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Articles
Churchill Recordings: Speeches and Memoirs
- By RONALD I. COHEN
- | November 18, 2016
- Category: Resources The Literary Churchill
What follows is a list of the recordings of Churchill speeches, many but not all of which were broadcast (as well as readings), that I have unearthed to date. In all, I have found 99 speeches and 24 readings. They include speeches intended for broadcast as well as speeches made without that original intention but recorded nonetheless.
My goal has been to locate all commercially-recorded speeches, which, in principle, are relatively accessible, albeit in old analog (flat-disc) formats. Many of those broadcast were also privately recorded at the time of the broadcast. In the present day, there are of course many speeches that can also be found on YouTube or elsewhere on the Internet. In this initial listing, I have not sought to document these. Nor have I sought to probe the unreleased holdings of the BBC, which may well be the greatest single source of Churchill speeches, although it is unlikely that these are readily accessible to members of the public.
Although not speeches, Churchill’s recorded readings of sections of his Second World War, which he undertook in 1948-49 at Chartwell, are included. They evidence his own selection of material passages and they provide his own emphasis in his reading of them. Moreover, they are among the most accessible recorded documents.
My source has for the moment been limited to my own audio collection, which is extensive but not likely totally complete. The list is also focussed on 78 and 33 rpm recordings, although I have included a number of tapes and CDs, and 16 rpm recordings where I have them. Note, though, that, at the time of the 1909 recording, the speed at which flat-disc records rotated was often 80 rpm, not 78 rpm. It was not until 1925 that the standard rotational speed was fixed at 78.26 rpm.
There are instances in which I hold recordings of speeches that I have not found in commercially-released form. Like all those I list as “privately recorded”, these were cut on flat discs by individuals, as well as by radio stations (although fewer of those have found their way into the hands of the public). In the modern era, we have been recording off-air or in accessible venues on 1/4″ tape cassettes or CDs/DVDs. The recordings indicated as “privately recorded” may also exist in commercially-manufactured form. In some cases I list both. In many instances I do not hold a recording other than in privately recorded form.
Note that the recordings of Churchill’s speeches were not included in my Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill. This is the only listing of recorded speeches of which I am aware.
My biggest difficulty has been the selection of speeches. When I began, I hoped to limit inclusion on the list to full speeches, but I quickly realized that I needed to abandon that goal, as I have not been able to listen to each recorded track in order to verify the length of the content I have listed. And I have easily fallen prey to the temptation to include recordings of extracts of many fragmentary speeches, since such fragments constitute the only “live”, accessible audio flavour of otherwise obscure recordings. And where on a 33 rpm anthology album, or album set, there have been a number of such extracts, I have felt obliged to include on the list the references to better-known and frequently-published full recordings, even though the anthology only included extracts of those wholly-available speeches.
In most cases, the speeches I have listed here have been recorded in a number of places by a number of companies and I have attempted to provide information about each of those recordings, together with the identifying letter/number of each of their records.
I have included the title of the speech as given on each record. It has occasionally been the case that different companies have used different titles. In those cases, I have included each of the titles used by the recording company. Since what is common to each is the date of the speech, I provide that as the heading for each speech. And I present them chronologically. I have also included in brackets the title given to each speech by Sir Robert Rhodes James in his Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches where the title differs materially from that provided by the recording company since it is that title that will generally be better known to, or easily found by, Churchillians.
Where I put “Commons” in brackets following the speech title, it of course indicates that the speech was recorded by Churchill subsequent to its date of delivery in the House, as there was no audio recording of Commons proceedings in Churchill’s day. That first occurred on 3 April 1978, long after Churchill’s days in Parliament. I add, as a point of interest, the fact that video broadcasts of proceedings on the floor of the House began on 21 November 1989.
Note, finally, that I have not included other 33 rpm albums which state that they include Churchill speeches or extracts without identifying them. Thus, for example, the BBC Scrapbooks for 1940 and 1945, and several of the Edward R. Murrow I Can Hear It Now albums (issued on 78 rpm and 33 rpm records). I have not been able to listen to them all in order to identify the speeches in question and so have opted to not identify those collections of speeches.
