeed a sad state of affairs when astatue, particularly of Sir Winston, isnot properly maintained, as any statuesin the "open air" require.I live in a remote part ofNormandy, where there are severalisolated headstones and memorials toBritish war dead. My wife and I cleanthese isolated headstones regularly. TheCommonwealth War GravesCommission maintains all the largercemeteries—1.7 million headstones toBritish war dead in the two world wars—and does its job magnificently. TheFrench office employs 450 people inthe maintenance of the headstones andgardens. American cemeteries, such asFINEST HOUR 134/15the one at Hamm near Luxembourg,are maintained by the American BattleMonuments Commission.Quite obviously the situation inthe City of Luxembourg is one ofneglect. I suggested Mr. Weston contactthe Mayor's office, or throughthem the responsible department,bringing to their attention the lamentablecondition of the statue of SirWinston Churchill, urging them tohave the bronze professionally cleaned.I suggested Mr Weston remindlocal authorities of the ceremonieswhich marked the 60th anniversary ofthe liberation of Luxembourg on 10September 2004. They were led byGrand Duchess Charlotte, the sovereignwho best represents the strugglefor the independence of the country.These ceremonies included the layingof wreaths at the statue of WinstonChurchill (see the following website:http://xrl.us/luxembourg).There may be other memorialsto Churchill in the Grand Duchy.His visit to Metz and Luxembourg on14-15 July 1946 was a major event,and a film is available from theCentre Nationale de l'Audiovisuel inLuxembourg City. $

EDUCATIONA Portrait at Churchill Junior High;A Teacher Seminar in CharlestonTHE CHURCHILL CENTRE ensures that students at Churchill Junior High now see their school'snamesake every day. The Churchill teacher seminar series travels to South Carolina.BY SUZANNE S1GMANminute talk, Jim Thomas engaged the students assembledin discussing Churchill and his contributions to history.Everyone at Churchill Junior High School wasappreciative and expressed gratitude to The ChurchillCentre. Every day now, a school full of young people seesa picture of the man for whom their school was named.The Centre is grateful to Scott Kominkiewicz and EastBrunswick school authorities for their enthusiasm.A CHURCHILL PORTRAITTO GO WITH THE NAMEEAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., SEPTEMBER 19TH— Representedby James Thomas of Allendale, New Jersey, The ChurchillCentre presented an oil-on-canvas reproduction ofMartin Driscoll's painting, "Churchill After Karsh," toChurchill Junior High School today. The original workwas presented by the Centre in 2001 to the RMS QueenMary in Long Beach; it hangs in the Churchill Suite.The presentation was inspired by ScottKominkiewicz, who teaches English at Churchill JuniorHigh. Held in the school's lobby, where the portrait nowhangs, it was presided over by Principal Mark Sutor. Inattendance were Board of Education members, a formermayor, civic leaders, faculty, administrators, townspeopleand a class of history students. Other students viewed theprogram on closed circuit television—an inspired idea.Scott Kominkiewicz and a former president ofthe Board of Education offered remarks. In his 10-15Ms. Sigman is the Centre's Educational Programs Coordinator.PROFESSORS JABLONSKY ANDKIMBALL LEAD TEACHERSTUDY OF "CHURCHILL AT WAR"CHARLESTON, NOVEMBER 4TH— Through kind arrangementsof Professor Warren Kimball and The Citadel, TheChurchill Centre held a seminar for high school teachershere today. Both Kimball and Professor David Jablonsky,who joined him in a day-long examination of "Churchilland War," are Churchill Centre academic advisers.The Centre is grateful to Professor Bo Moore,who chairs the History Department at The Citadel, forhosting the seminar and providing a delightful buffetlunch for all attendees. Through Susan Miles, a learningspecialist at Charleston's Social Studies CurriculumDepartment, we were able to place eighty-one copies ofCelia Sandys' biography Churchill in the CharlestonCounty Public Schools.Session titles were "Young Winston and theVictorian Small Wars," "Churchill, World War I andInterwar Reflections," and "Churchill and the Politics ofWar." In a wide-ranging discussion of the 20th century,the two professors shared their expertise and invitedteachers to relate their classroom experiences.David Jablonsky began the inquiry intoChurchill's military experiences and viewpoints with adefinition of "Grand Strategy," that which encompassesthe economic, psychological, political and military:"Churchill subscribes to Clausewitz's 'RemarkableTrinity,' but there is no evidence that Churchill read hiswork." Each part of the trinity—people, military and gov-FINEST HOUR 134/16

ernment—is necessary in discussions of civil-military relationsand the role of the electorate.Jablonsky went on to describe Churchill'sVictorian inheritance and his participation in severalof "Queen Victoria's Little Wars." He contends thatWorld War I was the turning point of the 20th century:empires died, democratic systems such as WeimarGermany failed, decolonization began, and "flank powers"(USA and Russia) arose. Churchill, he said, tied thetwo world wars together by terming them "another ThirtyYears War." His discussion revealed Churchill's path toleadership during World War II, and the assertion thatmilitary commanders can have only a narrow view, andmust remain dependent on statesman to provide broaderperspective.Warren Kimball shared his views on the 1920sand 1930s, examining the implications of Versailles andWilsonian philosophy. He offered a detailed explanationof Isolationism, and the international scope of the GreatDepression. In explaining the relationship betweenChurchill and Roosevelt and the various wartime conferences,Kimball offered that "FDR and Churchill gave usthe world we have today" because from day one of thewar, everyone planned for the postwar period.An overview of the three major theatres of theSecond World War preceded a closer examination ofRoosevelt and Churchill. "There was a certain superficialityand artificiality to [their relationship] because interestsare what matter," said Professor Kimball. "Even their2000 exchanges didn't make a 'special interest.' There waslittle difference in their large goals, but many differencesof opinion about strategy."If Wendall Willkie (the Democrat turned Republicanwho ran against FDR in 1940 but shared hisworld view) and Neville Chamberlain—or U.S. Secretaryof State Cordell Hull and British Foreign Minister LordHalifax—had been the allied leaders, Kimball asserted,"the wartime relationship wouldn't have been any different."Any pair of leaders, he continued, would haveshared an intersected history and common values. Forcesoutside of Roosevelt and Churchill, such as nationalism,mattered to the outcome as much as they did. That said,Kimball admitted, leadership, personality, and the abilityto motivate others did matter: "It would be hard to imagineEden, Attlee or Hull providing it."Though this seminar drew the smallest numberof teachers yet, those who attended gave it high ratings.All deemed the seminar "an appropriate professionaldevelopment activity," that "expanded our understandingof the subject." As with previous seminars, teachers ratedthe handouts, readings, excellent lectures, free materialsand the open discussions as its "best features." $Churchill on War"Ah, horrible war, amazing medley of the glorious andthe squalid, the pitiful and the sublime, if modern men oflight and leading saw your face closer, simple folk wouldsee it hardly ever." —22nd January 1900"England, through the character of her people, who didnot mind fighting, but detested drill; necessarily had verylargely to depend, and her insular position made it possiblefor her so to do, in great crises, on an army of emergency."—24 February 1903"Much as war attracts me and fascinates my mind withits tremendous situations, I feel more deeply every yearand can measure the feeling here in the midst of armswhat vile and wicked folly and barbarism it all is."—15 September 1909"No satisfactory line of division can be drawn between thenavy and the air, between the air and the army, andbetween the navy and the army. Every attempt to drawsuch a line has failed." —21 March 1922"Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth andeasy, or that any one who embarks on that strange voyagecan measure the tides and hurricanes he willencounter. The Statesman who yields to war fever mustrealise that once the signal is given, he is no longer themaster of policy but the slave of unforeseeable anduncontrollable events...."I have always urged fighting wars and other contentionswith might and main till overwhelming victory, and thenoffering the hand of friendship to the vanquished. Thus, Ihave always been against the Pacifists during the quarrel,and against the Jingoes at its close."—My Early Life, 1930"It is only in this century that this hateful conception ofinducing nations to surrender by terrorizing the helplesscivil population and by massacring the women and childrenhas gained acceptance and countenance amongstmen." —7 June 1935"You may take the most gallant sailor, the most intrepidairman, or the most audacious soldier, put them at atable together—what do you get? The sum of theirfears." —16 November 1943"It is my belief that by accumulating deterrents of allkinds against aggression we shall, in fact, ward off thefearful catastrophe, the fears of which darken the lifeand mar the progress of all the peoples of the globe."—17 January 1952 MFINEST HOUR 134/17

SIR MARTIN GILBERT ESSAY COMPETITIONWHY IN 1906 WOULD AN ENGLISHMAN be interested in a muckraking book on the abuses ina the United States' meatpacking industry? Winning student essayists from Yale and JohnsHopkins Universities review Churchill's short-term goals and long-term convictions.Churchill onthe ChicagoScandalsI. Intellectual Honestyand Moral RighteousnessBY JAMES KIRCHIK, YALE UNIVERSITYhe Chicago Scandals," Winston Churchill'sessay on Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, offers anuanced perspective that distinguishesbetween Sinclair's political message and thejournalistic account the book offers about theChicago meatpacking industry. In addition to the welldeservedcriticism that Churchill provides regardingSinclair's punishing literary style, he praises the author forspearheading the uniquely American movement of"muckraking" journalism and its unapologetic mission totrumpet the truth while brushing aside institutional cowardiceand cant. Churchill would later demonstrate thesevery same qualities as the Cassandra of the British Houseof Commons in the years of Nazi ascension.Churchill's appreciation for Sinclair's moral conscienceand prescience is immediately striking. Churchilldoes not write as a disinterested observer from overseasoffering haughty takes on the state of American literature.He does not conflate Sinclair's regrettable socialist realismwith the entire American canon. Rather, Churchill writeswith a keen appreciation for the American experimentand as one who understood that not just Britain's fate butthat of the world rested on the success of the United Statesas a liberal, democratic power. "It may be that in the nextMr. Kirchick's essay won first prize in the Sir Martin Gilbert StudentEssay Competition, held in conjunction with the Chicago ChurchillConference. Mr. Kirchick's professor is Theodore Bromund.few years we shallbe furnished withTransatlanticanswers to manyof the outstandingquestions ofeconomics andsociology uponwhose vergeBritish politicalparties stand inperplexity andhesitation," hewrote, recognizinga bond ofunity that wouldprove crucialthree decadeslater.It is forthis reason thatChurchill declares so early in the essay that, in referenceto the sordid state of the Chicago meatpacking industry,"people have no right to hold their noses and shut theireyes." A good case can be made for this statement beingenshrined as Churchill's literary epitaph, so pithily does itencompass the man's worldview. The allusion obviouslyrefers to the culinary aspect of The Jungle, imploring readersnot to erase the sights and smells of the Chicago abattoirsfrom their memories. Yet the acts of holding one'snose and shutting one's eyes could be applied to anyonewho chooses to ignore evil. The troubles that Sinclair documentedin the United States were grave enough tothreaten the future health of that nation, and thus, inChurchill's eyes, the world.The statement also indicates Churchill's belief inthe importance of engaged and active citizenship. Apathymay be the easiest response to the worlds various injusticesbut individuals, he insists, "have no right" to ignorethe grave problems confronting their society. In describingthe horrors at Chicago, Sinclair has placed his readers,in "a kind of horror-struck docility." So grave is the problemof unsanitary meat production and so dominant arethe great powers that stand behind its continuation thatFINEST HOUR 134/18

in the face of this scandal one is weakened to the point ofinaction.In the 1930s, Churchill faced a far greater hurdle.Even though the ethno-nationalism and territorial expansionistpolicies of Hitler were apparent for the world tosee, national leaders denied that there was any problem atall. After The Jungle was published, however, the debateconcerned strategies to solve a problem rather thanwhether one even existed.The threat that Nazi fascism posed to the worldinflicted the same sort of "docility" upon national leaders;yet this docility was more dangerous than that created bythe meatpackers, because the European appeasers werehardly "horror-struck" over the Nazis. On the contrary,politicians and newspaper editors were so wedded to thepolicies of appeasement, their collective heads buried sodeep in the sand, that they failed to recognize the existentialthreat moving swiftly towards them.Some even saw in Hitler a model leader. Aftersigning the Munich Pact, British Prime Minister NevilleChamberlain announced from the steps of Ten DowningStreet that "peace in our time" had been achieved, andinstructed members of the press to stop asking questionsand "Go home and get a nice quiet sleep."For all his literary and political faults, Sinclair,like Churchill, was a canary in the coalmine. Churchillreadily acknowledges Sinclair's socialism, yet separates thepolitical message of the novel from its journalistic qualities.Ridiculing Sinclair's protagonist's political awakeningafter encountering Chicago's corrupt machine, Churchillwrites, "There is one man more in Chicago who may betrusted to vote straight for the Socialist ticket. Hurrah!"Upton Sinclair's stated mission was to marshalpublic opinion in favor of massive electoral change (he ranin California for Congress in 1920, Senator in 1923 andGovernor in 1926, all on the Socialist ticket). But the primaryeffect of The Jungle—thankfully, from Churchill'sview—was not to turn the country towards socialism butto compel the adoption of practical food safety laws.Churchill warns naive readers that "no mere economicrevolution" can change the behavior of the detestable menwho run the Chicago political machine. "Base men willdishonor any system," whether that system be totalitarianor democratic. In a warning that predates the RussianRevolution, Churchill writes that human nature is inherentlyimperfect, no matter what are the grand designs ofcentral planners.Churchill's concern for intellectual honesty andmoral righteousness in a free society answers the question,"Why in 1906 would an Englishman be interested in amuckraking book on the abuses in a foreign country'smeatpacking industry?" Here, he exhibits an appreciationfor the ingenuity and effort of the American people, anattitude that later influenced his policy as wartime leaderwhen his prime concern was achieving American involvementin World War II. In this review-essay, Churchilldemonstrates his virtues as a man of action, just as hewould during what his biographers have referred to as"The Wilderness Years," when the soon-to-be prime ministerspoke out on the Nazi threat, as a lonely backbencherin a feckless parliament.Perhaps the greatest praise that Churchill offersSinclair is the encomium that The Jungle "enables thosewho sometimes think to understand." That commendationis no less true of the man who bestowed it. M>II. The Aristocratic Reserve:Churchill and the MuckrakersBY SASHA G. ROUSSEAUJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITYn ill-fed, ill-shod, permanent underclass cannotform the basis of an empire. WinstonChurchill was a traditional patriot in theKipling mold who, in pursuit of a strongernation, and a parliamentary seat, attempted tomediate the perpetual battle between the haves and thehave-nots.In 1904, Winston Churchill crossed the floor ofthe House of Commons to join the Liberal Party in itsadvocacy of free trade. 1 By joining the opposition, Churchillexpanded upon the nascent liberalism of his father's"Tory Democracy" ideals and his own Tory Radical reputation.2 As opposed to the pro-tariff Conservatives, heargued that protective tariffs strained foreign relations andthreatened buyers of all goods with higher prices anduncertainty of supply. As an opposition Member of Parliament,he campaigned to win a seat from working classOldham in the 1906 election, 3 entirely upon the platformof free trade. 4Churchill believed that under free trade goods arecheaper, so people buy more of them. The market is thusstrengthened, and everyone has greater accessibility togoods. 5 He had crossed the floor to sit in the oppositionseat once occupied by his father, and he built upon thatstatement by speaking only of the issue that had publiclysevered him from his former party. By homing in on FreeTrade, Churchill defined himself for his constituency >>Mr. Rousseau's essay won second prize in the Essay Competition. Hisadviser at Johns Hopkins is Stephen Dixon.FINEST HOUR 134 /19

as well as his new allies in government. Yet he was stillvery much tied to the status quo.Churchill was a traditionalist. Despite his years asa war correspondent, the criticism of military infrastructureinherent in his novel, 6 and his experience as a POW,he had a picturesque view of war before the Great Warshattered his illusions. He was a nationalist who believedin the gallantry of man. Though he supported the Englishcause in the Boer War, he did not dehumanize the Boers. 7Maintaining a hierarchy was one thing: cruelty andoppression another.The same might be said for Churchill's views oneconomics. Not a believer in squeezing the rich or subsidizingthe poor, he understood that a strong state must bebased on a strong economy. 8 He supported competitionspurredcommercial development, 9 which would raise thematerial standards of living for everyone without alteringthe class hierarchy itself: a prototypical version of "trickledown economics." Placed as he was near the top of thesocial pyramid, Churchill already had a great life. So hebelieved in the greatness of England.Nationalism throughout Europe was reachingdizzying heights, and war seemed a thrilling possibility. Itwas difficult to hold out against the patriotic fervor, evenfor those for whom the status quo did no favors. They,too, were claiming England's traditions as their own. Togain their votes, Churchill had to bridge the gap betweenhis own class and that of his constituency. He had to learnmore about the circumstances of the working man.Luckily, there was a glut of muckraking bookschronicling the condition of the lower classes. To socialcritics, modern industry destroyed community: the socialsafety net. 10 The political backlash against industry tookthe form of workers' rights and anti-tariff rhetoric.Tempers flared over cheap Chinese labor shipped tobecome miners in the Transvaal. 11 The rights of workerswere still being disregarded in favor of commercial giants,but unions were forming and politicians, includingChurchill, were starting to take note.In response to the backlash, industry leaders suchas George Cadbury and William Lever built new districtsfor their workers. They capitalized on the nationalistictrend by designing their buildings in a quaint Englishstyle. Lever bragged that his planned industrial communitywas "old England reborn." 12 The industrialists claimedthat a new national myth, in which all the classes had aheroic part, had been formed by commercialization.It was true that the poor were not being entirelyshut out of the industrialists' prosperity. Fewer than tenpercent of the working urban population lived in slums,and processed and imported food made staples cheaperand easier to obtain. Local bylaws governed whatParliament did not, and funded town sewers, municipallysupplied water, and public bathhouses. 13 But the muckrakersproved that more and more people were slippingthrough the cracks. There was a tug of war between socialwelfare and economic competition. Churchill focused onwhat the working classes could do for the empire, ratherthan what the empire could do for them.Sharing the national glory meant sharing responsibility,most notably in national defense, and it was fearedthat stunted slum dwellers would make poor soldiers. 14Germany's military might was growing, and so was knowledgeof her more liberal welfare legislation. 15 The U.S. wasEngland's ace in the hole, a country bound much moreclosely to England than to rest of Europe. Free Trade agreementskept America concerned for England's economicwelfare. 16 Yet in observing Spanish-American War,Churchill had discovered the dangers of an army relyingon modern industrial standards: only 379 American soldiersdied of combat in that war, but almost 5,000 died ofsickness, much of it brought on by the army's spoiled supplyof canned beef. 17 Churchill feared that America was asvulnerable as England to the dangers of industrial efficiencyrun amok.His political niche as an advocate of Free Trade,funneled through the interests of his working class constituency,led Churchill to delve into the writings of muckrakerslike Upton Sinclair. The health of the workers, andthe hygiene of their processed food, were of importance,because the poor would be given rights only if they tookon responsibilities, especially national defense. Americawas a potentially strong ally in a European war, whichloomed ever closer with the growing spirit of nationalism.But industrial scrimping can lead to a defense crisis, not tobe overcome by the strong economy big business helps tocreate. $WORKS CITEDAddison, Paul, Churchill on the Home Front. London: Pimlico, 1993.Churchill, Randolph S., Winston S. Churchill, vol. II: Young Statesman,1901-1914. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967.Gilbert, Martin, Churchill and America. New York: Free Press, 2005-Keegan, John, Winston Churchill. New York: Penguin, 2002.Murolo, Priscilla & Chitty, A.B., From the Folks Who Brought You theWeekend: A Short, Illustrated History of Labor in the United States. New York:New Press, 2001.Schama, Simon, A History of Britain, vol. Ill: The Fate of Empire 1776-2000. New York: Hyperion, 2002.FOOTNOTES1. Keegan, 632. Ibid., 59-613. Addison, 984. Churchill, 1155. Addison, 986. Keegan, 457. Ibid., 518. Ibid., 599. Addison, 2510. Schama, 41311. Churchill, 11612. Schama, 41413. Ibid., 414-1714. Ibid., 42115. Ibid., 42516. Gilbert, 4617. Murolo/Chitty, 139FINEST HOUR 134/20

