Q & A

Christmas, 1941: “By our sacrifice…these same children shall not be robbed of their inheritance…. And so, in God’s mercy, a happy Christmas to you all.”

Christmas at Chartwell: “No matter how humble the gift, he accepted with surprise and pleasure. ‘For me?’ he'd ask, his eyes lighting up. ‘How very kind!’”

It was not a broadcast appeal to the nation. Nothing so vague as that for Winston S. Churchill. It was his order to the Admiralty on 20 May 1940. The Admiralty then formed the Small Vessels Pool, in which private owners registered their craft for the mission and were given routes and charts.

Whether the product was profound or simple, like his vast correspondence, even his first iteration was close to the mark. Grace Hamblin, a longtime secretary, recalled: “His dictation wasn't difficult because it was very, very slow and he weighed his words. As one knows he had a tremendous command of the English language, but he didn't use it loosely. He considered very carefully what he was going to say.”

Churchill knew his Shakespeare and had a near-photographic memory. Darrell Holley’s Churchill’s Literary Allusions tells us he alludes to Shakespeare more than any other English author. King John, Richard III and Hamlet are his most frequent references. Henry V also moved and inspired him. He also closely read Richard II, generally accepting Shakespeare’s portrayal of his cruelty and vindictiveness.

No counterpart of the Cassell limited presentation edition was produced by either the U.S. trade publisher, Houghton Mifflin, or the Book of the Month Club. Thus, either Mr. Scherman or the BOMC must have had this set specially bound. But your question is fascinating, since it raises several bibliographic questions and the BOMC’s important publishing role.

Thompson’s eighteen perilous years are really the key. His accounts tend to suggest that he saved Churchill’s life at every juncture. Undoubtedly, many potential threats did exist, and to his credit, he disregarded no possibility. We are left however with six particular episodes, only three of which involve known assassination plots.

For Churchill, history was a dynamic process rather than an inevitable course. To secure liberty in the future, this must be recognized.

The Green Party wants to ease stress with a four-day week. Churchill's methods would handle the problem effectively - and far more economically.

I’ve been slogging through the William Manchester Churchill trilogy, The Last Lion. How is Hillsdale’s eight-volume Winston S. Churchill by Randolph Churchill and Martin Gilbert different?

Churchill’s refusal to indulge in criticism of America was more than prescient tactics; it embodied a deep understanding of, and belief in, “The Great Republic.”

Was it the Conservatives, the BBC, or the press? They all wished Churchill would go away, but an organized conspiracy of silence against him is hard to establish.