The Speeches
1909
13 November: “Speech on the Budget” [Made for The Budget League]
80 rpm: HMV D379. [Corresponding speech by H.H. Asquith on reverse. Note: that there is also a HMVD381 “companionˮ recording with a speech entitled “Land and Labourˮ by Josiah Wedgwood on one side and “Speech on the Budgetˮ by Lloyd George on the other. I expect that there is an HMV D380 recording as well; all may have been recorded with a view to the January 1910 General Election.] 33 rpm: Rococo 4001.
1918
11 November: “Is This the End?ˮ
Tape: Argo 1232.
December (n.d.): “Election Speechˮ
33 rpm: Rococo 4010.
1933
24 April: “St. George and the Dragon” [CS: “Englandˮ] [Royal Society of St George Dinner]
33 rpm: Decca 2, London XL.3; tape: Argo 1232; CD: BBC Audiobooks [read by grandson Winston S. Churchill]
1934
16 November: “The Causes of Warˮ
33 rpm: Decca 2, London XL.4, Columbia KOL 7000; tape: Argo 1232; CD: BBC Audiobooks, ProArte
1936
March (n.d.): “I Am for the Armed League of All Nationsˮ
Tape: Argo 1232
1938
30 April: “Collective Security” or “A Sense of Collective Securityˮ [CS: “Tradition and Novelty in Artˮ] [Royal Academy Banquet]
33 rpm: Decca 3, London XL.6; tape: Argo 1232
16 October: “Broadcast to U.S.A.ˮ or “Broadcast to America” or “We Must Armˮ [CS: “Defence of Freedom and Peaceˮ]
33 rpm: Decca 3, London XL.6, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, BBC REB 39M; Tape: Argo 1232; CD: BBC Audiobooks, ProArte
1939
28 April: “Comments after a Hitler speechˮ [CS: “The Roosevelt Initiativeˮ] [A broadcast to the United States]
33 rpm: Caedmon TC 2018
8 August: “Holiday timeˮ [CS: “A Hush over Europeˮ] [A broadcast to America]
33 rpm: Caedmon TC 2018
1 October: “The First Month of Warˮ
33 rpm: Decca 3, London XL.6, BBC CMS 112, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: Argo 1118
12 November: “Ten Weeks of Warˮ
33 rpm: Decca 4, London XL.7, BBC CMS 112, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; Tape: Argo 1118
18 December: “The Sinking of the Graf Speeˮ [CS: “Battle of the River Plateˮ]
33 rpm: Decca 4, London XL.7, BBC CMS 112, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: BBC Radio Collection, Argo 1118
1940
20 January: “Liberation Is Sureˮ [CS: “The War Situation: ‘A House of Many Mansionsʼˮ]
33 rpm: Decca 4, London XL.7, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: Argo 1118
23 February: “The Navy Is Hereˮ or “The Long Arm of British Sea Powerˮ [Guildhall, London]
33 rpm: Decca 4, London XL.8; Tape: Argo 1232
30 March: “A Sterner Warˮ or “We Trust in Godˮ [CS: “A Hideous State of Alarm and Menaceˮ]
33 rpm: Decca 4, London XL.8, Caedmon TC 2018
13 May: “The Prime Minister’s Speechˮ or “You ask, what is our policyˮ [CS: “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweatˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 5, London XL.10, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Argo 1118; CD: Alanna, BBC Audiobooks, This England, ProArte.