RIDDLES, MYSTERIES, ENIGMASChurchill on WashingtonQ; We understand that Churchill made a speech aboutGeorge Washington at Mount Vernon, and would very muchappreciate having the text of what he said for possible use by thePresident on Washington's Birthday.—Gena H. Katz, The White House, WashingtonWhile we can find no refer-A: > ences to a Churchill speech atMount Vernon, there are several referencesto the first "W" in Churchill'scanon. The earliest seems to havebeen on 16 June 1941, in a broadcastto the USA after receiving an honorarydegree from the University ofRochester (New York). Churchill'smother was the former Jennie Jerome,and rumor (but not fact) had it thatshe was born in Rochester.The great Burke has truly said, "Peoplewill not look forward to posterity whonever look backward to their ancestors,"and I feel it most agreeable to recallto you that the Jeromes were rootedfor many generations in American soil,and fought in Washington's armies forthe independence of the AmericanColonies and the foundation of theUnited States. I expect I was on bothsides then. And I must say I feel onboth sides of the Atlantic Ocean now.Churchill also refers favorablyseveral times to George Washington inThe Age of Revolution, vol. 3 of hisHistory of the English-Speaking Peoples(New York: Dodd Mead, 1957). Thiswas probably written before WorldWar II, although it was published yearsafterward. Here are some excerptswhich may be useful...Braddock was sent from England to reestablishBritish authority west of theAlleghenies, but his forces were cut topieces by the French and Indians inPennsylvania. In this campaign a youngVirginian officer named George Washingtonlearnt his first military lessons.(152)It was now imperative for the Patriotsto raise an army. Massachusetts had alreadyappealed to Congress at Philadelphiafor help against the British and forthe appointment of a Commander-in-Chief...Adams's eye centred upon afigure in uniform, among the darkbrown clothes of the delegates. He wasColonel George Washington, of MountVernon, Virginia. This prosperousplanter had fought in the campaigns ofthe 1750s and had helped extricate theremnants of Braddock's force fromtheir disastrous advance. He was theonly man of any military experience atthe Congress, and this was limited to afew minor campaigns on the frontier.He was now given command of all theforces that America could raise. Greatcalls were to be made on the spirit ofresolution that was his by nature.(184-85)Simply to have kept his army in existenceduring these years was probablyWashington's greatest contribution tothe Patriot cause. No other Americanleader could have done as much. (204)The first step [after ratification of theConstitution] was to elect a President,and General Washington, the commanderof the Revolution, was the obviouschoice. Disinterested and courageous,far-sighted and patient, aloof yet directin manner, inflexible once his mindwas made up, Washington possessedthe gifts of character for which the situationcalled. He was reluctant to acceptoffice. Nothing would have pleasedhim more than to remain in equablebut active retirement at Mount Vernon,improving the husbandry of his estate.But, as always, he answered the summonsof duty. Gouverneur Morris wasright when he emphatically wrote tohim, "The exercise of authority dependson personal character. Your cool,steady temper is indispensably necessaryto give firm and manly tone to thenew Government"....There was muchconfusion and discussion on titles andprecedence, which aroused the mockinglaughter of critics. But the prestigeof Washington lent dignity to the new,untried office.Send your questions to the editorQOne of our• affiliates needsto have the attribution,if available, for thisalleged quotation, whichis ascribed to WSC inseveral places on theInternet: "Success is never final. Failureis never fatal. Courage is whatcounts."—GARY GARRISONAThe web is full of quotations• ascribed to Churchill that henever said. Some have been attached tohim to make them more interesting.But this one doesn't even sound likehim. Neither the whole quote, nor anyof its three parts, can be found in our50-million-word database of publishedwords by and about WSC. We suspectit is a warped version of his famousremarks on King Alfonso XIII in GreatContemporaries: "Courage is rightlyesteemed the first of human qualitiesbecause, as has been said, it is thequality which guarantees all others."Note that even this is not quite aChurchill original: "as has been said"most likely refers to Samuel Johnson's"Sir, you know courage is reckoned thegreatest of all virtues; because, unless aman has that virtue, he has no securityfor preserving any other." ButChurchill expresses this thought betterthan Johnson.• Answering requests for quotationattributions is one of the tasksassigned to the editor and is mostagreeable, in that it sparked a hugedatabase and digital scans of greatwads of material, including all ofChurchill's 15 million words fromhis books, articles, speeches andcorrespondence in the CompanionVolumes of the Official Biography.The upshot is a forthcoming book,now tentatively entitled WinstonChurchill by Himself, to be publishedby the Ebury Press division of RandomHouse in 2008. I feel sure that readerswill enjoy using this comprehensive lexiconand reference. —RML $FINEST HOUR 134/21

"ThusOperationew defenders of freedom haveexcelled Winston Churchill inthe capacity for drawing lessonsfrom the past to overcome presentdangers and survive futureperils. He never lost sight of an invaluableaxiom: "In the mirror of history allgreat events and personalities reappear inone fashion or another."Napoleon and Hitler are classicreappearances. With Greek-tragedy certainty,their actions foreshadowed theirNemesis. At French military schools,before promotion, Napoleon's nicknamewas "The Little Corporal." During theFirst World War, Hitler was a corporaland won the Iron Cross. At the apex ofpower, both displayed maniacal insistenceby throwing their armies into the snowyvastness of Russia, where patriotic heroismdrove back the invaders.Another dramatic resemblance isthat both made and abandoned plans toinvade Britain. But they had differentattitudes to the sea. Hitler's dislike of itwas intense, and never concealed.Napoleon's sea knowledge was nil, but tothe despair of his admirals, egotisticalfolly convinced him he was an expert. Heissued patently absurd orders which theadmirals were too frightened to denouncein his presence. One man was a courageousexception. 1 The Minister of the Navy, AdmiralDenis Decres, warned the French Emperor of impendingdisaster three days or so ahead of Trafalgar.His words came too late. Nelson obliterated the FrenchFleet, and also any chance Napoleon had of mounting asuccessful invasion of Great Britain. Hitler had no suchwise counsel.When the Second World War began, on 3September 1939, expediency impelled Prime MinisterMr. Robbins, who covered Churchill in Parliament in his long journalismcareer, is a Finest Hour senior editor in Victoria, B.C.CHURCHILL'S TASKwas formidable in1940. Fortunately,across the Channelin Germany,Korporal Hitler madeit easier than itmight have been....BYRONCYNEWULFROBBINSFlNESTHOUR134/22HORSE GUARDS PARADE, MAY 1940Chamberlain to appoint Churchill First Lord of theAdmiralty, a portfolio he had held from 1911-1915 andwas ousted from during the Dardanelles imbroglio.Britain's mishandling of the Norwegian-Narvik campaign,in April 1940, gave Churchill's lingering vindictivepolitical enemies false hopes of a Dardanelles-styleexpulsion. The rising tide of public preference forChurchill to take charge foiled them. 2And the record is now completely clear: inside theBritish Government, there had been very tardy accep-

tance of Churchill's early warnings of Hitler'sNorwegian intentions. Not until 8 April 1940 did theBritish mine the waters around Narvik. Unfortunately,on the next day, Hitler successfully launched his plannedattack on Norway and Denmark to ensure essentialScandinavian iron ore supplies for Germany would notbe cut off. Retrospectively, one can see that Hitler'sseizure of Norway was achieved only by throwing intothe maelstrom every German warship that happened tobe in a state of sea readiness.Facing Parliament, Churchill did not seek to evaderesponsibility; he stood shoulder to shoulder withChamberlain. But the Norwegian debacle precipitatedChamberlain's removal. By May 1 Oth, Churchill hadbegun his lion-hearted premiership.For Hitler the Norway sea encounters wereextremely costly. 3 He lost three cruisers and ten destroyers;two heavy cruisers and a pocket battleship werewithdrawn for repairs. Germany did gain improvedaccess via Norway to the Atlantic and the Arctic. ButBritain's larger fleet had easily absorbed Norwegian battlelosses. The situation later influenced Hitler's cancellationof his plan to invade Britain. It also lessened Germany'sability to frustrate the Dunkirk evacuation.Later in 1940, when the British were confrontedwith the threat of a Nazi invasion, a service of intercessionand prayer was held at Westminster Abbey.Churchill attended and later wrote: "The English areloth to expose their feelings, but in my small stall in thechoir I could feel the pent-up, passionate emotion, andalso the fear of the congregation, not of death or woundsor material loss, but of defeat and the final ruin ofBritain." 4There is merit in taking a clear-eyed look at exactlywhy Hitler decided, on 24 May 1940, to order a halt tothe advance of his forces when they were only fifteenmiles from Dunkirk. Ian Kershaw, a highly esteemed historian,writes in his biography of Hitler: "Postwar suggestionsthat Hitler was deliberately allowing Britishtroops to get away as an act of generosity to encourageBritain to come to the peace table with its armies intactare far-fetched....the decision not to move on Dunkirkwas taken for military reasons, and on military advice." 5Hitler believed it was imperative to conserve tanksfor operations in the south of France. He was also positivethat delay was inevitable if a few days were neededto vanquish the British troops at Dunkirk.Churchill summed it up precisely after the war:"Calais was the crux." 6 Undoubtedly the epic defensethere made the Dunkirk rescue feasible by winning vitaltime: two German divisions were caught up in the annihilationof British resistance. It is fair and just to mentionthat among the defenders were the last remainingregular army infantry who had been rushed to Calaisfrom England, to fight to the last bullet and to the lastman. Overhead the Royal Air Force gave the muchvauntedLuftwaffe an unpleasant foretaste of the valorthat would drive them from the skies in the forthcomingBattle of Britain.In the blackest of all hours Churchill spoke to ameeting of non-Cabinet ministers: "Of course, whateverhappens at Dunkirk, we shall fight on." His colleaguesjumped up from their chairs, shouted their approbation,and patted his shoulders. Years afterwards he recalled,"There is no doubt that had I at this juncture faltered atall in the leading of the nation, I should have beenhurled out of office." These words did not describe theview of every Cabinet minister. There were some—therealways are—who doubted the nation's will. But thewords are quintessential Churchill, proving that heunderstood the dauntless will of the people he led.Hitler ineptly believed he had the British completelybeleaguered and almost on their knees. In fact,they were sturdy and refractory, embattled and engrossedin toughening defenses, erecting road-blocks, digging airraid shelters in their gardens, evacuating children to thecountryside, and pulling down road signs to confuse theexpected invaders. Just how united and embattled theywere Hitler found out when he unleashed his fiercebombing of cities, and also when Britain rejected histransparently spurious "peace offer." It was abundantlyevident he was playing for time to tighten his pythonlikegrip on continental Europe.As the months passed, Hitler remained confidentthat Britain could be brought down on his say-so. For awhile he clung to vain hopes that there would be postbombingpanic in London and other cities, to compelChurchill's coalition government to clamour for peace.Thus invasion became an inviting prospect, despite theincreasing odds against it. And, after the loan of fiftyAmerican destroyers to the Royal Navy, he had to considerthat eventually the United States might intervene.It is worth noting that as far back as 1934 a lowlyrankedGerman writer, Dr. Ewald Banse, published abook visualizing with infinite pleasure the destructionthat "sooner or later" would overtake Britain, "a proudand seemingly invincible nation....This country, whichwas last conquered in 1066, will once again obey a foreignmaster." 7The German Embassy in London hastily put up asmoke-screen, denouncing Banse's views. But the recordshows that in February 1940 the Germans began broadcastingto England through the self-proclaimed "NewBritish Broadcasting Station," making similar blood- »FINEST HOUR 134/23

OPERATION SEA LION...curdling threats of invasion. The sound quality wasindifferent, and the accompanying music bizarre. (Itssignature tune, "The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of LochLomond," considerably irritated the Scots—an imprudentact in peacetime, and notoriously fatal in war.) Themost frequent broadcaster in English was the grossvoiced,ex-British Union of Fascists member WilliamJoyce (comically dubbed "Lord Haw Haw" in England).He was caught and executed for treason after the war.On 1 August 1940, German planes dropped Nazileaflets disingenuously entitled "A Last Appeal toReason" over England. It is reasonably certain that Hitlernever saw the English newspaper photographs showingthe levity of housewives holding up his "appeal." Morecurious objects were dropped by German planes: emptyparachutes, small amounts of high explosives, maps, andphotographs, lists of well-known Britons presumablymarked for extinction, fake instructions to imaginaryagents. Although all this engendered smiles throughoutthe British Isles, it did not lessen the national preoccupationwith preparedness, especially after Hitler's barbaricattacks on the Low Countries. 8Shortly after the war had begun, in November1939, Grand-Admiral Erich Raeder had looked intothe possibility of a landing in England. By July 1940,Hitler had signed his Directive Number 16 to give effectto the invasion plan, named "Operation Sea Lion." Butbackstage, he turned out to be astoundingly doubleminded,wobbling between the decision to invade ornot invade. Like all tyrants, he took delight in voicingsplenetic public admonitions to send shock-waves of fearthrough his foes. This increased rather than diminishedBritish determination.At one point he tried to cloak his dilatory behaviourby telling a hysterically approving Berlin crowd:"When people are very curious in Great Britain and ask'Yes, but why doesn't he come?' we reply, 'Calm yourselves!Calm yourselves! He is coming! He is coming!'"Churchill had said calmly in a broadcast madewhile bombs were falling on London: "We are waitingfor the long-promised invasion. So are the fishes."Despite being regarded as one of history's mostprominent gamblers, Hitler became a prey to dubiety.Evading a fatal throw of the dice, on 17 September1940, he finally abandoned his notions of risking all in alanding on British soil. Even failure in a botched-up preliminaryprobing raid could have exploded the myth ofhis invincibility.FOOTNOTES1. Howarth, David, British Sea Power. London:Constable and Robinson, 2003, 304.2. Gilbert, Martin, Churchill: A Life. London:Minerva edition, 1992, 634-36, 681.3. Jenkins, Roy, Churchill: A Biography. London:Penguin, 2001, 574-75.4. Churchill, Winston S., Their Finest Hour.Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1949, 99-100.5. Kershaw, Ian, Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis.London: Penguin, 2000, 295-96.6. Rhodes James, Robert, Anthony Eden. London:Macmillan, 1987, 230.7. Fleming, Peter, Operation Sea Lion. New York:Simon & Schuster, 1957, 77-79.8. Ibid. 116-18. »

YOUNG WINSTON'S hasty 1906 decisionmay return to haunt Kenya's capital.The Time BombThat Is Nairobienya's capital is adisaster waiting tohappen. Its fourmillion residents are living on the edge. The problemhas increased over the years, though it was firstbrought to the attention of Winston Churchill,Undersecretary of State for the Colonies, one hundredyears ago last year.The East African Standard'has unearthed archivesshowing that Nairobi was built on a site condemned byengineers as it emerged as a township in early 1900.Searching for open space, major institutions have recentlybeen moving out of the Nairobi plain to the more"secure" Upper Hill, where most buildings rest on rock.But with almost half of today's mostly residential buildingsconstructed without standards, experts fear the possibilitiessuggested by January's collapse of a building inRiver Road. "If a major earthquake occurred," says Dr.Kamau Gachigi, a material scientist at the University ofNairobi, "it would be a major catastrophe....what wesaw in River Road would be child's play." But some geologistssay that the terrain poses no problems if properadvice is sought and followed from engineers.The original city fathers wanted the place moved.Shortly after the swampy conditions induced a plaguebreakout out in 1901, colonial medical officer Dr. W.H.MacDonald worried that the city was in the wrongReprinted by kind permission of Chaacha Mwita, editor, WeekendEditions, The East African Standard, Nairobi, 28 January 2006. PhotoFrom Kenya, The Magic Land, by Mohamed Amin, Duncan Willetts,Brian Tetley © 1988. Map © Magellan Geographies, 1992.place. In May 1903 Dr. Moffat, principal medical officerof the East Africa and Uganda Protectorate, calledNairobi dangerous and defective. After another plague in1904, he recommended relocating residents to moderndayKikuyu Township. But Moffat left in April 1904,and his successors held the costs of relocation too high.On 18 May 1906, Sir James Sadler, commissionerfor the Protectorate, wrote to Churchill, Undersecretaryof State for the Colonies, complaining about the emergenceof Kenya's capital: "...at the commencement ofthe 1902 plague...the then-commissioner, Sir CharlesElliot, was strongly of the opinion that the site, whichhad been selected three years before by the manager ofthe Uganda Railway without consulting medical or sanitaryauthorities, was, with its inadequate drainage,unsuitable for a large and growing population. [It is a]depression with a very thin layer of soil or rock. The soilwas water-logged during the greater part of the year."Churchill was reminded that four years previously,it had been recommended that the town be moved "tosome point on the hills." But railway engineers did notsee Nairobi as becoming anything more than an Indiantownship—which, they argued, could "prosper in spiteof unsanitary conditions and chronic plague."Sadler told Churchill this was a critical point inNairobi's history; that his predecessor had said: "...whenthe rainy season commenced, the whole town is practicallytransformed into a swamp." But the Board decidedinstead only to try to drain the swampy bazaar area.Nairobi continued to develop quickly and Sadlerfinally threw in the towel: "It is, I admit, too late to considerthe question of moving the town from the plains tothe higher position along the line some miles to thenorth. We had a chance in 1902, and I think it was apity that we did not do so then as advocated by SirCharles Elliot." But even Sadler did not anticipate thegrowth, saying Nairobi would never become "a city likeJohannesburg or a large commercial centre, for if there isa rapid development of industries or minerals in any ofthe new districts, the centres would spring up aroundthem."Churchill accepted this idea and made the finaldecision: "It is now too late to change, and thus lack offoresight and of a comprehensive view leaves its permanentimprint upon the countenance of a new country."By the time the Nairobi Sanitary Commission wasappointed in 1913, to enquire and report upon the sanitationand drainage of the township, the town had takenshape. It was now left to the engineers to build a citywith the challenges that soggy ground presented. Manyyears later, failure to consult experts could make manybuildings in the city uninhabitable in a few years' time. M>FINEST HOUR 134/25

"WHAT HAD the great American politician and orator ever have seen in the brash young cavalrylieutenant of 1895? Churchill smiled. More than his own father had seen—that much wascertain! But if Winston had striven throughout his iife to prove his father wrong about him,that wasn't the case with Cockran. Churchill had striven to prove Cockran right"Becoming Winston ChurchillBY MICHAEL McMENAMIN AND CURT ZOLLEREDITOR'S NOTEBecoming Winston Churchill: The Untold Story of YoungWinston and His American Mentor, by two longtime contributors toFinest Hour, will soon be available through the Churchill CentreBook Club. It explores Young Winston Churchill's coming of agebetween 1895-1908 "through the prism" of Bourke Cockran—who, in the Paris spring of 1895, had an affair with Churchill'smother, and thereafter befriended her son.Uniquely, this book contains the full text of all availableChurchill-Cockran correspondence. It also contains, at the beginningof each chapter, fictional passages which, as Churchill's granddaughterCelia Sandys writes in the book's foreword, "are clearlyvery close to the facts. By using this device to describe the relationshipsbetween Winston, Jennie and Cockran, the authors bringto life events of a bygone era which eventually determined thecourse of the 20th century."Chartwell, KentWinter, 1954inston Spencer Churchill stepped away fromthe stand-up desk in his study and walked tothe window. Cigar in one hand, a weak whiskyand water in the other, the eighty-year-oldPrime Minister looked out over the snow-covered Wealdof Kent. To him it was the most beautiful view in theworld, and he often turned to it often for inspiration, orto gather his thoughts.He had been revising a speech to The StateUniversity of New York, which had awarded Churchill anhonorary Doctorate of Law. He would accept in absentia.FINEST HOUR 134/26

