Churchill, Winston

This British Bulldog and famous wartime Prime Minister grew up in Blenheim Palace as a Spencer-Churchill. He started out as a journalist, and wrote prodigiously until his death. Determined, outspoken and larger than life, Churchill went through several stages of unpopularity. His time at the Admiralty was not without controversy, and while appeasement was popular between the wars, Churchill wasn't. But cometh the hour, cometh the man, and World War Two was Churchill's finest hour. He was very much a product of his times and background but on geopolitics was rarely wrong. He foresaw the cold war approaching and the 'Iron Curtain' speech at Missouri in March 1946 was prophetic, though his desire for a closer relationship between Britain and America was less well received by Truman who thought correctly that British power was in serious decline. Churchill was a tremendously talented and complex man, iconic and very human at the same time. Unlike many politicians of today, he cared more about being right than being popular. He was likewise unbothered by convention. Churchill used to conduct meetings during the war with heads of staff (and in the picture here with Dwight D Eisenhower), in his dressing gown. He also had Turnbull and Asser make him what he called 'romper suits', an all in one suit that was easy to put on and had an 'adjustable' waistline. These became known as 'siren suits' as they were supposedly easy to put on if the air raid siren went off. In truth this was not Churchill's motivation for them. He often had been known to go up onto the roof of number ten Downing Street to watch the Blitz rather than down to the bunker underneath the Treasury. A whole library can be devoted to him and his life and works. The magisterial sixteen volume Gilbert biography is a testament to his full life, lived at the centre of world affairs. We try to have in stock as much of his cannon as we can.

1948-54 The Second World War
London: 1948-54

A first edition set of William Churchill's groundbreaking memoirs regarding the Second World War.

£625.00

Stock Code: 840G25

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