19 May: “In a Solemn Hour” or “Be Ye Men of Valour” or “First Speech to the Nation as Prime Minister” [CS: “Arm Yourselves and Be Ye Men of Valourˮ]
78 rpm: HMV (JOX.33), Gramophone (C3198) [issued as part of Gramophone Album The Progress of the War, No. 348], BBC, World Record Club EZ.1026, World Record Club ME-2121-2123; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 1-2, Capitol, Caedmon TC 2065, Decca 5, London XL.10, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: BBC Radio Collection, Argo 1118; CD: BBC Audiobooks, This England, EMI, Enlightenment, SpeechWorks, ProArte
28 May: “King Leopold Capitulatesˮ or “Hard and Heavy Tidingsˮ [CS: “The Fall of Belgiumˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 6, London XL.11; Tape: Argo 1232
4 June: “A Colossal Military Disasterˮ or “We Shall Fight on the Beachesˮ [CS: “Wars Are Not Won by Evacuationsˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 6, London XL.12, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Hodder, Argo 1118; CD: Sunday Express, Hodder, BBC Audiobooks, This England, ProArte
17 June: “England Will Fight Onˮ or “The News Is Very Badˮ or “The Fall of Franceˮ or “In the End, All Will Be Wellˮ [CS: “The News from France Is Very Badˮ]
78 rpm: National Broadcasting Co.; 33 rpm: Decca 6, London XL.12, BBC 50 Years; Tape: Argo 1232
18 June: “This Was their Finest Hourˮ or “The [sic] Finest Hourˮ [CS: “Their Finest Hourˮ] [Commons]
78 rpm: HMV (JOX.34-36), Gramophone (C3199-201) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, No. 348], BBC; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 1-2, Capitol, Decca 7, World Record Club EZ.1026, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca LXT 6200, London XL.12; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, BBC Radio Collection, Argo 1118; CD: British Library, BBC 75 Years, BBC Audiobooks, This England, EMI, ProArte
14 July: “The War of the Unknown Warriorsˮ or “The Unknown Warriorsˮ
78 rpm: HMV (JOX.37-38), Gramophone (C3202-3) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, No. 348]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 1-2, Capitol, Decca 7, World Record Club EZ.1026, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, London XL.11; Tape: Argo 1118; CD: This England, EMI
20 August: “The First Yearˮ or “Never in the Field of Human Conflictˮ [CS: “The Fewˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 8, London XL.10, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, BBC Radio Collection, Argo 1118; CD: BBC Audiobooks, This England, ProArte
11 September: “Every Man to his Postˮ or “The Crux of the Whole Warˮ [CS: “Night Bombing of London: ‘Every Man to His Postʼˮ]
78 rpm: HMV (JOX.39), Gramophone (C3204) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, No. 348], BBC; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 1-2, Capitol, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca 8, London XL.10; Tape: Hodder; CD: Sunday Express, Hodder, BBC Audiobooks, This England, EMI, ProArte, Argo 1118
15 September: “The Battle of Britainˮ
33 rpm: Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200
17 September: “Secret Sessionˮ [“Parliament in Wartimeˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 8, London XL.9
21 October: “Frenchmen — Re-Arm your Spiritsˮ or “Broadcast to French Empireˮ or “To the French Peopleˮ [CS: “Le Dieu Protége [sic] la Franceˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3220) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Two, No. 356]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 3, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, BBC REB 39M, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200; CD: EMI
23 December: “To the Peoples of Italyˮ or “To the Italian Peopleˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3221-2) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Two, No. 356]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 3, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200
1941
9 February: “Give Us the Tools: and We Will Finish the Jobˮ [CS: “Give Us the Toolsˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3223-5) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Two, No. 356] BBC, Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund of U.S.A., Hear It Now I; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 4, Decca 8, London XL.9, Hear It Now I, World Record Club EZ.1026, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Argo 1118; CD: BBC Audiobooks, This England, ProArte
27 April: “Westward, Look, the Land Is Brightˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3248-50) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Three, No. 364]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 3, Decca 8, London XL.9, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: Argo 1118; CD: BBC Audiobooks, EMI
3 May: “To the Polish Peopleˮ