After all, the only "degree" he had was from Sandhurst,which had not provided the liberal education he wouldhave received at university. But this was an honour fromAmerica, and he rarely turned down any recognition fromthe land of his mother's birth: the country which helpedhim save the world from Hitler. It had been nearly sixtyyears since he had first stepped on American shores.Churchill could see it still in his mind's eye: the incomparableNew York City skyline. The Statue of Liberty.The incredible energy which seemed to rise out of Manhattan'sbedrock. And then he had seen the tall, sturdy figureof Bourke Cockran on the quay—the great Irish-American politician and friend of his mother and twoaunts, easily recognized from their description.No other man looked like Bourke Cockran, AuntLeonie had told him, and she had been right. What hismother and aunts had not prepared him for, however, wasCockran's magnetic countenance, the breadth of hisknowledge, the originality of expression, the brilliance ofhis mind. And, of course, the voice! Difficult to describeeven now, but Churchill had always wished he had a voicelike Cockran's. Alas, it was not to be no matter how hardor long he practiced.Churchill wondered. Whatever had Cockran seen inthat young cavalry lieutenant all those years ago? Morethan his own father had seen—that much was certain! IfChurchill had striven throughout his life to accomplishthings that proved his father wrong about him, thatwasn't the case with Cockran. No, Churchill had strivento prove Cockran right, to live up to the older man's highopinion—oft expressed—of what a glittering career hebelieved the young Winston would have. Churchill rarelyreflected on America without thinking of his old friend.Though he'd known the last three American presidentsvery well, none compared to Cockran, whom so fewnow remembered. Churchill could not erase from hismind a conversation he'd recently had with the DemocraticParty's presidential nominee in the last Americanelection. Decent fellow. Governor from one of those statesin the middle of the country. He had asked a questionmany who met Churchill asked: "Upon whom did youbase your oratorical style?"Churchill had answered as he always did: "Yourgreat American statesman, Bourke Cockran.Adlai Stevenson had been surprised. Most were.They expected to hear him say that his father had inspiredhim. Lord Randolph had indeed—but not as an orator.Thinking to give the governor a treat, Churchillbegan quoting at length from his two favorite Cockranspeeches, which he had memorized nearly sixty years ago.The first was in 1896 at Madison Square Garden, whereBourke had opposed his own party on the issue of free silver—theinflationist proposal for unlimited silver coinage—drawing a larger crowd than his party's presidentialnominee, William Jennings Bryan. Then he quotedCockran's 1903 speech on Free Trade to the Liberal Clubin London—after which the Liberals had attempted,unsuccessfully, to persuade Bourke to leave America andstand for Parliament in Great Britain.Churchill shook his great head at the memory ofStevenson's reaction: a blank stare. Clearly he simply didn'tknow who Bourke Cockran was."America's greatest orator," they had called him fromthe mid-1880s until his premature death at age 69 in1923: a close friend and adviser to Presidents GroverCleveland and Theodore Roosevelt. It was sad, Churchillthought, that even educated Americans had such shortmemories.Churchill had never possessed much regard for theRepublican Party in America. For most of the 20th centuryit had been protectionist to its core, something thefree-trader Churchill could not countenance. But if themost recent Democratic nominee did not even know thename of his party's most eloquent champion of Free Tradeand individual liberty, perhaps it was not so bad that Ikehad defeated him If only Ike had chosen a more qualifiedSecretary of State. Churchill smiled. "Dull, duller,Dulles." One of his better lines. The cabinet certainlythought it funny. A pity he could never use it in public.Looking out at the snow, Churchill decided it wastime once more to remind his American cousins of BourkeCockran: the man to whom, he once told his cousin, heowed the best things in his career.FINEST HOUR 134/27hurchill took another sip of his whisky, placedthe tumbler on his stand-up desk, switched onthe intercom and called for one of two secretarieswho were constantly on duty. When shearrived, he handed her a marked up copy of his speech."There and there," he said, pointing to red marks hehad made on the draft. "I want you to insert what I amabout to dictate." She sat on the edge of her chair, pad andpencil poised as Churchill began to speak."I remember when I first came over here in 1895 Iwas a guest of your great lawyer and orator, Mr. BourkeCockran. I was only a young cavalry subaltern but hepoured out all his wealth of mind and eloquence to me.Some of his sentences are deeply rooted in my mind. 'Theearth,' he said, 'is a generous mother. She will produce inplentiful abundance food for all her children if they willbut cultivate her soil in justice and in peace.' I used torepeat it so frequently on British platforms that I had togive it a holiday. But now today it seems to come backwith new pregnancy and force, for never was the »

BECOMING WINSTON CHURCHILL...choice between blessing and cursing more vehementlypresented to the human race."Churchill paused. "That's the first part. Did you getthat all?" She nodded. Churchill began to speak again."There was another thing Bourke Cockran used tosay to me. I cannot remember his actual words, but theyamounted to this: 'In a society where there is democratictolerance and freedom under the law, many kinds of evilswill crop up, but give them a little time and they usuallybreed their own cure.' I do not see any reason to doubt thetruth of that...."You must not indeed think I am talking politics. Imake it a rule never to meddle in internal or party politicsof any friendly country. It's hard enough to understand theparty politics of your own! Still, I remain, as I have said, astrong supporter of the principles which Mr. BourkeCockran inculcated into me on my youthful visit beforemost of you were born"Pray read that back to me," Churchill went on. Theyoung woman did. It sounded right. He dismissed herand walked back to the window. Sixty years, he thought....in that time the world had been turned upside down.Twice. Still, he could see it all as if it were yesterday...New York City9 November 1895ourke Cockran felt a chill wind whip in fromthe Hudson River and pulled the collar of hisChesterfield higher around his neck. The skywas gray and a light mist was falling as hewatched two tugboats nudge the Cunard liner RMSEtruria aside the pier. She was a big ship, well over 500feet long, with two stacks and three tall masts sporting nosails. A far cry from the SS England, which had broughthim to America over twenty years earlier, with only a singlestack and a full complement of sails.Ten minutes later the gangplank was down, and firstclass passengers were beginning to disembark. He thoughthe would recognize Winston because Jennie had shownhim a photograph of her son when they were in Paris.Jennie...Paris. Had their love affair really beensix months ago? He shook his head. In May, after theirmother's death, he had agreed to accompany the threeJerome sisters back to America along with their mother'sbody; Clara's husband was already there, and JohnLeslie could not spare the time to accompany his wifeLeonie.HISTORY HAS LOST WHAT THEY DID FOR ONE ANOTHER: Bourke Cockran (left, circa 1904) was the single most influential person inChurchill's life until he married Clementine. Churchill (at Cowes, 1899) was unformed clay before Cockran lit the spark that in RobertPilpel's words "illuminated the long and arduous road that would take him through triumphs and tragedies to his rendezvous withgreatness". Jennie (right, 1885) was the luminous mother and lover who united them. (Photos: Tarka King and the authors.)FINEST HOUR 134/28

Cockran had been surprised when Jennie, at the lastminute, begged off. It had surprised her sisters as wellwhen she told them she was not returning to America.At first, Cockran had feared that it was because ofhim, but Leonie had assured him this was not true. Shesaid he had done wonders to revive Jennie's spirits afterthe death of Randolph, and that returning to America onsuch a sad occasion might undo all the good Cockran haddone. Cockran had been encouraged, and had continuedto hope that he still had a chance with Jennie, notwithstandingsome of the spirited arguments between them.Cockran had never met a woman like Jennie Churchill.In fact, the only one to compare was his own Rhoda;but she had known little of politics, and could not havecared less. Jennie professed not to care about politics, buther familiarity with all the issues of the day, and the personalitiesbehind them, belied that notion.Upon returning to America, Cockran had spentsome time researching the career and and reading thespeeches of Jennie's late husband, for whatever insight thatmight afford him in wooing her. Randolph had been quickenough in debate, and had possessed a withering tongue;but he appeared to Cockran to be more of an opportunistthan a principled statesman.Lord Randolph's speeches on Ireland alone convincedCockran of that. In the late 1870s, Randolph hadshowed remarkable empathy for the situation in Irelandwhen he attacked Gladstone's proposal to suspend Irishcivil liberties, including habeas corpus. In doing so, Randolphhad isolated himself from his own ConservativeParty, and Cockran had admired what he thought wasRandolph's political courage.But once he read that infamous incitement to resistancein 1886—"Ulster will fight; Ulster will be right"—when Lord Randolph had opposed any Home Rule forIreland that included Protestant Ulster, Bourke found hehad less respect for him. Pure politics. Opportunism. Anelection was coming, and Randolph had played the"Orange card" to attract the Liberal Unionists whoopposed Home Rule. To Cockran, he was no better thana Tammany Hall hack dancing to Boss Croker's music—something Cockran had never done.But Cockran was looking forward to meetingJennie's son. If he had half the ambition and brains of hismother, then he might have a bright future in politics,brighter even than his father's. The question was, whatkind of politician would he be? Jennie's son would havepolitical courage, of that he was certain. But what aboutLord Randolph's son? He didn't know.The Irish statesman had often wished for a son butthe Good Lord obviously had other plans. In time, heknew, they would be revealed. Cockran hoped thatWinston would be amused and entertained by what hehad planned for him during his time in New York. He wasdetermined to do everything in his power to insure thatWinston made a favorable report to his mother of his hospitality.A dinner party tonight was only the beginning: anassembly of the leading lawyers of the New York City Barand Judiciary.At Cockran's suggestion, Judge Ingraham had agreedto invite Churchill to attend a sensational society murdertrial over which he was presiding. On Wednesday,Cockran had arranged with the Commandant of WestPoint for Churchill and his traveling companion to visitthe American equivalent of Sandhurst.Cockran watched the first passengers walk down theEtrurids gangplank. Standing a good head taller than mostof the people around him, he spotted his two charges,Lieutenants Churchill and Barnes, when they were halfwaydown the gangplank. He recognized Winston fromthe photograph: a trim, good-looking, sandy-haired youth,maybe five and a half feet, give or take an inch or two. Thedark-haired lad beside him must be Reggie Barnes."Winston Churchill! Over here!" Cockran's voiceeasily carried over the crowd and Churchill acknowledgedit with a wave. Moments later, the three were together."Delighted to meet you, Mr. Cockran," Churchillsaid, as he introduced Reggie Barnes."Please, call me Bourke," Cockran said as he directeda porter to follow them with the Englishmen's baggage."I have a carriage waiting for us."LondonApril 1896inston Churchill pushed back from his writingdesk, where he had been drafting a newarticle, and lit one of the succulent Havanacigars he had brought back with him from hisadventure in Cuba. He and Barnes hadenjoyed a ripping good time, both in New York and inroaming "the Pearl of the Antilles." It was a shame he hadnot been able to come up with enough to write a bookabout his Cuban adventure, but there simply wasn't astory there. One needed a beginning, a middle, and anend, with a dashing young hero—himself of course—inthe thick of things.Still, Winston was pleased with the initial literaryoutput afforded him by Cuba. Five letters from the fieldfor the Daily Graphic had been well received. And £5 foreach of the five reports was equal to a month's allowancefrom his Mamma—a tidy sum. Upon his return toEngland, the Saturday Review had commissioned three »FINEST HOUR 134/29

BECOMING WINSTON CHURCHILL...articles, further advancing the cause of the Churchillname and bank account. The first two articles had beenwell received, and now he was working on the third.Churchill's current dilemma was to find a way torepeat his journalistic success. He was scheduled to leavefor India at the end of the summer. India... No thing washappening there! No newspaper would hire him to filedispatches from such a tranquil land where trouble didnot loom on the horizon.But Egypt? South Africa? Trouble did loom there.He and Bourke had talked about it earlier in the year,when the older man had called to his attention the factthat the majority of the British population in the Transvaalpaid 90 percent of the taxes yet had no representationin the Boer Parliament. Bourke had reminded Churchillthat the American as well as the French Revolution hadarisen from just such unfair and inequitable taxation.Cockran's conversations with Churchill, initially inNew York and then in London, had opened a new world:Economics. It moved everything. Cockran had brought tolife what Winston had only read about in Fawcett andLecky. It certainly explained Cuba. As he wrote for theDaily Graphic, "There is no doubt the island has been overtaxedin a monstrous manner for a considerable period. Somuch money is drawn from the country every year thatindustries are paralyzed and development is impossible."Churchill again picked up Cockran's letter,impressed by the man's prophecy. It was the economiccondition of Cuba, not the passions on either side, thatwould dictate the outcome of the rebellion. Sugar andtobacco were all the wealth which Cuba possessed, andthose industries had been destroyed by the rebels. Soon,famine would follow and when that happened, Cockranhad written, America would have to act. Cockran wouldbe pleased by what Churchill had written about Cuba inhis final Saturday Review article.As for Ireland, however, nothing Winston could sayor write would meet with his friend's approval. Cockran'scase was persuasive and Churchill had imagined the richtimbre of the older man's voice as he read the copy of thespeech Cockran had sent him on Irish Home Rule. He wasrather pleased with the reply he had posted to Cockranearlier today. He'd used Cockran's own logic: Economics.How would Cockran reply to his having used theexample of Scotland as a country whose wealth increasedafter its union with England? Why should Ireland be anydifferent, now that England has recognized the sins of thepast and has done its best to correct them?"Everything that can be done to alleviate distressand heal the wounds of the past is done—and done inspite of rhetorical attempts to keep them open" was howhe had phrased it in his letter to Cockran. Let him replyto that, he thought.Churchill hoped Cockran would return soon toEngland. There were more things than Ireland that hewanted to discuss, especially Bourke's view that Churchill"would take a commanding position in public life at thefirst opportunity which arose." Churchill already knew hewould. But he couldn't wait to hear why Cockran thoughtso as well. $£>FINEST HOUR 134/ 30

Like Goldfish in a Bowl":The Alcohol Quotient"DINNER AT THE WHITE HOUSE (DRY, ALAS!); with the Sultan....After dinner, recovery from the effects of the above."—WSC to Harry Hopkins, Casablanca, 21 January 1943(The Prime Minister always referred to FDR's Casablanca villa as "the White House,")BYWARREN F.KIMBALLo talk or story about Churchill is completewithout anecdotes about his drinking—tales hehimself often repeated and embroidered. HisClassic retort was: "I have taken more out ofalcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."A frequent tableau was when Churchill would askhis science adviser and crony Frederick Lindemann, LordCherwell, to estimate how much champagne and spirits,which he drank every day, he had consumed in his life,and what level it would reach to in the railroad car orroom where they were seated. "The Prof" would dulytake out his slide rule and then announce that it wouldfill only a small fraction of the space. Churchill, visiblydisappointed by this attack on his lusty Elizabethan selfimage,would usually remark, "How much to achieve,how little time remains."Dean Acheson, President Truman's Secretary ofState, who was present on one of these occasions,quipped that the Old Man "had expected we would allbe swimming like goldfish in a bowl." 1 Late in WorldWar II, during a discussion of health, Churchill vigorouslyasserted that he "could still always sleep well, eatwell and especially drink well." Describing a meetingwith the Sultan of Morocco, Churchill wrote:"Dinner....(Dry, alas!)... .After dinner, recovery from theeffects of the above."Many of his close aides labeled tales of his heavydrinking as exaggerations, noting (correctly according toRoosevelt aide Harry Hopkins) that Churchill wateredhis whisky—a weak "mouthwash" according to his personalsecretary, Jock Colville, despite the occasional "stiffwhisky and soda, at 8:45 a.m.," as reported by AnthonyEden. But Colville did not deny that Churchill dranksteadily, and more than just whisky.Champagne was a ritual at dinner, as was brandyafterwards. As White House speechwriter RobertSherwood put it, Churchill's "consumption of alcohol^DrTKTmballisTreat ProJessororHistory at Rutgers, Visiting Professorat The Citadel, and a Churchill Centre Academic Adviser.continued at quite regular intervals through most of hiswaking hours without visible effect."Offered tea for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the CairoEmbassy after an eleven hour flight from Marrakesh, thePrime Minister declined, asking instead for some whitewine—which he drained in a gulp. He then remarked(perhaps in jest, perhaps not): "Ah! that is good, but youknow I have already had two whiskies and soda and twocigars this morning." A British diplomat observed him atYalta "drinking buckets of Caucasian champagne whichwould undermine the health of any ordinary man."Even before Churchill and Roosevelt held theirfirst conference, at Argentia Bay in August 1941, thePresident expressed reservations about the Englishman'santiquated, "Victorian" views, and his excessive drinking—hardlyexpressions of confidence or closeness.When Roosevelt and Canadian Prime MinisterMackenzie King met in April 1940, they spent much ofthe time gossiping about Churchill's alcohol consumption.FDR later groused about what he called "theWinston hours," which called for drinking and talkinguntil the "wee hours of the morning." When Churchillbecame Prime Minister, Roosevelt commented ungenerouslythat he "supposed Churchill was the best man thatEngland had, even if he was drunk half of his time."Roosevelt's colleagues were worse. "A drunken sot" wasthe phrase of one close FDR adviser.Wendell Willkie, who ran for President againstFDR in 1940 but supported Roosevelt in the war, latervisited London, and was asked by Roosevelt if Churchillwas a drunk. Willkie replied that he had as much todrink as Churchill did when they met, "and no one hasever called me a drunk"—which may tell us more aboutWillkie than it does about Churchill.The sharpest accusation of Churchill as drunkcame from Field Marshal Alanbroke, who wrote in hisdiary that Churchill tried to recover with drink after atiring speech in the House of Commons: "As a result hewas in a maudlin, bad tempered, drunken mood..." >>FINEST HOUR 134/31

"LIKE GOLDFISH IN A BOWL..."Brooke later admitted that he too had lost his temperand that they had "one of the heaviest thunderstormsthat we had." But that is the only such entry found inhis extensive and critical diaries.To be fair, Churchill expressed concern—horrormight be a better word—about Roosevelt's drinkinghabits. In this case it was the President's late afternoonritual of concocting what he called martinis: gin mixedwith both dry and sweet vermouth and stirred vigorouslyby FDR himself. Not even Churchill, who loathed mixeddrinks, could turn down a martini constructed by thePresident's own hand, but the Englishman apparentlybecame adept at using the nearest bathroom or flowerpot as a disposal. He had no such compunctions withothers, reputedly once going so far as to spit out amouthful of what FDR's cousin, Polly Delano, labeled aTom Collins. 2I have found only one reference to Churchilldrinking a martini other than in FDR's presence. It is inthe official biography, Winston S. Churchill, vol. 8,"Never Despair," by Sir Martin Gilbert (London:Heinemann, 1988, 1298), concerning Churchill's 1958cruise on the Onassis yacht Christina:[They sailed through the] Dardanelles, past the Gallipoli peninsulato the Sea of Marmara and Istanbul, where the PatriarchAthenagoras was invited on board to meet Churchill. The passageof the Dardanelles had been made after Churchill had goneto bed "because," as Nonie Montague Browne later recalled,"they knew it would upset him." For this part of the cruise,Churchill was joined by his daughter Diana. "He liked to sit ondeck," Nonie Montague Browne later recalled. "He would comeon deck at about noon. He would have a dry martini andspoonfuls of caviar. We would be a long time over lunch—cigar,brandy, coffee. Then he would sit in the sun."The Montague Brownes (Anthony was his personalprivate secretary) were close to Sir Winston from 1952to the end in 1965. Many habits changed in his old agebut I do not think he enjoyed martinis, dry or otherwise,in earlier years.It's always possible that WSC finally changed hishabits and drank martinis. But I doubt it—since he wasdevoted to those habits (sometimes to Clemmie'sdespair). I wonder if Nonie Montague Browne mistook aglass of white wine for a martini? The long lunch with acaviar, a cigar, brandy, and coffee resonates.The Prime Minister won a small victory for hispreferred habits when he met King Ibn Saud of SaudiArabia in 1945. Noting that the King's religion requiredthat he abstain from alcohol and tobacco, Churchillannounced that "my religion prescribed as an absolutesacred rite smoking cigars and drinking alcohol before,after, and if need be during, all meals and the intervalsbetween them." Churchill reported Ibn Saud's "completesurrender," although the King had his unwitting revengewhen he gave the Englishman a drink that Churchilldescribed as "a very nasty cocktail." Turns out it was anaphrodisiac! 3The potentially darker side of Churchill's use ofalcohol has been presented, but only in caustic and irresponsiblefashion. Neither those accusations, nor theargument that Churchill watered and nursed his drinks,are persuasive to this writer, but such is the fate of iconoclasm.All that said, there is little testimony ofChurchill being drunk, in the falling-down, non-composmentis sense, while he was Prime Minister, whatever theoccasional reports of slurred words. Perhaps, as C. P.Snow quipped, Churchill was no alcoholic, for "no alcoholiccould drink that much. "4"Alcohol-dependent" may be the appropriatephrase. Whatever Churchill's prodigious consumption ofalcohol, it was a lifetime habit, not a temporary responseto the pressure and tension of wartime leadership. Thereis no evidence, factual or anecdotal, to indicate thatChurchill's drinking affected his policies during the waror, for that matter, his policies before the war.President Abraham Lincoln is alleged to haveresponded to complaints about General U.S. Grant'sdrinking by challenging the questioner to "find out whatbrand of whisky he drinks so I can send a case to myother generals"-—-generals who were notoriously cautiousand indecisive. Britain's King George had no need tosend a case to Churchill.NOTES1. This is hardly a new topic, nor is this new informationto those interested in the matter. I am indebted to theeditor for adding some "wet" anecdotes to my draft. I havefocused on the Second World War years. Finest Hour has, invarious issues, addressed stories about Churchill's drinking,with material now also posted on the Churchill Centre website,including an essay questioning the notion that Churchillwas an "Alcohol Abuser." That piece that includes the delightfulstory of his presumably persuading a doctor attending himafter he was hit by a car New York in early December 1931(during Prohibition in the USA), to prescribe "the use of alcoholicspirits especially at mealtimes," with 250 cc per day asthe minimum. The original note is in the Churchill Papers,CHAR 1/400A/46, 26 January 1932 (Churchill ArchivesCentre, Cambridge).Perhaps the doctors order had good medical reasons. AsLady Soames observed of the traffic accident, her father "sufferedsevere shock and bruising, and developed pleurisy; butfor the fact that he had been wearing a heavy fur-lined overcoat,he might well have been killed." Winston andClementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchills, MarySoames, ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999), 357.FINEST HOUR~I34732