33 rpm: Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200
12 June: “Until Victory Is Wonˮ or “Hitler’s Corroding Fingersˮ or “Lift Up Your Heartsˮ [CS: “Our Solid, Stubborn Strengthˮ] [Dominion High Commissioners and Allied Countriesʼ Ministers Conference, London]
33 rpm: Decca 9, London XL.8, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Argo 1232
16 June: “Birth Throes of a Sublime Resolveˮ or “We Shall Endure to the Endˮ [CS: “The Old Lionˮ][broadcast to the University of Rochester]
33 rpm: Decca 9, London XL.8, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; Tape: Argo 1232
22 June: “The German Invasion of Russiaˮ or “The Fourth Climactericˮ or “Hitler Is a Monster of Wickednessˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3251-2) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Three, No. 364]; privately recorded; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 4, World Record Club EZ.1026, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca LXT 6200, Decca 9, London XL.8; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, BBC Radio Collection, Argo 1232
14 July: “Do your Worst and We Will Do our Bestˮ [CS: “The ‘Grit and Staminaʼ of Londonˮ]
33 rpm: Decca 9, London XL.8, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Argo 1118
29 July: “War Productionˮ or “For More than a Yearˮ [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 9, London XL.7; Tape: Argo 1232
14 August: “The Atlantic Charterˮ
33 rpm: Decca 9, London XL.7
24 August: “The Atlantic Charterˮ or “The Meeting with President Rooseveltˮ or “A Trumpet Has Sounded from on Highˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3253-5) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Three, No. 364]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 6, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca 9, London XL.7; Tape: Argo 1232
9 September: “We Are Still Master of Our Fateˮ [CS: “The War Situationˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 10, London XL.6
29 October: “These Are Great Daysˮ or “Never Give Inˮ [Harrow]
33 rpm: Decca 10, London XL.6; Tape: Argo 1232; CD: BBC Audiobooks [read by grandson Winston S. Churchill]
7 November: “The Resolution of the People Is Unconquerableˮ or “How Are We Going to Win the War?ˮ [CS: “Resolved To Go Forwardˮ] [The Guildhall, Hull]
33 rpm: Decca 10, London XL.6; Tape: Argo 1232
10 November: “Speech at the Mansion Houseˮ [CS: “A Warning to Japanˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone; 33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
8 December: “Japanese Treachery in the Pacificˮ or “War with Japanˮ or “Japan Attacks Pearl Harbourˮ [Commons]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3274-5) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Four, No. 370]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 5, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Decca 10, London XL.5, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Argo 1232
23 December: “One Man and One Man Only” [CS: “Press Conferenceˮ] [Washington, D.C.].
78 rpm: Gramophone (“A Special Record”)
24 December: “The White House Christmas Treeˮ or “This Is a Strange Christmas Eveˮ [CS: “A Strange Christmas Eveˮ]
78 rpm: privately recorded; 33 rpm: Decca 10, London XL.5; Tape: Argo 1232
26 December: “Winston Churchill Speaks to Congressˮ or “Words that Shook the World (‘Hands across the Seaʼ) or “Address to the Congress of the United States of Americaˮ [CS: “A Long and Hard Warˮ]
78 rpm: Columbia C85, privately recorded, WOR, Gramophone (C3276-8) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Four, No. 370]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 6, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018
30 December: “Address to the Canadian Parliamentˮ or “Preparation, Liberation, Assaultˮ or “Some Chicken! Some Neck!ˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3279-82) [issued as part of Gramophone Album “The Progress of the War”, Vol. Four, No. 370]; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 7, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca 10, London XL.5, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Hodder, Argo 1232; CD: Hodder, ProArte
1942
15 February: “Steady through the Stormˮ [CS: “The Fall of Singaporeˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3292-3), privately recorded; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 8, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, Caedmon TC 2018
10 May: “On towards the Ridgeˮ or “Prime Minister for Two Yearsˮ or “The Russian Winterˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3294-6); 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 8, privately recorded; 33 rpm: Decca 11, London XL.4, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: Argo 1118; CD: This England