2. Churchill's Victorianism is discussed in Warren F.Kimball, The Juggler: Franklin Roosevelt as Wartime Statesman(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991), 66-67, and "'AVictorian Tory': Churchill, the Americans, and Self-Determination," in More Adventures with Britannia, WilliamRoger Louis, ed. (New York and London: University ofTexas/I.B. Tauris, 1998), 221-39. Churchill's Victorian backgroundis seen as an asset by David Jablonsky in Churchill,The Great Game and Total War (London: Frank Cass, 1991).On Roosevelt's fears of Churchill's drinking habits, seeMichael Beschloss, Kennedy and Roosevelt: The Uneasy Alliance(New York: Norton, 1980), 200. Dean Acheson's recollectionof Churchill's visible disappointment with Cherwell's calculationsis quoted in Alan Dobson, "Informally Special? TheChurchill-Truman Talks of January 1952 and the State ofAnglo-American Relations," Review of International Studies 23(1997): 44. See also Theodore A. Wilson, The First Summit(revised edition; Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1991),53.54, wherein he uses the "lusty Elizabethan" phrase, and261, n. 85, which mentions "Pa" Watson's curiousness aboutChurchill's drinking habits.For the gossip between FDR and King, see J. L.Granatstein, Canada's War (Toronto: Oxford University Press,1975), 117. The "Winston hours" are from a letter, FDR (atCasablanca) to Margaret Suckley, 20Jan43, quoted in GeoffreyC. Ward (ed.), Closest Companion (Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1995), 199. Roosevelt's comment when Churchill becamePrime Minister is from David Dimbleby and David Reynolds,An Ocean Apart {New York: Random House, 1988), 136,quoting the diary of Harold Ickes. Jon Meacham, Franklinand Winston (New York: Random House, 2003), 51, quotesSumner Welles calling Churchill a "drunken sot," an ironiclabel from someone who later became an alcoholic.Willkie's quip is from Kimball, The Juggler, 225-26, n.6.The Roosevelt martini is described with distaste by CharlesBohlen, Witness to History, 1929-1969 (NewYork: Norton,1973), 143. See Robert Sherwood, Roosevelt and Hopkins (rev.edition; New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1950), 115, 685, 688,for the Sultan of Morocco story and descriptions of someother "vile" concoctions. See Ward, ed., Closest Companion,163, for a story of Churchill spitting out a mouthful of PollyDelano's Tom Collins.The most plausible description of Churchill's steadydrinking is Ian Jacob in Action This Day, John Wheeler-Bennett, ed. (London: Macmillan, 1968), 182-83. The otherstories are in Robert Rhodes James, Anthony Eden (London:Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1986), 262 n.; Martin Gilbert,Finest Hour (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983), 336, n.l;Sherwood, Roosevelt and Hopkins, 241-42; David Dilks, ed.,The Diaries of Sir Alexander Cadogan (New York: Putnam,1972), 707; Lord Alanbrooke, War Diaries, 1939-1945, AlexDanchev and Daniel Todman, eds. (Berkeley and Los Angeles:University of California Press, 2001), 370, 544 ("especiallydrink well"), 566-67 ("drunken mood"). An observer of theangry confrontation between Churchill and Brooke noted that"there is no doubt that the PM was in no state to discuss anything.Very tired and too much alcohol." Ibid., 566-67.3. Martin Gilbert, Winston S. Churchill, vol. 7, Road toVictory (Boston: Houghton Mififlin, 1986), 1225-27.4. The C. P. Snow remark is from Raymond O'Connorto W F. Kimball, 21Dec87 (personal correspondence). All thereferences to Churchill's drinking in Martin Gilbert, In Searchof Churchill (New York: John Wiley &: Sons, 1994) take the"weak mouthwash" position.At the 2006 Churchill Conference in Chicago, DannyMander, a bodyguard at the Teheran Conference in 1943,announced that he had helped a dead-drunk Churchill andEden home after a long dinner with the Russians. This was,said Churchill health authority Dr. John Mather, the first primarysource testimony to Churchill ever being the worse fordrink that he ever heard.AUTHOR'S NOTEThis is, of course, a selective list of comments onChurchill's drinking. An exhaustive list would make a goodstart toward filling the empty portion of that railroad carCherwell described. For some additional stories see Meacham,Franklin and Winston; Kimball, The Juggler; Sherwood,Roosevelt and Hopkins, 685, 688; Hopkins to Churchill,22Jan46, quoted in George Mcjimsey, Harry Hopkins(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1987), 397; ArthurBryant, The Turn of the Tide, Garden City, New York:Doubleday, 1957), 464. Eden's report is from Anthony Eden,The Reckoning (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965), 494. Seealso David Carlton, Anthony Eden (London: Allen Lane, 1981),328; Thomas Campbell and George Herring, eds., The Diariesof Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. (New York: New Viewpoints, 1975),44. David Irving, Churchill's War: The Struggle for Power(Australia: Veritas Publishing Co. Pty., 1987), makes unverified(though perhaps unverifiable) accusations on pp. 225-28, 506.Finally there is the dubious tale told by Paula Fox, TheColdest Winter (New York: Henry Holt, 2005), a "memoir"about the winter of 1945-46 in war-torn Europe. In England,Fox wrote, she caught a glimpse of "a clump of men.. .carryingand pushing a drunken Winston Churchill. Not only was heweeping but mascara was puddling under his eyes before it randown his plump cheeks." All that from a glimpse? The plumpcheeks are correct, the weeping plausible; but the mascara isjust plain silly. M)FINEST HOUR 134 / 33

INSIDE THE JOURNALSDrink and Food at YaltaABSTRACT BY ROBERT A. COURTSWING OR DRUMSTICK?: Portrait of Yalta, with Stalin carving the Nazibird, from the fascist Front National, Paris, February 1945."The Butcher's Banquet," by MichaelDobbs. Waitrose Food Illustrated,March 2006.inston Churchill was not adelicate diner: he slurpedsoup, spilled wine, boltedfood, shouted at guests.Even during wartime, itwas said that he ate enough for twomen and three diplomats, his breakfasttypically including lamb chops andbacon, washed down with something,often alcoholic. Churchill claimed tohave drunk an Imperial pint of champagne(modern writers have exaggeratedit to two bottles) every day sincehe was 23, but he was seldom if everdrunk. He had a formidable constitution,and the whisky that was alwaysby his side was often largely soda: "Ihave taken more out of alcohol thanalcohol has taken out of me," was hisbest-known summary.Churchill'sawesomeoutput ofwork, oftenextendinguntil theearly morning,neededa very largeintake ofenergy, andthis hefound infood anddrink. Butthe trueresilience ofhis constitutionwasput to thetest duringone meal inone of themost defining moments of world history:Yalta, February 1945.Here in the Crimea, laid almostderelict by the Germans, the Big Threemet to hammer out the details of whatChurchill was coming to see as agloomy peace, dominated by Russiancommunism.The three leaders were aging.Churchill was seventy, Stalin andRoosevelt only slightly younger. Theyhad only ever been united by theirhatred of Hitler, and now all wereground down by the pressures of war.And Roosevelt was critically ill.Already crippled by polio, by the timeof the Yalta conference he was dying,and it showed. His skin looked like aparchment and he suffered from ahacking cough.Able to concentrate for onlyminutes at a time, Roosevelt with hisweakness provided Stalin with a goldenopportunity. For at this conference theBig Three would jostle for their posi-tion in the postwar world. Would itbe a capitalist or communist one?Would the British Empire still exist?The leaders were jealous and suspiciousof each other, and each wasdetermined to make his mark onhistory.At the Russian-hosted dinner,Stalin took his opportunity. WhenRoosevelt and Churchill arrived for thelate start at 9 p.m., they were met bywaiters thrusting wine, vodka, andlocal champagne into their hands. Theair may have been jolly, but many ofthe waiters were secret police, for thedictator-host trusted no one.Once seated, the diners werebeset by swarms of vicious insects thatbegan biting their ankles. No soonerhad they sat than they were on theirfeet again, as Stalin began toastingeveryone present. Through twentycourses the interminable toasts proceeded:nearly fifty in all. Some guestsdozed, others were openly drunk.Churchill was in his element,but it was midnight before he realisedthe purpose of this supposed Russianlargess. For there was Roosevelt, at thefar end of the table: an exhausted,waxen figure, the only head of statepresent on the occasion.Churchill immediately rose togive a final toast of farewell, but it wastoo late. Franklin Roosevelt sat buriedin Russian hospitality, his resistance atan end. Over the next few days, Stalingot everything he wanted, and morebesides: Poland crushed, Germany dismembered,huge reparations. WinstonChurchill fought against them, butwith an enfeebled President, he waspowerless to stop them being wavedthrough.Meant to secure the peace, theYalta conference let the world slidestraight from hot to cold war. It was tobe another forty-four years before theworld would recover from the wreckageof that dinner table in the Crimea. $FINEST HOUR 134/34"

"I WAS OFTEN UNCERTAIN whether the Ablative Absolute should end in 'e' or 1' or 'o'or 'is' or 'ibus'....Dr. Welldon seemed to be physically pained by a mistake being madein any of these letters. I remember that later on, Mr. Asquith used to have just thesame sort of look on his face when I sometimes adorned a Cabinet discussion bybringing out one of my few but faithful Latin quotations." —WSC, My Early Life, 1930Spencer Churchill (p)at Harrow School 1888-1892BY GEOFFREY J. FLETCHER • PART IIinston was a keen member of the HarrowSchool Rifle Corps, which was a Company ofthe 18th Middlesex Volunteer Corps. Theuniform was grey with blue facings, the badgebeing crossed arrows, which later became thatof the School. He thoroughly enjoyed the field daysagainst other schools, and the mock battles. He was partof a guard of honour for Princess Louise, Marchioness ofLome, who had come to open an exhibition. An outstandingfencer, Winston won the Public SchoolChampionship, beating Johnson of Bradfield andTicehurst in Tonbridge. In addition he was an expertswimmer, representing his House in competitions. (Heremained a swimmer all his life. See back cover! —Ed.)Scholastically his main achievement was to passthe preliminary exam for Sandhurst which, he was thefirst to admit, was owed to a colossal piece of luck. Heknew he would be required to draw a map. He put thenames of principal countries into a hat, and pulled out"New Zealand" memorizing its topography. The firstquestion in the exam paper was, "Draw a map of NewZealand"! He failed the main exam twice and after leavingHarrow he had to go to a "crammer" in London inorder to satisfy the Civil Service Commissioners.As Winston's son wrote in the official biography,his father's time at Harrow was not entirely wasted. Hewas compelled to stand on his own feet, and to make hisway in the world by his own exertions. He acquired anintense power of concentration. And thanks to Mr.Somervell, he left Harrow with a deep love of theEnglish language, and its command.Even as a schoolboy, Winston's talent was recognisedby his peers. Possibly his dislike of Latin spurred »Mr. Fletcher (gj.fletcher@belgacom.net) herein concludes his twopartarticle. Readers of Part I know that the "(p)" in Winston'sHarrow title stood for "Prizeman": he won the Declamation Prize forreciting 1200 lines of Macaulay's "Lays of Ancient Rome."FINEST HOUR 134 / 35

CHURCHILL AT HARROW...his devotion to English. This led to his unusual partnershipwith a classics sixth former (believed to have beenLeopold Amery). The latter reeled off the English translationsof the Latin, while the former produced impeccableEnglish essays. One essay was of such a high standardthat it was passed up to the Head Master, who summonedAmery, or whoever it was, to his study, engagingthe boy in lively discussion: "I was interested in thispoint you make here. You might I think have gone further.Tell me exactly what you had in mind." Welldoncontinued in this manner for some time, receiving chillingand evasive comments. He concluded, "You seem tobe better at written work." Winston received instructionsto write more mediocre essays in future.Churchill's passion against the classics disappearedin later life. Without occasional references to Latinquotations, his writings and speeches would lack lustreby the standards of his generation. And, by judicioususe of Latin, his weak education could be camouflaged,except to his Harrow masters. Accordingly he immersedhimself in a dictionary of Latin quotations which hissuperb memory was able to retain. His "few but faithful"Latin quotations were really more plentiful than hedeclared.In his first book, The Story of the Malakand FieldForce, published when he was relatively fresh fromHarrow, three of the chapters are embellished by Latinquotations—untranslated, presumably, to impress theoutside world of the author's classic erudition:Chapter III: "Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum"(Such evil deeds could religion prompt), Lucretius,De Rerum Natura i: 101, Bailey translation. Chapter XV:"Quadrupedante putrem sonita quatit ungula campum"(The sound of galloping hooves shook the crumblingplain), Virgil, Aenidv'm: 596, Jackson translation.Chapter VII: "Arma virumque cano" (Arms I sing andthe man), Virgil, Aenid'i, 1, Jackson translation.In 1908, Churchill's wedding present from thePrime Minister was a ten-volume edition of JaneAusten's collected works. Volume III, containing the firstpart of Pride and Prejudice, was inscribed "WinstonChurchill—H.H. Asquith 12 September 1908 neeaspera terrent" (nor do difficulties deter). Churchillwould have recognised this as the motto of the King'sand West Yorkshire Regiments, among others.In Parliament, Churchill did not hesitate to deployhis Latin. "Ecce signum" (Look at the proof), he wouldcry; and "Fas est ab hoste docere" (It is right to be eventaught by the enemy). In 1936 Churchill became worriedby the three-year delay in starting a rearmamentprogramme. He urged the Prime Minister to allow atwo-day debate on defence, there now being anxiety onboth sides of the House. Baldwin agreed.A Ministry for the Coordination of Defence hadjust been set up under Sir Thomas Inskip, previously theAttorney General. Inskip opened the debate onNovember 1 lth, during which he said that nothingcould restore the years that were past. On the 12thChurchill moved an amendment that the country'sdefences were inadequate. His speech was a sustainedattack on the Government's procrastination in the matterof rearmament. He resorted to Latin to upstageInskip by quoting Horace's Ode to his Roman friendPostumus: "Eheu fugaces, Postume, Postume, labunturanni" (Alas Postumus, Postumus the flying years fall pastus), from Horace's Odes II xiv 1. Churchill may have hadin mind the epigram "eheu fugaces" in The IngoldsbyLegends.Latin flowed even in wartime. On 30 April 1941The Times reported: " [Mr Churchill] gave them facileprinceps and primus inter pares and with traditionalHarrovian courtesy offered to translate the phrases 'forthe benefit of any Old Etonians present.'The days of learning "Mensa" were long past.Winston's first significant contribution to a periodical(Cohen G2, Woods Cl) was on 19 December 1891in the Harrovian, concerning the state of the gymnasium,where he spent many hours fencing.Great as the School undoubtedly is, it cannot afford toallow any of its mechanism to fall out of gear. When apublic school possesses a Gymnasium, and especially oneas fine as ours, it becomes the duty of every one of us tosee that it does not go to rack and ruin. I am far from assertingthat the Gymnasium has gone completely downthe hill, but it is no secret that it is going that way. Thisbeing so, it is for each and all to see that it goes no furtherin that direction.We have lately been stattled by an imposing announcementthat the "School Display" would take place in theGymnasium on Saturday, 12th December. Whether thosewho went to see this "Display" were satisfied is more thanI can say, but every one will assent when I state that thenotice would have been much more correct, had it proclaimedthat the Aldershot Staff would give a Display inthe Gymnasium on Saturday, December 12th.A School Assault-at-Arms* is intended to bring out ourown talent. The Aldershot Staff can be seen elsewhere,but untold gold could not purchase the services of theSchool. Among the performers the School was conspicuousby its absence. The endeavour to prove that four* An attack made upon each other by two fencers as an exerciseor trial of skill.FINEST HOUR 134/36

equalled eight failed signally. Picture the "Display" withoutthe assistance of the Aldershot Sergeants—it wouldindeed have been a "show." Now what, I ask, and whatthe School ought to ask, and will ask—Why did so fewboys do anything?...."The School," it might be said,"were asked and wouldn't, the boxer has been approachedand has refused, the members of the Eight have been exhorted,but they have declined with thanks."If that is so, there must surely be some reason for thisspontaneous refusal, and to find this reason I turn to theEditors of the Harrovian. There is another excuse thatmay be set forth. It may be urged that no one else wasgood enough to perform. In that case no further questionis necessary. If, out of all who go to the Gymnasium, onlyfive per annum are fit to perform before the School atAssault, there is obviously a hitch somewhere.All these things I have enumerated serve to suggest diatthere is "something rotten in the State of Denmark." I havemerely stated facts—it is not for me to offer an explanationof them. To you, sirs, as directors of public opinion, it belongsto lay bare the weakness. Could I not propose thatsome of your unemployed special correspondents might beset to work to unravel the mystery, and to collect materialwherewith these questions may be answered?The School itself has an ancient history; even the Gymnasiumdates back to a Tudor. In those days they were notwont to "Risk"* the success of the School Assault-at-Armsin the manner in which it was done on Saturday last. Forthree years the Assaults have been getting worse and worse.First the Midgets, then the Board School, and, finally, theAldershot Staff have been called in to supplement thescanty programme. It is time there should be a change, andI rely on your influential columns to work that change.Yours truly,JUNIUS JUNIOR"The anonymity of Junius Junior was short-lived.Welldon said to Winston: "My boy, I have observed certainarticles which have recently appeared in theHarrovian of character not calculated to increase therespect of the boys for the constituted authorities of theSchool. As the Harrovian is anonymous, I shall notdream of inquiring who wrote those articles, but if anymore of the same sort appear, it might become mypainful duty to swish you."*Tudor Risk was the First Superintendent of Gymnasium (1874-87).**"The Letters of Junius," published in the Public Advertiserbetween 1769 and 1822, attacked the government of George IIIwith merciless invective and had a far-reaching effect and influenceon the style and manner of English polemics. The author's identitywas never divulged but there were grounds to suspect Sir PhilipFrancis. Dublin-born and educated at St. Pauls School in London,he was a government employee at the War Office and in other Statedepartments.FINEST HOUR 134/37In a 17 November 1892 letter to the Harrovian onthe gym (Cohen G4, not in Woods), signed "Truth (ThePhilistine Correspondent of the Harrovian)" Winstonresorted to superb understatement:"i. The Room possesses two towels at present."ii. These are changed once a week."iii. They are used during that time by over 300 boys."iv. Gymnastics is conducive to warmth."Nor was this the last of it. Winston managed toavoid being swished, although his final comment, on 15June 1893, must have provided a strong temptation ifWelldon still recognised the author: "The appeals...withregard to the Dressing Room have at last taken effect.The number of towels has been increased to four perweek. It is reported that the outlay and great expense ofthis improvement will be met in part by a grant fromthe School Funds and in part by voluntary subscriptionfrom the friends of the Gymnasium." (Cohen G6.)PARENTAL INFLUENCESinston's father, Lord Randolph (the "Lord"was a courtesy title for the second son ofthe 7th Duke of Marlborough) was electedto Parliament in 1874 and known for hissometimes brilliant and sometimes impetuousspeeches—and in some instances for lunatic decisions.His well-known quarrel with the Prince of Walesin 1876 (see FH 112:32, the official biography and LordRandolph Churchill) earned him a period of exile inIreland, but by 1885 he had made a comeback and wasappointed Secretary of State for India. In the followingyear he became leader of the House of Commons andChancellor of the Exchequer.Then, suddenly, he resigned over a trivial matter,hoping to be invited back into the government, andnever was. Soon afterward his health collapsed, leadingto severe illness (see "Lord Randolph Churchill:Maladies et Mort," FH93: 23-28).His father resigned two years before Winston wentto Harrow, but its after-effects cast a shadow untilWinston was 20 and his father died. To his son, LordRandolph was remote, neglectful and uninterested. Heused parental power to decide matters over his son's headwithout reference to the boy, and kept him at a distance,which hurt Winston terribly. He visited Harrow onlyonce, following a pointed suggestion from Welldon.Winston wrote to his father nine times when atschool, but, failing to get replies, he tired of the exercise.The first letter his father sent to Winston was three yearsafter he had entered Harrow, on 27 June 1891. Randolphhad gone to South Africa in search of health >>

CHURCHILL AT HARROW...and wealth, though senior members of his familydoubted he would recover either. Writing Winston fromJohannesburg, he showed a trace of affection, whilepointedly reminding Winston that he was an "expensivearticle" and minding him to keep his nose clean:You cannot think how pleased I was to receive your interesting& well written letter & to learn that you were gettingon well. I understand that Mr Welldon thinks youwill be able to pass your examination into the army whenthe time comes. I hope it may be so, as it will be atremendous pull for you ultimately....Here I have beenexamining gold mines & investing money in what I hopewill be fortunate undertakings for I expect you and Jackwill be a couple of expensive articles to keep as you growolder....1 suppose this will just reach you as you are goinghome for the holidays. I hope you will have a good timeat Banstead & that you and Jack will amuse yourself well.Give him my vy best love & tell him how glad I am tohear of his good place in the school. Perhaps he will writeto me before long. Goodbye, take care of yourself anddon't give Mama any trouble. Ever yr most affte fatherRANDOLPH S. CHURCHILLLord Randolph made £7,000 from investments inSouth Africa, which he later spent touring the Far East.His father wrote only four other letters: Onerefused Winston's request for an extra week's holiday;one to congratulate him on winning the fencing championship,and enclosed £2 to buy a present for his fencinginstructor; one responded to a request for cash, £1 beinggrudgingly granted against an admonition to avoidbankruptcy through extravagance; and one advised ofLady Randolph's recovery from peritonitis.Winston's mother, the second daughter of LeonardJerome of New York, married Randolph in Paris on 15April 1874. Churchill was probably thinking of hismother when he described Lucile, the wife of PresidentMolara, in his only novel, Savrola:...her life was a busy one. Receptions, balls and partieshad filled the winter season with the unremitting labourof entertaining. Foreign princes had paid her homage, notonly as the loveliest woman in Europe, but as a great politicalfigure. Her salon was crowded with the most famousmen from every country.The marriage started off happily but the couplebecame estranged in the 1880s. Jennie probably hadseveral lovers, but their numbers have been exaggeratedand no historian really knows how many there were.The greatest was certainly Count Kinsky, an Austro-Hungarian diplomat who arrived in London in 1881.He rode to victory in the Grand National of 1883 on hisown horse, Zoedone. (See "Becoming WinstonChurchill," page 26; also Finest Hour98, "LadyRandolph in Winston's Boyhood." —Ed.)In July 1891, Winston had an exeat from Harrowfor the traditional cricket match against Eton. At hismothers request he arrived at 18 Aldford Street, thehouse of his aunt Clara Frewen, to find Lady Randolphhaving breakfast with Kinsky, who then took him to areception for Germany's Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, atthe Crystal Palace.FINEST HOUR 134/38

Winston had the time of his life. No grown-upexcept Mrs. Everest had ever taken him out for a treat.All the fire brigades in London paraded and drilledbefore the Emperor. There was a huge firework display.Winston was most impressed by the Count's drivingof his phaeton, which passed everything on the road.The Crystal Palace outing was very special; Winstonkept a photograph of Zoedone on his wall atSandhurst.Jenny and the Count had intended to marry buthe became impatient, and was finally engaged to a 23-year-old, Elisabeth, Countess Wolff Metternich. InNovember 1894, accompanying Randolph on his forlorn,illness-ridden tour of the East, she received atelegram from the Count, announcing his engagement."I hate it," she wrote to her sister Clara from the Bay ofBengal. "I shall return without a friend in the world &too old to make any more now...."Winston's Harrow career was second rate. Successat recitals and sport aside, his scholastic ability was rudimentary:he was uninterested in the subjects taught,except for English. It took him three attempts to enterSandhurst, the final success owed to being coached by a"crammer." The "Army Class," at Harrow and at otherpublic schools, was for the "thick ones." Winston didnot have a learning disability, nor was he obtuse. Hesimply refused to study what did not interest him.In later life he began to appreciate his Harrowconnection. Welldon, Amery, Trevelyan, Hicks,Meinerzhagen, Moore-Brabazon, Margesson and Lloyd,to name a few, were important at later stages of hiscareer. He was fond of the School Songs, which he sangheartily during his visit to the School on 18 December1940, and he returned for these into the 1960s.Winston had little support from home. Hisfather, until the Johannesburg letter, ignored himexcept for one visit. His mother was engrossed in ahectic social life and did not become his ardent allyuntil after he left Sandhurst. Her sons were notunloved, but not first in her priorities. If Lord andLady Randolph had acted as traditional parents, makingregular visits and showing interest in Winston's progress,it is doubtful that much would have changed. He was aloner, intent only on his own convictions, and even atthat young age very much the master of his destiny.Winston withstood private unhappiness, homesickness,reverses and repeated failures with courage, giving nooutward signs of distress and maintaining a stiff upperlip. Perhaps this grounding at a tender age forged hislegendary courage, enabling him to survive Gallipoli,Dunkirk, Singapore, and other disasters and disappointments.SOURCESBibesco, Princess, Sir Winston Churchill: Master of Courage.London: Robert Hale, 1957.Birkenhead, Earl of: Churchill: 1874-1922. London: Harrap, 1991.Bonham Carter, Violet, Winston Churchill As I Knew Him.London: Eyre & Spottiswoode & Collins, 1965.Brendon, Piers, Winston Churchill: A Brief Life. London: Seeker& Warburg, 1984.Chaplin, E.D.W., Winston Churchill and Harrow. Harrow-on-the-Hill: Harrow School Bookshop, 1941.Churchill, Randolph S., Winston S. Churchill, vol. I, Youth 1874-1900. London: Heinemann, 1966., Winston S. Churchill, Companion vol. I, part 1,1874-1896. London: Heinemann, 1967.Churchill, Winston S., Savrola. London: Longmans, Green, 1900., My Early Life. London: Butterworth, 1930., Great Contemporaries. London: Butterworth, 1937.Cohen, Ronald, Bibliography of the Writings of Sir WinstonChurchill, 3 vols. London: Continuum, 2006.Cowles, Virginia, Winston Churchill: The Era and the Man.London: Hamish Hamilton, 1953.de Mendelssohn, Peter, The Age of Churchill, vol. I, Heritage andAdventure 1874-1911. London: Thames & Hudson, 1961.Ephesian [Bechofer Roberts], Winston Churchill. London: Mills &Boon, 1927.Gilbert, Martin, Winston S. Churchill, vol. IV, The Stricken World1917-1922. London: Heinemann, 1975., Winston S. Churchill, vol. V, The Prophet of Truth1922-1939. London: Heinemann, 1976.Ingoldsby, Thomas, The Ingoldsby Legends. London: Bentley, 1870.Kersaudy, Francois, Winston Churchill. Paris: Tallandier, 2000.Kiernan, R.H., Churchill. London: Harrap, 1942.Jenkins, Roy, Churchill: A Biography. London: Macmillan, 2001.Lockhart, J.G., Winston Churchill. London, Duckworth, 1951.Manchester, William, The Caged Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill.London: Michael Joseph, 1988.Marsh, John, The Young Winston Churchill. London: Evans, 1955.Moorehead, Alan, Churchill: A Pictorial Biography. London:Thames & Hudson, 1960.Morgan, Ted, Churchill: Young Man in a Hurry 1874-1915. NewYork: Simon & Schuster, 1982.Plumb, J.H., ed., Studies in Social History: A Tribute to G. M.Trevelyan. London: Longmans, Green, 1955.Rowse, A.L., The Later Churchills. London: Macmillan, 1958.Sencourt, Robert, Winston Churchill. London: Faber, 1940.Sims, Victor, ed., Churchill The Great. London: Daily Mirror, 1962.Smith, N.D., Winston Churchill. London: Methuen, 1963.Storr, Anthony, "The Man," in Taylor, A.J.P., ed., Churchill: FourFaces and the Man. London: Allen Lane, 1969.Taylor, Robert Lewis, Winston Churchill: An Informal Study ofGreatness. New York: Doubleday, 1952.Thompson, R.W., The Yankee Marlborough. London: GeorgeAllen & Unwin, 1963.Wilbee, J.C., The Harrow School Calendar 1881 to 1891.Harrow-on-the-Hill: Harrow School, 1891.Wilderode, Anton van, Liedsen uit mijn Landhuis [Fifty Odesof Horace]. Brussels: Davidsfonds per Jonkheer Ludovicus deVleeschauwer van Brakel, 1989.Wollaston, Sir Gerald, "Churchill at Harrow," in Eade, Charles,ed., Churchill by his Contemporaries. London, Hutchinson, 1953.Woods, Frederick, A Bibliography of the Works of Sir WinstonChurchill KG, OM, CH, London: Kaye & Ward, 1975., Young Winston's Wars. London: Cooper, 1972. M>FINEST HOUR 134 / 39

Churchill's ShoulderWhat If...?BY JOHN V. BANTA M.D.n 2 October 1896, Lt. Winston S. Churchillarrived in India near the Sassoon Dock in Bombay.It was not an auspicious landing."The identity of the designer of Bombay'sSassoon Dock has not survived, luckily forhis reputation," wrote biographer William Manchester."It is a triumph of incompetence, so ill-suited to disembarkationthat impatient immigrants often chose to comeashore in skiffs, a risky procedure which could cripple aman before he set foot on Indian soil." 1This is precisely what happened to young WinstonChurchill. As he described the accident in his autobiography,"We came alongside of a great stone wall with drippingsteps and iron rings for hand-holds. The boat roseand fell four or five feet with the surges. I put out my handand grasped at a ring; but before I could get my feet on thesteps the boat swung away, giving my right shoulder asharp and peculiar wrench."Churchill had torn the capsular attachments of hisshoulder joint. Although his shoulder did not "go out" atthat time, he later noted its persistent instability, with dislocationsat various times: when sleeping with his armbeneath a pillow, reaching for a book on a high shelf, orslipping on a staircase. From then on, he experiencedrepeated subluxations, causing him pain, instability and,by current medical accounts of similar injuries, the awarenessthat his shoulder would "go out."Churchill wrote that this injury was to last him allhis life. It would "cripple me at polo...prevent me fromever playing tennis, and [prove] a grave embarrassment inmoments of peril, violence and effort." 2 In fact, as henoted in November 1897, he suffered a total dislocationas he "slipped on a stone stairs" prior to competing in theInter-Regimental Polo Tournament in Meerut, India in1899. Despite this handicap, his regimental team won thetournament, Churchill scoring two goals with his rightelbow strapped to his torso with a leather harness! 3The next three paragraphs contain some fairly technicalterms which some readers may wish to skim....Dr. Banta is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon and professor ofOrthopaedics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine,and a member of the Churchill Centre's Board of Governors.The shoulder joint is inherently less stable that thehip joint, because the latter is a ball and socket joint. Inmedical terms, the proximal end of the humerus has asemicircular articular head, which articulates with the lateralside of the scapula. The lateral portion of the scapulaforms a circular enlargement called the glenoid, which hasa small concave fossa forming the other side of the shoulderjoint. The depth of the glenoid fossa is increased by acircular rim of cartilage: the glenoid labrum, to which isattached the capsule which together with the muscles andtendons, maintains the humeral head in close contactwith the glenoid as the arm is moved throughout its greatarc of motion.The shoulder joint is somewhat analogous to a golfball perched upon a tee whose diameter is approximatelytwo-thirds that of the humeral articular head. When thearm is forcibly raised into a fully flexed overhead position,with the humerus externally rotated, the cartilagi-FINEST HOUR 134 / 40

nous glenoid labrum is torn, resulting in the humeral headoften being forced out of the joint—a frank dislocation.In the past fifty years our knowledge of shoulderjoint instability has been greatly enhanced by improvementsin the care of athletic injuries. It is now recognizedthat many people sustaining the above-described labraland capsular tearing develop shoulder instability, with partialsubluxation, the humerus partially riding out of theglenoid. When an affected individual attempts to move hisarm into an overhead position or externally rotate thelimb, he experiences sudden instability, pain and musclespasm that disable the upper extremity from further voluntarymovements. Athletes with such shoulder instabilitynote sudden pain and loss of control when attempting toreach high overhead, or to the side with their affected armexternally rotated (such as when attempting to block a passor tackle an opponent).From a close reading both of Churchill's descriptionsand the accounts by Willam Manchester 4 andDouglas Russell,' it would appear that Churchill had sustainedinjury to the capsular attachments, rendering theshoulder prone to recurrent instability. Obviously, a cavalryofficer with chronic instability of his dominant shoulderjoint was precluded from effectively wielding his sword incombat.he history of treatment of recurrent shoulderdislocation is first mentioned in the writings ofHippocrates (ca. 430 B.C.), who advocated creatinga restrictive scarring of the front of theEl^H shoulder by applying a red hot cautery iron tothe anterior axillary fold, and then dressing the resultantburn and binding the extremity across the chest for severalweeks for the resultant scarring to limit any significantflexion or external rotation! 6 By the end of the 19th century,various European surgeons recommended either shoulderfusion or resection of the humeral head to relievesymptoms.? In 1906, Perthes, a German surgeon, firstdescribed reattachment of the separated glenoid labrum tothe bony rim with sutures. 8It was, however, the British surgeon A.S. BlundellBankhart who, in 1923, perfected the surgical approachand the procedure which is now recognized by his nameas the most appropriate repair for this deformity? Bankhartnoted that a purely fibrous tear of the capsule wouldheal; however, there was no tendency for a detached capsuleto heal to fibro cartilage at the edge of the bony glenoidunless it were reattached with sutures directly to theedge of the glenoid. As Bankhart's biographer described,the surgeon was "determined to try it on the next suitablepatient. Being a man of integrity, it did not concern himif the patient happened to be a duke or a dustman—itchanced to be one who had recently been his house-surgeon(and incidentally a very nervous type). The operationwas a great success." 10 Bankhart's procedure remainsthe standard operative repair for recurrent shoulder dislocation,today often performed by minimally invasivearthroscopic surgical repair.The options open to Churchill in those days wereindeed very limited. The field of elective reconstructivesurgery for the shoulder was not at all well understood atthe close of the 19th century. The leading textbook, bythe English surgeon William Johnson Walsham in 1903,recommended for chronic dislocations to "inject drops ofchloride of zinc 10% into the joint"; should that fail, "anexcision of the head of the bone holds the best prospect ofrelief." Furthermore, infection was a horrible possibility inthe pre-antibiotic era, when wound treatment to preventseptic inflammation consisted of "carbolic acid, perchlorateof mercury, boric acid, permanganate of potash andiodoform." 11 Finally, military surgeons of the day wereoften required to treat fractures and penetrating woundssustained during combat. Many of the modern advancesin reconstructive orthopaedic surgery evolved with theexperience gained by the allied surgeons during WorldWar I. 12 At the dawn of the 20th century, the acceptedsurgical techniques were undergoing rigorous reexamination.The world famous neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing,in his address to the International Medical Congress inLondon in 1913, said: "Observers no longer expect to bethrilled in an operating room; the spectacular public performancesof the past, no longer condoned, are replacedby the quiet, rather tedious procedures the patient onthe table, like the passenger in a car, runs greater risks if hehave a loquacious driver or one who takes close corners,exceeds the speed limit, or rides to admiration." 13After publication of his experiences in northernIndia, The Story of the Malakand Field Force, Churchillwas most anxious to join Kitchner's army in the Sudancampaign. He vigorously pursued his numerous contacts,both in the army and through family connectio ; inLondon, resulting in the following July 1898 wire fromthe War Office: "You have been attached as a supernumeraryLieutenant to the 21st Lancers it is understoodthat you will proceed at your own expense and that in theevent of your being killed or wounded in the impendingoperations, or for any other reason, no charge of any kindwill fall on British Army funds." 14Cavalry officer equipment in those days included theMark I Lee-Enfield carbine, revolvers, and the traditionalsabre. Douglas Russell describes two models of the latter:the light and heavy cavalry swords. The latter weighed twopounds two ounces, was 35 1/4 inches long, »FINEST HOUR 134/41