12 October: [On receiving the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh] [CS: “Defence of a Cityˮ] [Civil Defence Workers Inspection, Edinburgh]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
10 November: “The End of the Beginningˮ [CS: “A New Experience˗˗Victoryˮ] [Mansion House]
78 rpm: privately recorded; 33 rpm: Decca 11, London XL.4, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; Tape: Argo 1118
29 November: “Warning to Italyˮ or “The Victory at Alemein [sic]ˮ [CS: “The Bright Gleam of Victoryˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3325-7), privately recorded; EMI/Odeon 5, I Can Hear It Now; 33 rpm: ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018
1943
26 January: [Churchill and Roosevelt Meeting in Casablanca]
78 rpm: privately recorded; 33 rpm: Maytag Anniversary Album
21 March: “Post-War Planningˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3341-4); 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 9
14 May: [Broadcast in honour of the Home Guard, from Washington, D.C.] [CS: “The Home Guardˮ]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
19 May: “Address to the Congress of the United States of Americaˮ [“To the U.S. Congressˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3353-7); 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 10, Decca 11, London XL.4, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018
10 June: “On receiving the Freedom of the City of Londonˮ [Guildhall]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
30 June: “Before the Autumn Leaves Fallˮ [CS: “Lord Mayor’s Luncheonˮ] [Mansion House]
33 rpm: Decca 11, London XL.3, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; Tape: Argo 1118; CD: This England
31 August: “The Call for a Three Power Talkˮ or “The Collapse of Italyˮ [CS: “The Quebec Conferenceˮ]
78 rpm: privately recorded; 33 rpm: Decca 11, London XL.3, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018
6 September: “Anglo-American Unityˮ or “The Long Arm of Destinyˮ [Harvard University]
33 rpm: Decca 12, London XL.2, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; Tape: Argo 1232
28 October: “Commons: Rebuildingˮ [CS: “A Sense of Crowd and Urgencyˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: Decca 12, London XL.2
9 November: “Lord Mayor’s Day Luncheonˮ [CS: “The Task Aheadˮ] [Mansion House]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018
1944
26 March: “The Hour Is Approachingˮ [CS: “The Hour of Our Greatest Effort Is Approachingˮ]
78 rpm: Gramophone (C3393-6), privately recorded; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 11, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; Tape: BBC Radio Collection; CD: BBC Audiobooks, EMI
6 June: [D-Day] [CS: “The Invasion of Franceˮ] [Commons]
33 rpm: D-Day Plus 20: 1944-1964
28 September: [The Tide of Triumph] [CS: “The War Situationˮ] [Commons]
78 rpm: CBC (Toronto)
9 November: “The Fruits of 1944ˮ [CS: “Review of 1944ˮ] [Mansion House]
33 rpm: Decca 12, London XL.1, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: Argo 1118
23 November: “Thanksgiving Dayˮ [Albert Hall]
33 rpm: Decca 12, London XL.1, Caedmon TC 2018; Tape: Argo 1118; CD: This England
1945
27 April: [Broadcast]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
8 May: “End of the War in Europeˮ or “Unconditional Surrenderˮ or “V-E Dayˮ or “This Is Your Victoryˮ
78 rpm: Gramophone, Historical Recordings 1051A, privately recorded; 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 1-2, Capitol, World Record Club ME-2121-2123, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018, Decca 12, London XL.1, BBC 50 Years, Decca 12, London XL.1, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, BP PSPMC 037, BBC Radio Collection, Argo 1118; CD: This England, EMI, ProArte
13 May: “Five Years as Prime Ministerˮ [“Forward, Till the Whole Task Is Doneˮ]
78 rpm: HMV (JOX.40-42), Gramophone (C3450-2); 33 rpm: EMI/Odeon 1-2, Capitol, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; CD: BBC Audiobooks
1946
5 March: “The Sinews of Peace” or “The Iron Curtainˮ [Fulton]
33 rpm: Spoken Arts SA 917, I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Decca LXT 6200; Tape: Decca KSXC 6200, Spoken Arts SA 917; CD: EarthStation1.com, BBC Audiobooks, ProArte
15 March: “Speech at the Waldorf-Astoriaˮ [CS: “The Darkening International Sceneˮ]
78 rpm: Audio Devices, privately recorded
19 September: [Speech at Zurich University] [CS: “The Tragedy of Europeˮ]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; CD: BBC Audiobooks
1947
15 May: [On receiving the Freedom of the City of Ayr]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
4 October: “Conservative Party Annual Conference Addressˮ [Brighton]
78 rpm: Recorded Sound
14 October: [Al Smith Memorial]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
1948
12 April: [Speech at the Pilgrims’ Dinner for Eleanor Roosevelt] [Savoy Hotel, London]
16 rpm: privately recorded; 33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