CHURCHILL'S SHOULDER...and l/8th inch wide. The standard pistol was an Webley-Wilkinson .455 calibre revolver. This weapon is a six-shot,double action revolver with a four-inch barrel, and a topbreaking,hinged frame, allowing the shooter to extractspent shells and reload.Russell writes that Churchill purchased his Webley-Wilkinson from Wilkinson in London. 15 Manchesterstates that Churchill forgot his "regular one, with its luckysilk lanyard, and had to buy a new Mauser pistol."Churchill stated that he purchased "in London a Mauserautomatic pistol, then the newest and latest design." 16The Mauser C96—which Churchill admiringlydubbed a "ripper"—was the first efficient self-loading pistol.It was very reliable, since the frame was manufacturedfrom a single solid forging with a ten-cartridge magazineof 7.63 mm ammunition, loaded from in front of the triggerguard. Upon discharge of its ten shells, one had onlyto reload by inserting a new clip.On 2 September 1898, Kitchener's forces were outsideOmdurman and Churchill and the 21st Lancers werepositioned along a nearby ridge. Ahead of them was a drywash or khor, which later measured to be about twentyfivefeet wide and four feet deep. As the Lancers slowlyadvanced on orders to "annoy them as far as possible ontheir flank and head them off if possible fromOmdurman," 17 the regiment came upon what werethought to be a Dervish force of perhaps 150 warriors.Unbeknown to the Lancers, there were in reality nearly2600 warriors concealed in the deep ravine. The Britishcavalry advanced at a walk, Churchill in command of thenext-to-last troop. As he described the charge:Before we wheeled and began to gallop the officers hadbeen marching with drawn swords. On account of myshoulder I had always decided that if I were involved inhand-to-hand fighting I must use a pistol and not asword I had practiced carefully with [the Mauser] duringour march and journey up the river. This then was theweapon with which I determined to fight. I had first of allto return my sword into its scabbard, which is not theeasiest thing to do at a gallop. I had then to draw my pistolfrom its wooden holster and bring it to full cock....The scene appeared to be suddenly transformed. The blueblackmen were still firing but behind them there nowcame into view a depression like a shallow, sunken road.This was crowded with men rising up from the groundwhere they had hidden. Bright flags appeared as if by magicand I saw arriving from nowhere Emirs on horsebackamong and around the mass of the enemy. The Dervishesappeared to be ten feet deep at the thickest, a great greymass gleaming with steel, filling the dry watercourse.Straight before me a man threw himself on the ground....simultaneously I saw the gleaming of his sword as hedrew back for a hamstringing cut. I had room and timeenough to turn my pony out of his reach, and leaningover on the off side I fired two shots into him at aboutthree yards. As I straightened myself in the saddle I sawbefore me another figure with uplifted sword. I raised mypistol and fired; so close were we that the pistol actuallystruck him....Suddenly in the midst of the troop up sprung a Dervish.How he got there I do not know. He must have leapedout of some scrub or hole. All the troopers turned uponhim thrusting with their lances: but he darted to and fro,causing for the moment a frantic commotion. Woundedseveral times, he staggered toward me, raising his spear. Ishot him at less than a yard. He fell on the sand and laythere dead....I found I had fired the whole magazine ofmy Mauser pistol so I put in a new clip of cartridges beforethinking of anything else. 18As Churchill wrote later to a friend: "It was I supposethe most dangerous 2 minutes I shall live to see. Outof 310 officers & men we lost 1 officer and 20 menFINEST HOUR 134 / 42

t is interesting to consider what good fortuneChurchill experienced throughout these episodes. Incombat he was obviously aware of his shoulder disability,and realized the need to use firearms insteadof the usual sword. What is remarkable is his presciencein choosing the Mauser pistol. Did he, asManchester wrote, "Forget his regular one"? Or was heblessed with the foresight to obtain the latest semi-automaticthen available? Had he entered the charge with onlyhis six-shot Webley-Wilkinson, it is entirely likely that hewould not have had time to reload in the heat of thatbrief, intense conflict.Lord Deedes summarized the historical impact ofOmdurman when describing his own visit to the battlefieldduring a visit a few years ago, with the British ambassadorin Khartoum. He described the battlefield memorial,"In memory of the officers, NCOs and the men of the21st Lancers who fell here." Then he added: "The firstname is that of Lt. Robert Grenfell, one of nine sons, fiveof whom died in the country's service, and the cousin ofJulian and Billy, who were killed in the First World War.I have speculated since on how far our history might haveturned out differently had Churchill's name been on thatmemorial." 19OUlt IMPERIAL NO.ARTISTIC LICENSE. 1921: Churchill had just delivered hisface-saving speech on Iraq (FH 132:31), hailed as a great triumph—butthere was no way that the condition of his shoulderwould ever permit such a free-swinging shot at the polo ball asthis. (Frank Reynolds in Punch, 15 June 1921.)killed—4 officers and 45 men wounded, and 119 horsesof which 56 were bullet wounds. All this in 120 seconds."In fact, Manchester noted, the casualties suffered by the21st Lancers were over 22 percent, while the overall lossessustained by Kitchener were less than three percent ofhis total army. 18The Battle of Omdurman, Churchill, recalled inMy Early Life, was full of "fascinating thrills. It was notlike the Great War. Nobody expected to be killed. Hereand there in every regiment or battalion, half a dozen, ascore, at the worst thirty or forty, would pay the forfeitbut to the great mass of those who took part in the littlewars of Britain in those vanished light-hearted days, thiswas only a sporting element in a splendid game."Footnotes1. Manchester, William, The Last Lion: Winston SpencerChurchill, vol. I, Visions of Glory 1874-1932. Boston: LittleBrown, 1983, 237.2. Churchill, Winston S., My Early Life: A RovingCommission. London: Thornton Butterworth, 1934.3. Ibid.4. Manchester, op. cit.5. Russell, Douglas S., Winston Churchill, Soldier: TheMilitary Life of a Gentleman at War. London: Brassey's, 2005.6. Mosley, H.F., Recurrent Dislocation of the Shoulder.Edinburgh and London: E & S Livingstone Ltd., 1961.7. Rockwood, C.A. Jr. and Green D. P., Fractures, vol. 3.Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1966.8. Ibid.9. Bankhart, A. S. Blundell, Dislocations of the ShoulderJoint, in the Robert Jones Birthday volume, A Collection ofSurgical Essays. Oxford Medical Publications, HumphreyMilford. London: Oxford University Press, 1928, 307.10. Moseley, op. cit.11. Walsham, William Johnson, Surgery: Its Theory andPractice, 8th edition. London: J & A Churchill, 1903, 576.12. Jones, Sir Robert, 'A Collection of Thirteen PapersConcerning Aspects of Orthopaedics, 1899-1932." Address byMichael Phelps. Rare and Interesting Books on Medicine, Catalog 73.13. Cushing, Harvey, British Medical Journal, London,1913, 294.14. Churchill, op. cit., 182.15. Russell, op. cit., 94.16. Churchill, op. cit., 204.17. Ibid., 208.18. Manchester, op. cit., 279.19. Deedes, The Lord, "Let the Ghosts of OmdurmanSleep." Finest Hour 99, Summer 1998, 33. M>FINEST HOUR 134 / 43

125-100-75-50 YEARS AGO125 YEARS AGO:Spring 1882 • Age 7"Give it 'em hot, Randy."ord Randolph was now a risingstar and the most popularspeaker in the ConservativeParty. Churchill wrote in hisfather's biography: "Before theend of 1882 a speech from LordRandolph Churchill had become anevent to the newspaper reader."Churchill went on to describe thepolitical impact his father's speeches.At a time when Liberal orators andstatesmen, "careering about the country,"as Lord Randolph described them, "callingthemselves 'the people of England,'"were looking forward to an electionwhich should relegate the ConservativeParty to the limbo of obsolete ideas, theywere disconcerted by the spectacle, repeatedlypresented, of multitudes ofworking men hanging upon the words ofa young aristocrat..."Give it 'em hot,Randy," cried the crowds in the streetsand at the meetings, till he himself wasforced to complain that he was expectedto salute his opponents with everyspecies of vituperation. But, to tell thetruth, he responded to the public demandwith inexhaustible generosity. Hespared no one. Neither persons nor principlesescaped an all-embracing ridicule.Churchill described his father'spreparation and delivery:His style was essentially rhetorical, andmuch more spontaneous than his peculiarmethods of preparation would imply.He seems to have written with scarcely asingle correction and without hesitationof any kind, as fast as he could set pen topaper. Indeed, I fancy that he wrote hisspeeches chiefly for an exercise of memoryand to fix them clearly in his mindand did not by any means make them upwith a pen in his hand.Above all, they were entirely fresh andoriginal. Wit, abuse, epigrams, imagery,argument—all were "Randolphian." Noone could guess beforehand what he wasgoing to say nor how he would say it. Noone else said the same kind of things, orsaid them in the same kind of way. Everyword he spoke was studied with interestand apprehension. Each step he took wasgreeted with a gathering chorus of astonishedcries....100 YEARS AGO:Spring 1907 • Age 32"I hear you are engagedto Miss Botha.' 9The Colonial Conference tookplace in April 1907 and wasattended by the Prime Ministers ofGreat Britain's self-governing colonies.Among those in attendance was LouisBotha, Premier of the Transvaal,accompanied by his pretty 19-year-olddaughter Helen. As Undersecretary forthe Colonies, Churchill was activelyinvolved in the Conference andrumors began spreading of a romancebetween Churchill and Helen. Therumors were widespread and eventuallyreached the South of France, evidencedby a letter to Winston fromMuriel Wilson in early May. She hadturned down his marriage proposal in1896 but had remained a good friend:My dear Winston, I hear you are engagedto Miss Botha — is this true?. . .I look forward to a peaceful old agehere in the sun & surrounded by theblue sea, & you I hope—& MissBotha, & all the little Bothas will come& see me & my garden.If there were a romance withMiss Botha, nothing came of it; butChurchill was exceptionally generousin his praise of her father at theConference:FlNESTHOUR 134/44He was the first man into the war andhe was the last man out of it. Nothingin the Conference is more dramatic andimpressive than his presence amongstus. His visits and the speeches he hasmade have strangely touched the imagbyMichael McMenaminination of the British people, and I willtell him on their behalf that while weare slow to make a friend, yet oncewhen we have made a friend we areslower still to throw him over. To thosewho, like my honourable and gallantfriend and myself, fought during thewar such an event comes home.During the Conference, some ofthe colonies, including Australia, askedthat preferential treatment be grantedto their exports, i.e., that tariffs beimposed by Great Britain on othercountries' exports but not on thecolonies' exports. The Liberal governmenthad been elected on the issue ofFree Trade, so that proposal wentnowhere. Churchill explained why in aspeech in Edinburgh on 18 May:We are told the Government hasbanged the door [on preferential tariffs].Well, upon what have they bangedthe door? They have banged the doorupon Imperial taxation of food. Yes,they have banged it, barred it, andbolted it. It is a good stout door ofBritish oak, the largest Liberal, Radical,and Labour majority ever seen in theHouse of Commons have their backsfirmly against it. That door shall neverbe opened....The Liberal Party standslike a rock between the hard-workingmasses, and all who would exploit theirfood supply and squeeze some shamefullittle profit out of the scanty pittanceof the weak and poor.In April, Churchill visited withhis great American friend BourkeCockran and Bourke's wife Anne, whowere on their honeymoon. Cockranhad written to Churchill from Pariswhere the couple was staying at theHotel Bristol:

My dear Winston, Your Mother whomI met at Monte Carlo said you wouldbe at Biarritz near the end of last week— which explains my telegram. Since Ireceived your answer I have been busymaking arrangements to spend a day ortwo in London before our return toAmerica....I won't weaty you now withany discussion of perplexing problemsfurther than to repeat I am still an optimist.There is nothing among all theevils which men are condemning as vehementlyin both hemispheres thatdoes not show conclusively the inexorablefaces of progress, moral and material,steadily at work and moving inevitablyto success. But of all this wehave much to say at the meeting towhich I look forward with eagerness.75 YEARS AGO:Spring 1932 • Age 57"Do you wish for war?"Churchill returned to England fromhis American speaking tour, stillfeeling the after-effects of his near-fatalinjuries in New York in December,when he was hit by an automobile. Hewrote Lord Salisbury on 2 April 1932:I get tired more easily than I did; and ofcourse eight nights out often in the trainand twenty-five harangues in a monthwere a rough kind of convalescence.On 29 April, Churchill spokeapprovingly of emergency legislation togive the Government substantial newpowers of search and seizure in Indiato combat increased violence and terrorin India, where Hindu-Muslimriots killed and wounded thousands:This decision, so courageously andsoberly carried out, makes a great differencein my attitude towards the Indianpolicy of His Majesty's Government.When I spoke at a meeting at theCannon Street Hotel in January, 1930,I said: "Sooner or later you will have tocrush Gandhi and the Indian Congressand all they stand for." That statementof mine was more censured than anyother that I made and more condemnedby those politicians who wereat that time controlling Indian affairs.It was thought to be a shocking thingto say, but see what happened?...TheGovernment of India, and the NationalGovernment at home, have adoptedthis very policy of crushing Gandhi andthe Indian Congress.During this same period,Churchill began to speak out againstfurther disarmament proposed byBritish Foreign Secretary Sir JohnSimon. On 13 May he told the Houseof Commons:I should very much regret to see any approximationin military strength betweenGermany and France. ... I would say tothose who would like to see Germanyand France on an equal footing in armaments:"Do you wish for war?" For mypart, I earnestly hope that no such approximationwill take place during mylifetime or diat of my children.A month earlier, Hitler had received40 percent of the votes for President ina campaign against Field MarshalHindenburg. In less than a year, hewould be Germany's Chancellor.50 YEARS AGO:Spring 1957 • Age 82"What we desire is freedom."Churchill's former private secretaryJock Colville lunched withChurchill's physician Lord Moran inthe spring of 1957, who dutifullyrecorded the following in his diary:I asked Jock which of Winston's giftshad been of most value to the countryin the war. He said at once: "Winston'scapacity for picking out essential thingsand concentrating on them." Whatnext? "I think his great moral courage.If something went wrong he would patientlystatt again at the beginning.And his vivid imagination. It was alwayscoming to his help in the war. Hismagnanimity of course, and his powerof inspiring everyone he met."On 3 May 1957, Churchilladdressed the Primrose League, foundedby his father in the later 19th century,on the current political situation.He suggested that what his second premiershiphad accomplished since 1951vindicated the position he took opposingthe Labor Party which had defeatedhim so soundly in 1945:It is nearly six years now since the SocialistGovernment were removed fromFINEST HOUR 134/45office, and I was entrusted with die formationof a Conservative administration.Those six years have witnessed aremarkable improvement in the conditionof all the people. All the people.The Tory Party is not and will neverbecome the vehicle or instrument ofany one class ot section. Look back to1951, and look around to-day. We arebetter fed. There is more to buy in theshops, and the nation is earning morewith which to buy it. The burden oftaxation, though still heavy, has begunto be relieved. We are better housed. Tohave built 10 million new houses inour first five years is a striking vindicationof the programme we placed beforethe electors. And just as the newhouses are going up, those blots on ourgreat cities—the slums—are comingdown....Back in 1945, when our armshad achieved victory and we werethinking again of the tasks and problemsof peace, I ventured to give thenewly formed Socialist Government aword of advice on the opening day ofthe new Parliament. "What we desire isfreedom," I said. "What we need isabundance." "Freedom and abundance—thesemust be our aims." Thatwas nearly twelve years ago. My advice—ashas sometimes been the casebefore in the coutse of my public life—was little heeded at the time; but I havebeen spared to see the policy adoptedand some of its advantages reaped.Things were not going as wellwith his wife, however as they werewith the British economy, judgingfrom this 21 May letter by Churchillto Clementine:Your visit to me die night before I leftwas vy precious. Do not let the idea thatI am "mean" to you tear your mind. As amatter of fact I take every lawful opportunityof passing money to you in a waywhich will avoid the 67% toll which dieState will almost certainly take at mydeath & will continue to do so as long asI am able. Your life of devotion & kindnessto me has made my own one botfihappy & successful.My only wish is to live peacefully outthe remaining years—if years they be.But you, dearest one, have the twilightof a glorious spell upon you in all probability.So be happy & do not let misconceptionsof me darken & distortyour mind.

5ooks, Arts8c CuriositiesChurchill Centre Book ClubManaged for the Centre by ChartwellBooksellers (www.churchill-books.com),which offers member discounts up to25%. To order contact Chartwell Booksellers,55 East 52nd Street, New York,New York 10055, email bscb@dti.net,telephone (212) 308-0643,facsimile (212) 838-7423.Yesterday (and Perhaps Today) TED HUTCHINSONMARTINGILBERTTHE WILL OFTHE PEOPLEWINSTON CHURCHILL urnPARLIAMENTARYDEMOCRACYHere are two books that appear onthe surface similar. Both explore,through different channels and methods,what made Churchill the uniqueand important individual so many stillstudy and venerate. Martin Gilbert'sThe Will of the People looks atChurchill's views on and activitieswithin the British Parliament—andsomehow, among the flood of bookspublished about Churchill every year,manages to say something interestingand even new. Deborah Davis Brezinaargues in The Spirit of Churchill thatby better understanding Churchill,Americans (the book is clearly aimedtowards Americans) will support theirleaders in the war on terror.Unfortunately, it is ultimately unclearwhether Brezina really understandsChurchill, or the principles he wasfighting for in 1940 and beyond.Brezina's book has the merit ofbeing completely up front about whatit is trying to accomplish. AllenPackwood, in his generous introduction,frankly admits that it is a "politicalbook." The first line of the text,The Will of the People: WinstonChurchill and ParliamentaryDemocracy, by Martin Gilbert.Toronto: Vintage Canada (RandomHouse Canada), 136 pages softbound.Order from www.MartinGilbert.com.The Spirit of Churchill, by DeborahDavis Brezina. Murfreesboro, Tenn.:Avalon Press, 310 pages hardbound,$19.95, member price $15.95.with depressing inevitability, startswith the terrorist attacks of 11September 2001. Within a few pages,the author has favorably compared thePresidency of George W. Bush to thewar leadership of Winston Churchill.At the end of the first chapter she tellsus that "many today are naive abouthuman nature"; clearly, this book ishere to set us strait. Er, straight....Most of The Spirit of Churchill ispotted biography of Churchill's heroicyears; roughly from his time fightingappeasement in the 1930s through theend of his wartime premiership.Brezina also touches on Churchill'santi-communist speeches and activities,with particular focus on the "IronCurtain" speech. Much of the rest ofChurchill's rich and varied career,which might have greatly informed herwork, receives scant attention.Brezina argues that Churchillwas a great man because he relentlesslyfought, without hesitancy or compromise,the forces of evil. He fought theNazis as they rose to dominate Europe,fought them as a lone voice across theChannel as they dominated the continentwhile America and Russiawatched. She argues that Churchillalso recognized the evil inherent inStalin's communism, spreading like acancer across Eastern Europe, and hespoke out with courage and convictionagainst that evil as well. History hasjudged that Churchill was largely correctin his decision to fight these evils,and in most of the methods he used;thus his veneration today.Deborah Brezina is correct, then,in assessing Churchill's greatness,although she does so in a way asunimaginative and unoriginal as possible.This is truly Churchill biographyby rote; there is nothing new here ineither analysis or insight; nor is thereanything mildly critical about ourhero. There are no complexities, noareas of gray that might complicate hersimple story. She tells the tale as wemight tell schoolchildren when theyare very young, to assure them thatthere is good and justice in the world,and that the good and just fight onlythe monstrous and evil. Churchillhimself might say, "Take away thispudding. It has no theme."Adults should demand a story setin the world they live in, and don't getit here. If that criticism alone makesBrezina's book completely unnecessaryfor anyone interested in the "real"Winston Churchill (and it does),Brezina can still perhaps be forgiven ofthe sin, for her purpose is not just tovenerate Churchill but to let GeorgeW. Bush bask in the light of good-FINEST HOUR 134/46

ness that she believes he shares withWinston Churchill.I have long believed that FinestHour is not the place to debate currentevents, and do not believe a "biography"of Churchill is a particularlyuseful place to do it either. Brezina disagrees.Her book makes the implicitclaim (and at times she is very direct)that George W. Bush should be understoodas the ideological/intellectualdescendant of Sir Winston, using asimple line of reasoning: The Naziswere evil, Churchill recognized this,Churchill helped defeat the Nazis.Terrorists are evil, George Bush recognizesthis, Bush will defeat the terrorists.Ergo, like WSC, Bush should besupported by his people and celebratedby history.By being correct in her first setof assertions, Brezina argues implicitlythat she must be right in her second.Here her work truly breaks down. Iagree with her that terrorists are evil;but where is the evidence that Bush'sleadership is Churchillian? We are toldonly that we ought to admire itbecause he is fighting something thatwe all abhor.To her credit, Brezina makes nocredible claim that Churchill wouldhave acted in a similar manner to Bushhad he been placed by history in thesame circumstances. In fact the evidencesuggests just the opposite; totake just a few of many possible examples,it is not unreasonable to suggestthat Churchill would have taken a differentline on the invasion of Iraq,*interrogation techniques that manyobservers call torture, and the buildingof international coalitions. Theseobservations are debatable, of course.But they are out of Brezinas grasp.It is far easier for her to call thePresident "Churchillian," and anyonewho doesn't support his policies naive.Sir Martin Gilbert's The Will of*See for example "The Gathering StormToday," by Richard M. Langworth, inChurchill Proceedings 2001-2003. Washington:The Churchill Centre, 2006, 122; andthis issue's letters column, page 4.the People is cut from a wholly differentcloth. Like all good works of history,it makes no obvious commentabout the present. Only in the implicitechoes of the past can we find potentiallyuseful instruction that informsour current thoughts and adventures.Gilbert's slim volume is a powerful136 pages, and argues succinctlythat from the moment he enteredParliament until the day he died,Churchill was "first and foremost a parliamentarian;a supporter, practitionerand upholder of parliamentary democracy"(4). He believed, in other words,in the rule of law, and that law must befreely debated both in public and inParliament; that all voices have a rightto be heard, and that the decisions ofthe majority must be respected. Thesebasic values, Gilbert continues, werewhat informed Churchill throughouthis career, and gave him strength fromthe difficult times of the 1930s throughthe Second World War.For those familiar with MartinGilbert's enormous corpus of work onWinston Churchill (perhaps the mostcomplete and most impressive biographicalcanon ever compiled by onehuman being about another), thesebasic ideas and concepts are familiar.In the eight-volume narrative of theofficial biography, for instance, one isstruck again and again by the enormousfaith Churchill placed in parliamentarydemocracy, and how thatbelief sustained him in his most difficultmoments.But here Gilbert presents thetheme (originally a 2003 lecture to theChurchill Society for the Advancementof Parliamentary Democracy inToronto) in a single compact volume.By offering Churchill's thoughts aboutdemocracy in a chronological way—and explaining how his views changed,yet how remarkably consistent theywere—they are given an even greaterpower. One is left with the impressionthat before Churchill was able to savedemocracy, democracy had somehowsaved him.Gilbert cites one example of"FINEST HOUR 134 / 47Churchill's belief in independentthought which I found especially striking,particularly because this simplefact alone would probably renderChurchill unelectable to high office inAmerica today. Gilbert describes, inimpressive detail, Churchill's belief inprisoners rights—beliefs he held andstood by his whole life, but acted onwith particular effectiveness when heheld the post of Home Secretary in theearly 20th century.In a nutshell, Churchill believedthat prison should be regarded as aninstitution of reform as well as punishment;and that facilities should be providedto help prisoners improve theirlives and reenter society. At a morebasic level, Churchill believed thatprisoners were human beings, and thatas human beings they deserved to betreated with a minimum level ofdecency regardless of the crimes theymay have committed. He did notbelieve that prisoners should be punishedsimply because the punishers hadthe means to do so.Without diving too far intospeculation, it is easy to imagineChurchill having much to say aboutthe treatment of prisoners today, andparticularly those labeled "enemy combatants."It is even clearer that tiieseviews would render Churchill unelectable;his opponent would have to dolittle more than murmur die phrase"soft on crime" at anyone who dared tosuggest prison conditions could beimproved. Churchill, who comes froma different time, would surely be puzzledby die lack of respect given tohonest thought today.We are left with a book that isessential to Churchillians—or anyoneinterested in Churchill's political ideology.We are also left with a book thatstands as a polar opposite to Brezina'sThe Spirit of Churchill. The latter asks"why some stand resolved in the faceof terror and others don't," and concludesthat all should "stand resolved"and support a leader who seems to hermuch like Churchill—but perhaps notto think about it too carefully. >>

YESTERDAY AND TODAY...Gilbert takes a different line. Ashe writes, Churchill saw the duty ofevery Member of Parliament, andevery citizen of his country, to "expressindependent views [that] was thecentral theme of Churchill's concept ofparliamentary democracy." (20)Just to be clear, neither Gilbertnor I suggest anywhere that Churchillwould have capitulated or lost hope ifhe were leader of the United States onSeptember 11th. Far from it. Ofcourse, none of us know how hewould have reacted to those dreadevents. Gilbert suggests, however, thatChurchill would have continued tosupport the right of free speech anddebate, even during the darkest days.It seems to have occurred toChurchill, sometime early in his longlife, that one could vehemently disagreewith political leaders, call themout in the most censorious terms whenone thought them wrong, denounceacts of evil even in one's own country—andstill be a good citizen. Heeven seemed to extend these thoughtsabout democracy to the people he was,theoretically, fighting against. If asked,his advice to the terrorists of our timemight perhaps be similar to the advicehe gave to Sinn Fein in the 1920s (aremark wonderfully recalled byGilbert): "Quit murdering, and startarguing" (56).The above brief quotations illustratethe real difference between thesetwo books; Gilbert recognizes thatChurchill saw it as the right and dutyof citizens everywhere to argue andexpress their independent ideas.Brezina sees Churchill and other leadersshe admires so fine as to makeargument and opinion unnecessary.But as Gilbert proves, that was just thesort of thing that Churchill spent hislife fighting against. $5Defining the Churchill PhilosophyWARREN F. KIMBALLChurchill and War,by Geoffrey Best.London & NewYork: Hambledon &London, 2005, 354pages, illustrated,$29.95. Memberprice $23.95.Are war and politics two halves ofthe same walnut? Or is war asClausewitz described it—a mere extensionof politics by other means? Moreimportant for readers of Finest Hour:which way did Winston Churchillview war? In this case, that's not aneither/or fallacy but rather a trickquestion, for the answer according toGeoffrey Best seems to be "both."One reviewer called this book a"profound tribute." Were it that, Iwould already be warning of the dangersof hagiography. If it is a tribute, itis to Churchill's overall impact on history—wartsand all.The illustrations include some"new chestnuts," like Churchill firing aTommy Gun, his eyes tightly shut. (Ifso, it had to be one of the fewinstances in any war when he did.)This is not a book for thoseunfamiliar with Churchill. The uninitiatedshould start with the author'swhole-man portrait in his earlier biography,Churchill: A Study in Greatness.This study of Churchill and War buildson that biography, but is more thanjust warmed-over ideas, or a way to useleftover notes from that larger work.Best generally takes a chronological,life-and-times approach. The storyof his wars sometimes overpowersChurchill, which was true in real lifeas well. Understanding his tactics andstrategies requires context, and contextcan be boiled down only so much.How, for example, to understand theDEFINING THE PHILOSOPHY...(in) famous "percentages" agreement in1944 with Stalin without a carefulexplanation of how and why Churchillthought it necessary?Yet, for the most part, Bestavoids extensive dissection of majorand controversial episodes in WinstonChurchill's life. This is not the place torevisit Gallipoli in extenso (thankfully).But it is the place to come to anunderstanding of why Churchill madehis proposals for that fatal operation,and how they fit in with his overallstyle and thinking.Best does not dwell onChurchill's blunders (real and exaggerated),though he addresses them. Thecarpet-bombing of Germany, the stubbornsupport for Bomber Harris,Gallipoli (of course), WSC's consistentunderestimation of how long militarycampaigns would take, "ignorance andcomplacency" about Japan in generaland Singapore in particular (though nomention of Australian complaints), hisdisturbing fascination with mustardgas (see "Gas Policy in 1940," page 9)coupled with his distaste for anthrax asa weapon.These and most other controversiescome in for succinct analysis andtrenchant agreement or persuasive dismissal.(Best believes that "in bothwars Churchill's interest was fundamentallyanti-German, not anti-Russian.") But Churchill had curiousconsistencies. During the Great War,he (as well as naval planners, whoseforces could not join the fray on theWestern Front) was obsessed with thenotion of attacking Germany somewhereon its periphery—the Balticislands, Pomerania, or the Dardanelles—just as in World War II. His interestin the Balkans during WW1 continuedinto WW2 when its military feasibilitywas even more dubious: FDRrhetorically asked him in October1943, "if we get the Aegean Islands, Iask myself where do we go fromthere—" (See our review of AegeanAdventures and the End of Churchill'sDream, FH82:30. —Ed.)FINEST HOUR 134/48

But it is Churchill's strengthsand accomplishments that stand out.Two top the list. First and mostfamous: his inspirational leadershipduring the Second World War. He wasa one-man morale-boost. Second, andequally important (if less recognized):his ability to marshal the logistics andfinances of a nation. Honed by experiencein World War I, and again duringthe 1920s, that organizational talentperhaps contributed more to Britishsuccess during World War II than anyother of Churchill's accomplishments—andthere were many.This is more than just a usefulbook, though it is that. It could havebeen shorter, although that is true foralmost all books published in thesetimes. Good editors are an endangeredbreed. Its perspective is very English,but then Churchill was above all elsean Englishman. I would have liked agood deal more on Churchill and theSecond World War, for without thatconflict, he likely would be rememberedby just a handful of historians.Those very minor cavils aside,this book is well worth the read. Evenbetter, it is an honest book, that offersWinston Churchill to us as more thanjust a fascinating person—which hewas; as more than just someone whowas a player in the history of the firsthalf of the 20th Century—though thatis true; as more than just someone whowas fascinated and excited by war—which he was.Always the national leader,Churchill believed in personal diplomacyand negotiating from strength.War, however challenging and exhilarating,was always the less desirablealternative—though never an alternativeto be avoided at all costs. Noteveryone realizes this about him.*But what is best about this book(no word-play intended) is that it setsforth what Churchill never took thetime to do for himself—it gives him aphilosophy. Some of that philosophywas style —"Action This Day" wasmore than just an injunction to subordinates,it was a way of life for him.Some of that philosophy was an accretionof history—history that he experienced,that he read about, and that hewrote about. Much of his philosophywas developed by experience in a nonsystematicway. The necessity of acting,the transcendent significance for himof British institutions and accomplishments,the "lessons" of history, all provideda structure.But Churchill adjusted, modifiedand changed his thinking as his experiencesdictated. The boy who playedwith toy soldiers, the subaltern whofamously rode in one of the BritishArmy's last great cavalry charges, wasnot the same man who led Britain tovictory against Hitler. Nor was that thesame man who later expressed fear andhorror at the notion of nuclear war,who proposed the "twin-tracks"approach on nuclear weapons thirtyyears before Ronald Reagan, and whobravely called for talks at the"Summit" after Stalin's death.In two closing chapters, GeoffreyBest summarizes that philosophy andthe history that created it. But to getthe real impact of the book, don'tcheat—read it all. M>*This parallels Klaus Larres' typologyfor Churchill's approach to internationalaffairs. Churchill's Cold War (New Haven &London: Yale University Press, 2002). Larresis not cited, but Best did not indulge inextensive and summary endnotes.English-Speaking ContinuationPAUL H. COURTENAYANDREWROBERTSA History of theEnglish-Speakingftopks Since 1900A History ofthe English-SpeakingPeoples Since1900, byAndrewRoberts.Weidenfeld &Nicolson, 648pages, $35.Member price$28.By its title one might suppose thatthis book takes over and updatesSir Winston Churchill's four-volumehistory, which was published just fiftyyears ago and which ends at the turnof the 19th/20th centuries. But apartfrom the chronological historical narrative,covering 106 years, this wouldbe a misappreciation. There is nobroad sweep nor any romantic undertone;instead, Andrew Roberts coversan immense range of topics in a highlyreadable style, and does so with almostsurgical precision.For example, how many knowabout the 1905 murder of a Britishsub-commissioner in Uganda? Howmany have heard of Michael Ventris,an English architect, who in 1953 successfullydeciphered Minoan Linear B,Europe's oldest language?Who are the English-SpeakingPeoples (ESPs)? Andrew Robertsdefines them as those for whomEnglish is their first language. Thus,for example, India, South Africa andmany other places where English isvery widely spoken are excluded fromthis study. Those who qualify are fromthe United Kingdom, the UnitedStates, Canada, Australia, NewZealand, the British West Indies andthe Republic of Ireland; however, thelast-named of these is clearly shown tohave different aims and policies fromthe remainder, which are in many waysa coherent whole.Roberts cleverly identifies fourexternal assaults on the ESPs in the pastcentury. Three of these have been successfullyand principally overcome bythe ESPs acting in unity: ImperialGermany, Nazi Germany and the SovietUnion. The fourth, Islamic terrorism, isstill being confronted; it falls to theESPs to see the struggle through to asuccessful conclusion.There are seventeen chapters; >>FINEST HOUR 134 / 49

E.S. CONTINUATION...here is a random sample of the contentsof two. Chapter V (AmericanEnergy, 1920-1929) embracesProhibition, the partition of Ireland,the Soviet Comintern, the "unknownprime minister" (Bonar Law),Australia's Northern Territory, Nazigeography, Japanese espionage inAustralia, Jewish immigration into theUnited States, President CalvinCoolidge, the evolution of the BritishCommonwealth of Nations,Disarmament, Adolf Hitler's "otherbook," air conditioning, and the greatinventors, such as Logie Baird, PercyShaw and Alexander Fleming.A quarter century later, ChapterXI (The Third Assault: SovietCommunism, 1945-1949) covers thehuman and financial cost of Hitlerism,the Nuremberg Trials, GeorgeKennan's "Long Telegram," Cold Warplanning, the United Nations, theKeynes loan, the Commonwealthbuilds a bomb, the Marshall Plan, theend of empire in India, the creation ofthe State of Israel, the Berlin airlift,McCarthyism, and the foundations ofNATO. These examples are very typicalof the way each of the seventeenchapters is constructed.Roberts makes the controversialassertion that the Protestant concept ofexploration for mercantile profit, asopposed to national prestige or grandstrategy—let alone for the propagationof Christianity—was the enginethat colonised most of the Englishspeakingworld. Those who think thatthe British Empire was a "bad thing"will find no comfort here, and it isrefreshing to find an author who isskilful enough to fly in the face ofmodern liberal (and be it saidAmerican) othodoxy on this issue.References to Winston Churchillare numerous throughout the bookand, with one or two exceptions, thegeneral thrust is what we would allexpect to see. The author makes aninteresting distinction betweenChamberlain and Churchill by referringto the former, with his policy ofappeasement, as the crown prince ofthe "Respectable Tendency," prewarperceptions of Churchill being entirelythe opposite.Andrew Roberts is not slow tomake his own political convictionsclear to all and does not shrink fromcastigating those American and Britishheads of government of whom hestrongly disapproves—opinions which(whether or not valid) are a little surprisingto find in a work of history.There are inevitably a number oftrivial glitches in the first edition ofsuch a long and detailed work, butthese are being corrected before theNorth American edition is publishedin February 2007, and before theAustralian/New Zealand and paperbackeditions appear. This can be seenas a magnum opus (it took four yearsto write) and an absorbing, worthyfollow-up to Sir Winston's own fourvolumes. M>The Most Sombre of All BattlesGARY GARRISON; THE The Somme:Heroism andHorror in the FirstWorld War, by SirMartin Gilbert.New York: Holt,352 pages, hardbound,$27.50.Member price $22.Not only a vivid and authoritativeaccount of one of the most devastatingbattles of World War I, thislatest book by the official biographer isa powerful and draining experience forreaders. Though it is not aboutChurchill (there are several referencesto Churchill's criticisms of the battle,and also to his American volunteerfriend, whose Somme grave Sir Martinvisited), it is a book of historical significancewhich any Churchillian shouldread to acquire a true understanding ofthe battle that claimed more than300,000 lives in only five months.Sir Martin's work contributes significantlyto keeping alive the memoryof those who died in battle and thosewho survived. The book is a tribute ofgreat honor to those men who diedbelieving in the "cause," and to thosewho lived to tell their stories.Mr. Garrison is a Churchill Centre governorand the Centre's local affairs coordinator.Sir Martin follows the battlethrough the experiences of the footsoldiers, the PBI (Poor BloodyInfantry), generals, artillerymen, aviatorsand nurses. Interlaced throughoutare poems and songs written by thosein battle—words everyone should hearand read, now and in the future:Better far to pass awayWhile the limbs are strong and youngEre the ending of the dayEre Youths lusty song be sung.Included is one of Churchill's favorites,the words of Harry Lauder, whose 25-year-old son was killed by a sniper:"Keep Right on to the End of theRoad."The book ends with a song,"No-Man's Land," written by Scottishsong-writer Eric Bogle, which carriesan important message for current andfuture generations. Bogle was somoved by the war cemeteries that hepicked a name, Willie McBride, completelyat random to represent all whohad fallen in the Battle of the Somme.The words are not only dynamic andpowerful, but contain a message ofpermanent value (see overleaf).On their second visit to the sombrebattlefield of the Somme and itscemeteries, Sir Martin and LadyGilbert discovered the grave of PrivateWilliam McBride, Royal InniskillingFusiliers. He had been killed in April1916, two months before the Somme.They sat down next to his grave, andFINEST HOUR 134/50

Sir Martin read aloud the soft, sadwords of the song by Eric Bogle,reprinted herewith. >>THE SOMME:THE AVOIDABLE BATTLEWinston S. ChurchillNote to the Dardanelles Commission,February 1917. (From MartinGilbert, Winston S. ChurchillTV, 10.)With the attack of the 1st ofJuly on the German positions Northof the Somme nearly 70,000 Britishtroops were killed and wounded, andof these nearly half were killed ormissing and of the missing—nearly20,000—all except a few hundredsperished miserably and by incheswhere they fell. Except at theSouthern end of the line the wholeplan of attack failed, and after fivemonths continuous fighting, sustainedby unprecedented supplies ofmen and ammunition, scarcely anyof the original objectives assigned tothe first day's operations had beenattained. The sanguine expectationswhich led on three or four occasionsto many thousands of Cavalry beingbrought up to gallop through somegap in the enemy's line were shown tobe utterly out of contact with realityat any point. For the sake of a fewmiles of ground, devoid of strategicsignificance, nearly 600,000 Britishcasualties have been sustained andthe efficiency of our Army in theWest sensibly and permanentlydiminished....Nevertheless with a good Presssedulously manipulated and employedand the effective support of the governingforces, these operations havebeen represented as a long series offamous and memorable victories, andthe initial disaster of the 1st of Julyestablished in the public mind as abrilliant triumph. A fifth of theresources, the effort, the loyalty, theresolution, the perseverance vainlyemployed in the battle of the Somme,to gain a few shattered villages and a"No-Man's Land"ERIC BOGLE, 1976Well, how do you do,Private William McBride.Do you mind if I sit heredown by your graveside?I'll rest for a whilein the warm summer sunI've been walking all day,and I'm nearly done.I see by your gravestone,you were only nineteenWhen you joined the fallenin 1916.And I hope you died quick,and I hope you died clean.Or, Willie McBride,was it slow and obscene?Did they beat the drum slowly;did they play the pipes lowly;Did the rifles fire o'er youas they lowered you down?Did the bugles soundThe Last Post in chorus:Did the pipes playThe Flow'rs of the Forest!And did you leave a wifeor sweetheart behind;In some loyal heartis your memory enshrined?And though you died backin 1916,To that loyal heartare you always nineteen?Or are you a strangerwithout even a name,Forever enshrinedbehind a glass frame,In an old photograph,torn and tattered and stained,And fading to yellowin a bound leather frame?few square miles of devastated ground,would, in the Gallipoli Peninsula, usedin time, have united the Balkans onour side, joined hands with Russia,"FINEST HOUR 134/51The sun's shining down onthese green fields of France,The warm wind blows gently,and the red poppies dance.The trenches have vanished,long under the plough.No gas, no barbed wire,no guns firing now.But here is this graveyard;it's still No-Man's Land.The countless white crossesin mute witness standTo man's blind indifferenceto his fellow man,And a whole generationwho were butcheredand damned.And I can't help but wonder now,Willie McBride,Do all those who lie hereknow why they died?Did you really believe themwhen they told youThe Cause'?Did you really believethis war would end wars?Well, the suffering,the sorrow, the glory,the shame,The killing, the dying,it was all done in vain.For Willie McBride,it all happened again,And again, and again,and again, and again.and cut Turkey out of the war. Thechoice was open to us; we have builtour own misfortune and no one cantell what its limits will be. $

GLIMPSESTHE UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY of a soldier's letters home ledhis son to track his father's experiences in World War II—which, like most veterans, he never spoke of. They include athen-classified encounter with Churchill in the field..."AINTI SOMEPUNKINS?"BY ROBERT S. PETTENGILLntil just a few years ago Iknew nothing of my father'smilitary experience. I knewonly that he was in the U.S.Army in World War II andwas stationed in England.My parents were divorced shortlybefore the war, when I was threeyears old. I saw my father only occasionallyover the years as I was growingup, and like many veterans, he nevermentioned the war and his service.When my Dad became ill anddied, just as I was becoming an adult,I resigned myself never to learningabout his early life and his militaryexperience. My discovery just a fewyears ago of his letters to his mother—263 in all, totaling about 600 pages—and my own research have filled inthat major blank.Wartime censorship of lettershome prohibited discussion of sensitivesubjects. Anything having to dowith military activity in a specific areawas banned. Indeed, while a soldiercould mention the country where hewas, he could not name the city or district.Fortunately my father kept contemporaneouslya daily log of where hewas and his movements. This was alsofound packed away with the letters,Mr. Pettengill (bobandpris@msn.com) is aretired financial executive who served inGeneral Motors' international operations.He lives near Detroit, Michigan.and matching dates between the twoenabled me to determine exactly fromwhere each letter was written. WorldWar II histories and the Internet haveenabled me further to determine whatactions were going on around him. Inthe process I discovered a soldiers-eyeview of Winston Churchill.On 25 May 1945 my father,Joseph K. Pettengill, Jr., wrote to hismother from Paris to describe a ceremonyhe saw at the Arc de Triomphe,in which Field Marshal Montgomeryand General Charles de Gaulle placeda wreath on the Tomb of theUnknown Soldier. He added a reallyinteresting anecdote which at the timeit happened could not be told due towartime censorship:"In connection with Monty andde Gaulle, I can tell you a story that Ihave not been able to tell before.When I went to Northern Italy—toAAI Headquarters (Allied Armies inItaly, or 15th Army Group Hq.),which was General Alexander's headquarters,Winston Churchill was there.He was on his way to the eastern partof the front. He was there to see theresults of the plan of GeneralAlexander to break through theGerman defenses."It was a well formed and executedplan. Thousands of troops andmany tanks and all equipment thatgoes with them had been moved fromthe west to the east without theGermans finding it out. That was thetime of the initial break-through,which was made on the line that thenran through Florence."We were introduced to Mr.Churchill and he said (through hiscigar) that he was happy that we werethere to study air-ground liaison work,and that the British were complimentedthat we wanted to learn the methodsthey had developed. He suggestedto General Alexander that we be givenfree rein and that everything possiblebe put at our disposal. Ain't I somepunkins?"Curious about his service inNorthern Italy, and what "free rein"Churchill had suggested be given, Ipursued further research. My fatherarrived in Italy, at "Purple HeartValley," on 13 August 1944. (MonteCassino had been taken in May.) Hewas in Caserta and Siena from 24August to 7 September, attached toAAI HQ—Advance Detachment G-3.He then departed for St. Tropez,France, landing by Higgins boat.(Operation Anvil, aka OperationDragoon—the invasion of the south ofFrance—had been launched on 15August.) He was assigned to SixthArmy Group HQ G-3 Air GroundLiaison. A letter written 21 Augustmentions an "excursion" which he can'twrite about owing to censorship.According to the official biography,vol. VII (906-13) Churchill flewfrom Naples to Rome on 21 August,where he spent two nights at theBritish Embassy. On August 23rd heflew to Alexander's headquarters nearSiena. Sir Martin Gilbert, in TheSecond World War: A Complete History,writes: "Churchill was in Italy onAugust 23, when, near Siena, he visitedthe troops who, despite the considerablediversion of forces and weaponryto southern France, were planning anew offensive in three days' time."Churchill spent August 24th visitinghis old friend General Freybergand the New Zealand Division, andthe 25th working at Alexander's headquarters.On the 26th Churchillaccompanied Alexander to observe thestart of his new offensive. From all thisFINEST HOUR 134/52

eration with ground forces:"In use within the Army Groupwas an air-ground coordination systembrought over from Italy, which initiallywas not the approved standard operatingprocedure of either Air or GroundForces. Because it worked so smoothlyand brought closer cooperation, however,details of the plan have sincebeen incorporated in the approved regulationson the subject."One can reasonably surmise thesystem "brought over from Italy" forthe Southern France campaign had itsorigins at that August meeting atGeneral Alexander's HQ, and that hadthe endorsement of Churchill.it would appear that my father's meetingwith Churchill occurred atAlexander's headquarters on 23August, or, at the outside, on the 25th,when he spent the day working there.Churchill had noted in his comments,recorded by my father in hisletter, that the American visitors werethere to study the air-ground liaisonwork. A study of Air-Ground Supportin World War II states: "The Britishair-ground system was the first successfulAllied adoption of close air supportfor ground forces. As such it becamethe early model for the U.S. Army AirForce in World War II."*The last chapter of the "FinalReport, G-3 Section, Headquarters,6th Army Group," a sort of unit historydated 1 July 1945, discusses thematuring and effectiveness of air coop-* LTC Kenneth A. Steadman, "AComparative Look at Air-Ground SupportDoctrine and Practice in World War II."(Combat Studies Institute, U.S. ArmyCommand and General Staff College, 1982).he content of my father'sletters has been a revelationto me. The Internet hasbeen a wonderful tool inmy research, bringing to lifehis experiences. The 6th Army GroupG-3 history was found during such asearch. As it turns out, my fatherhelped write this history, while stationedin Heidelberg just after VEDay. More specifically, he compiledthe information and drew each of theforty-one maps included in the finalreport, the original of which is filedaway in the United States ArmyMilitary History Institute in Carlisle,Pennsylvania.Another result of my Internetresearch was the picture shown here:"August 1944, somewhere in Italy,reviewing plans, General Alexander."This of course must have been taken atthe time my father met WinstonChurchill. WSC is studying somethingjust outside a caravan; perhaps it wasthe breakthrough plan referred to inmy father's letter.What about his time in England—one of the two facts I had been carryingaround with me all these years?As it turned out, my father was thereonly waiting to be sent to the PacificTheatre—or home. Two atomic bombslater, after more waiting, he boardedthe Queen Mary on 9 December 1945,and returned home. $5FINEST HOUR 134/53

JAMES LANCASTER'SCHURCHILL QUIZW 1 ach column includes four quesm~^tions in each of six categories:M, J Churchill contemporaries (C),literary (L), miscellaneous (M), personal(P), statesmanship (S) and war (W),easier questions first. How far canyou get?Level 4:1. How many children did Winstonand Clementine have? (P)2. When was the last volume of WSC'sThe World Crisis published? (L)3. Why did Churchill refuse Gen.Weygand's 1 lJun40 request that everyBritish fighter squadron should bethrown into the battle for France? (W)4. Churchill's "One of the heaviestblows I can recall during the war"referred to what June 1942 event? (S)5. When did Winston Churchill firstmeet Clementine Hozier? (P)6. "How the Great Democracies triumphed,and so were able to resumethe follies which had so nearly costthem their life" is the theme of whichvolume of The Second World War>. (L)Level 3:7. Whom was Churchill quoting inOttawa on 30 December 1941: "Inthree weeks England will have herneck wrung like a chicken."? (S)8. Who wrote about Churchill: "At therate he goes there will hardly be roomfor him in Parliament at thirty or inEngland at forty"? (P)9. Who received this Churchill directive:"Your prime and main duty will beto take or destroy at the earliest opportunitythe German-Italian Army commandedby Field-Marshal Rommel,together with all its supplies and establishmentsin Egypt and Libya"? (W)10. What incident at the end of 1910got Churchill into trouble? (M)11. "This Chamber must be rebuilt—just as it was"—what was Churchillreferring to? (W)12. Churchill told Boothby: "It tookArmageddon to make me PrimeMinister. But now that I am there, I amdetermined that Power shall be in noother hands but mine. There will be nomore Kitcheners, Fishers or Haigs."What was WSC referring to? (C)Level 2:13. How many elections did Churchilllose in his political career? (M)14. Who wrote the preface forChurchill's Thoughts and Adventures{Amid These Storms in the U.S.)? (L)15. Who was Laura Ormiston Chant? (P)16. "I have made more than St.Augustine" referred to what? (C)17. When did Churchill first conceiveof the idea of Mulberry Harbours,which played an important role in theinvasion of Normandy? (W)18. "Might it not be thought rathercynical if it seemed we had disposed ofthese issues, so fateful to millions ofpeople, in such an offhand manner?"What was Churchill referring to? (S)Level 1:19. Who was in charge of the planningfor Winston Churchill's funeral? (C)20. Name the five prime ministersChurchill served under as a member ofthe Government. (C)21. Whom did Churchill defend vigorouslyin the crucial Norway debateduring 7-8 May 1940? (S)22. When did Churchill first readHitler's Mein Kampf. (M)23. Who finally beat Churchill atDundee after his sixth attempt tounseat him? (M)24. Which book by Randolph convincedWinston, in December I960,to authorize his son to write his officialbiography? (L)ANSWERS•3XlCjSV3UV r J Jo Suijf :£cjU3Qfxoj (fi) 'JrioaiuiXiDg uiMpg (££)'££61 u ! psusijqnd SBA\ usij§ug OJUI uop-BJSUBJJ ssppSnQ -f-g USUM Aiainua SITUI USip. pUE Sldj3DX3 pSTEJSUBJ) UJ•urepaquretQ ailpvsjSI {\Z) 'u'ipmbsy 'uBuiJ3uuEg-jpqdujB[)(03) -Wi io n 5° 35 I n a 3M1 (61)6 '§UIJ33UI MOOSOJAJ 3U1 IB UIBJTjgpuE Bissn-g U33Ausq sdamg ujsisBgJO uoisiAip pasodojd aqx (81) 'ZI6IXjnf i_ psjBp aSjosj) p^ojq JOJ jsd^d BU I (ZI) '(mi isnSny L 'sinuiUJIAS. UOUBSJ3AUOD UT) sdousigm8uipjoD3B) ^ssnBjddB snairan p3AI3D3J SBA\ ^'JAVOJJ 3UJ UO^ 'J3t| isureSe tpsads sjjiipjniQ>68I u ! S 1FM sisnui atp sSmd oj psuisqi jo jspEajJBM01 uo paquioq SBA\ IT3 H Jjo asnoyi aqi SuipjTnqs-y (\\)ic^§uTopUBuispuaS UOJ_I j-g svp SBM IBI|A\ mq'Suiop SBM J3qdBj§o:oud sqj jBqM puBis-jspun j n :piBs jnojpg -jJO 3§3TS 3t|X (01) - J p j y p | HJig [BJ3U3Q (g) -U§TBduiBD UBUUnpUIQsqj J31JB 3 S ^ qjTM puB|3ug ojpsujnjsj OUA\ 'su3A33i§ '/A'D auspuods-3JJOD JB^ (g) -Q^61 3Unf UI J31STUIJAJ3UIUJ JI3q] SuiSIApE SJBJ3U3S t|DU3J,J (/)(9)O 3SU3J3p 3qj JOJ p3p33U 3J3AVFINEST HOUR 134/54

OPPORTUNITY FOR READERSFinest Hour Back Issue SaleBUILD YOUR COLLECTION OF A CHURCHILLIAN CLASSIC.We are stuffed with back issues which cost us money to store. Build your ChurchillLibrary while helping us clear them out. Postpaid prices in USA: Single copies $5,six for $24. Postage extra outside USA. Please make cheques payable to TheChurchill Centre, 1150 17th Street NW Suite 307, Washington DC 20036 USA.Phone (888) WSC-1874 or email info@winstonchurchill.org. Visa, Mastercard,Amex accepted.AVAILABLE ISSUES:#53 Churchill & the Baltic (1), "Winnie" musical,Their Finest Hour reconsidered, stamps: Admiralty,Collecting local stamps. Cover: WSC by Corke.#54 Churchill & the Baltic (2), 1986 Vancouverconference, WSC and the Abdication, YoungWSC, Malakand Field Force. Cover: WSC 1938.#55 1987 Dallas conference, Enoch Powell, Gallipolistamps, Ofcl. Bio. Vol 7, Harold Macmillan,Clark Cliffords great article on the ride to Fulton,Grand Alliance. Cover: Finest Hour porcelain.#57 Gilbert at Vancouver, Companion Volumes,Boer wanted poster, Collected Works, The Dream,Britain tour. Cover: Grace Hamblin, Robt. Hardy.#58 We are lampooned by The New Republic (anddish it back), Lord Soames, '87 Dallas conference,Pamela Harriman. Cover: "Retirement" cartoon.#59 AUSTRALIA NUMBER. Six articles onChurchill & Australia. Also: Speaking "Strine,"painting Canada, revisionists & The Hinge of Fate,collecting WW2 postcards. Cover: Australian flag.#60 20TH ANNIVERSARY issue, Best of FH,Citizen Churchill, reading Churchill, commercializingthe Centenary, Churchill's Savior, The Dream(1987 version). Cover: reproduction of FH#l.#64 WSC on advent of WW1, reviews of Ofcl.Biography, Churchill literary family tree, TheDream 1989 version, Churchill's self-education,revising Closing the Ring. Cover: WSC lithograph.#65 FUNERAL 25TH ANNIVERSARY. Gilberton writing the Ofcl. Bio, Churchill chinaware,Churchill tour of France. Cover: funeral photo.#66 India by WSC back in print, Robert Hardy,H.L. Mencken and WSC, Australia's changing foreignpolicy, Denis Kelly. Cover: the new India.FULL COLOR COVERS FROM HERE ON...#67 Dunkirk 50th anniversary, WSC and Lloyd's,Britain & Europe, Churchill and the Navy, SirWilliam Stephenson, Cover: Garter star & badge.#69 Churchill the Orator: five articles on style,broadcasting, disabilities, language. 1909 predictionhe will be Prime Minister, Call to Canadians» revitalize Canada. Cover: WSC Spy cartoon.#75 Jack Kemp, Dorothy Rabinowitz on WSC,The People's Rights, La Pausa display in Dallas, LadySoames on Churchill organizations, two 1945encounters with WSC by James Heinemann.Cover: smashing Cooper portrait of WSC 1945.#78 John Charmley s Tabloid Winston, WSC vs.Gorbachev, 1993 Washington conference,Churchilliana survey, Nicholas Soames, secretaryKathleen Hill, R.Rhodes James & Paul Addison.Cover: Admiralty and "Our Gang" chinaware.#83 Diana Cooper on Clementine Churchill,WSC & Eastern Europe, 1934 Mediterranean voyage,Churchills in North America, SalvagingCharmley. Cover: Lady C painted by Winston.#88 WSC's Durban speech after escape, Chartwell,new website, Britain's VE-Day, James Muller, arrayof Churchilliana. Cover: Churchill in Dublin aged4, the earliest known painting of WSC.#90 Lady Thatcher's speech on 50th Anniv. ofFulton, visiting Gallipoli, more Chartwell, AdmiralFisher, The Eastern Front. Cover: Chartwell.#96 Churchill's Life of Marlborough, '97 Torontoconference, Churchill Memorial Trust, WSC'sshort story "Man Overboard!," U.S. Grant,Churchill and Music. Covers: WSC painting byAdrian Hill and the RAF Memorial Flight.#99 CENTENARY OF OMDURMAN: threearticles including Churchill's on the cavalry charge.Lady Soames on her parents, Weidhorn onWinston, Hayward on Leadership, WSC asCoalition war leader, Neville Chamberlain. Covers:Lady Soames and 4th Hussars statuary.#102 Churchill's Arms, USS Churchill, Person ofthe Century, WSC as Statesman-Writer, WSC andhorse racing, Caspar Weinberger on US-UK relationship.Yoav Tennembaum on "the last romanticZionist gentile." Covers: Sir Winston's Coat ofArms, USS Churchill Coat of Arms.#105 Personality of the Century: what the worldsays, what WE say, what TIME done wrong.Churchill in one sentence, South Africa tour, CeliaSandys on WSC's escape from the Boers. Collectornotes on London to Ladysmith. Covers: WSC inSouth Africa painting by Mortimer Menpes; theambush of the armoured train, 1899.#108 Churchill: an Indian's Perspective, Churchillvs. Gandhi, Chris Matthews on leadership, HotelMamounia, Marrakech, WSC on the Onassisyacht, from British Cassandra to American Hero:the Churchill legend, Cabinet War Rooms, collectorguide to The Second World War, wartime pottery.Cover: WSC painted by Theodore Hitchcock.#113 Brendan Bracken, Churchill's relevance,Illingworth's WSC cartoons, Churchills aboardHMS Renown, Churchill and the Navy, Jeromecousins, Celia Sandys in Morocco. Cover: Lying instate painting by Alfred Egerton Cooper, 1965.#114 WSC on George VI, Gilbert on ChurchillsWomen, Bletchley Park, Queen Mum obituary,Churchill on Daylight Savings Time, Queen MaryFellows program, Myths: He let Coventry burn.Cover: Oil painting of WSC by Martin Driscollcommissioned for the Queen Mary WSC suite.#115 WSC's Mentor Bourke Cockran, Teachingthe Next Generations (3 articles), Churchill holographthank-you notes, Why did Churchill forgivethe Germans?, WSC secretary Patrick Kinna,Myths: Alexander Fleming saved his life twice.Cover: Last Painting from Life, Hailstone, 1957.#117 Grace Hamblin Remembered, SimonSchama on WSC, aboard USS Churchill, ChartwellMemories, 2002 Virginia conference, "Englander":Churchill through German Eyes, Morocco tour,Sarah Churchill's series of intaglio prints, Myths:Lord Randolph's syphilis. Cartoon covers: WSC ascaptain in the storm, from wartime France; andBritish pols on holiday, Punch, 1927.#118. Churchill and Chicago: two articles. 2003Bermuda conference, Churchill & India by LarryArnn, Secretary Marian Holmes, Churchill and AirTravel, Milestones in Churchill's life. Cover: TheOrpen portrait at the nadir of his career, 1916.#119 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA NUMBER:eight articles including Churchill's on Lawrence,Alkon on Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Churchill-Lawrence letters, Churchill's advice for a Lawrencemovie. Also Inspector Walter Thompson andArmistice Day, Paris, 1944. Covers: Lawrence ofArabia by Augustus John & Lawrence cartoon.#120 John Meacham on Franklin & Winston.Did Churchill have ADD? Paintings: Art asTherapy, Commemorative Coins, Churchill Pub,Churchill on Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson onChurchill, Churchill family books, More SarahChurchill prints. Cover: Chartwell, by WSC.#121 "Queen of the Seas" byXlhurchill. ChurchillyAfloat: the Liners he m&&Q^^Farewell:FQueenMary and Elizabe£h&}&ny Laughlin of HoughtonMifflin on fcOMchill he knew, WSC onMadeira. Cover: "Queen Mary," Strand magazine.#122 Martin Gilbert on Churchill and D-Day,Churchill as Peacemaker, 2003 Bermuda conference:four articles including the 1953 Churchill-Eisenhower summit. Zoller bibliography, Libraryof Congress Churchill exhibit. Covers: Churchill& Roosevelt, from a 1944 Canadian calendar.#123 Fabulous full wrap cover painting by WSCof Katoubia Mosque, Marrakech (only WW2painting). Manchester Vol 3 excerpt, Churchilland the Second Front, WSC and America, Speechon the outbreak of war.FINEST HOUR 133 / 55

APunch cartoon from mid-1912 recalls magnificoes now mostly forgotten (except of course our man). Mattersof moment at this time in Parliament were the Third Irish Home Rule Bill; Welsh Disestablishment; the. Marconi scandal that threatened to engulf Lloyd George; Women's Suffrage (Christabel Pankhurst was nowSuffragette leader, replacing her mother, Sylvia); Germany's naval challenge to Britain; and the Balkan Alliance ofBulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Macedonia (which did not survive the outbreak of war two years later).Paul Courtenay, James Lancaster and the editor offer these tentative identifications, and welcome commentsfrom readers. Proceeding generally from left to right:Holding the telephone: Postmaster-General Herbert Samuel. Running left with pointed beard: Fabian socialistSidney Webb.High jumper: Arthur Balfour, former Conservative Prime Minister. Exerciser with TARIFF REFORM ball: AustenChamberlain.Walkers in background: Foreign minister Sir Edward Grey is leading a group which look like Foreign Officemandarins. (JL notes that in 1912 there were only 76 persons in the Foreign Office—plus a few secretaries and servants!Staffing levels since have been in inverse proportion to Britain's influence on world affairs.)Center with MAJORITY javelin: Prime Minister Herbert Asquith.Wrestling over Ireland: Sir Edward Carson (Ulster Unionist) and John Redmond (Home Ruler). On floorwatching them: Augustine Birrell (Secretary of State for Ireland 1907-16).Behind Birrell, with the BY-ELECTIONS javelin: Leader of the Opposition Andrew Bonar Law. Bald man left ofBonar Law: Unidentified, though singular looking...Wig and robe: Viscount [Richard Burdon] Haldane (Lord Chancellor 1912-15). With Indian clubs: TheMarquess of Crewe (Secretary of State for India, grandfather of Jock Colville, Churchill's private secretary, 1940-55.)Discus thrower with 3d coin: David Lloyd George (Chancellor of the Exchequer), who was asking employersto contribute 3d weekly toward national insurance, together with employees (4d) and the government (2d). Strongman with mirror: Radical independent socialist John Burns, renowned for his physical strength.With longbow: Possibly a pun on the Tory Ulster Unionist Walter Long; his bandana ("URE") must refer tosome cause relating to Ulster.Swimming in pool: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill (whom Lloyd George had recently referredto as a "sea creature"); WSC made several trips that summer, on the Admiralty yacht Enchantress, to the Irish portsand Spithead. With telescope: Churchill's First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman.Observing the swimmers: Churchill's longtime friend and Tory stalwart, F.E. Smith, Lord Birkenhead. $Punch, or The London Charivari, \7 July 1912 • John Frost Collection