1949
31 March: “The Twentieth Centuryˮ [CS: “The Twentieth Century˗˗Its Promise and Its Realizationˮ [M.I.T.]
78 rpm: Audio Devices, privately recorded; 33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
14 October: “Conservative Party Annual Conference Addressˮ [Empress Hall, Earlʼs Court, London]
78 rpm: Recorded Sound
2 November: [Sunday Times Book Exhibition Award] [CS: “Riches of English Literatureˮ] [Grosvenor House, London]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
1950
17 February: [Political broadcast] [CS: “The Moment of Decisionˮ]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066, Caedmon TC 2018
1951
23 October: [Plymouth Home Park Football Ground] [CS: “Election Addressˮ]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
9 November: “The Path of Duty” [The Guildhall, London]
78 rpm: privately recorded
19 November: “Welcoming the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh Back from Canadaˮ [The Guildhall, London]
33 rpm: BBC REJ 187
22 December: [Broadcast] [CS: “Party Political Broadcastˮ]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
1952
5 January: “Response to President Truman’s Welcomeˮ [The White House]
78 rpm: privately recorded
14 January: “Britain and Canadaˮ [Government Banquet in Ottawa]
78 rpm: privately recorded
17 January: “Address to Congressˮ
78 rpm: privately recorded
7 February: “King George VIˮ
78 rpm: HMV (C7900-01), privately recorded; 33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
23 May: “Speech at Golden Jubilee Dinner for the Association of H.M. Inspectors of Taxesˮ
78 rpm: Mercury
1953
26 March: “On the Death of Queen Maryˮ [The date on the recording is likely incorrect; Churchill spoke in the Commons and made a broadcast on 25 March]
33 rpm: Caedmon TC 2018
2 June: [Broadcast following the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II]
33 rpm: RCA Victor
10 October: “Conservative Party Conferenceˮ [Margate, Kent]
78 rpm: privately recorded
9 November: “Foreign Affairsˮ [The Guildhall, London]
78 rpm: privately recorded
1954
28 June: “Washington, D.C. Press Clubˮ
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
9 October: “Conservative Party Conferenceˮ [CS: “Peace through Strengthˮ][Blackpool]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066
30 November: [Eightieth birthday speech] [Westminster Hall]
33 rpm: I Can Hear It Now ML 5066/KL 5066; CD: ProArte
The Readings
From The World Crisis 1916-1918, concluding words of Chapter XXIII]
1918 Armistice: London XL.1/Decca WSC 1
From the Second World War, vol. 1, The Gathering Storm
Follies of the Victors [Chapter 1] & Lurking Dangers [Ch. 3]: London XL.2
Adolf Hitler [Ch. 4] & The Locust Years [Ch. 5]: London XL.3
Air Parity Lost [Ch. 7] & The Loaded Pause [Ch. 12]: London XL.4
Mr. Eden at the Foreign Office. His Resignation [Ch. 14]: London XL.5
Munich Winter [Ch. 18]: London XL.6
The Soviet Enigma [Ch. 20] & Before the Storm [Ch. 32]: London XL.8
Narvik [Ch. 34], Frustration in Norway [Ch. 36] & The Fall of the Government [Ch. 38]: London XL.9
From the Second World War, vol. 2, Their Finest Hour
The National Coalition [Ch. 1]: London XL.9
Desert Victory [Ch. 31] & The Battle of France and The March to the Sea [Ch. 2-4]: London XL.10
The Battle of Britain [Ch. 16] & The Deliverance of Dunkirk [Ch. 5]: London XL.11
The French Agony [Ch. 9] & Admiral Darlan and the French Fleet [Ch. 11]
At Bay [Ch. 13], Back to France [Ch. 7] & Home Defence [Ch. 8]: London XL.12
The Records
78 rpm recordings
Columbia Masterworks (Set MM-800) I Can Hear It Now (vol. 1)
Gramophone Album No. 348: The Progress of the War: Broadcast Speeches by the Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, M.P., [Volume One], May to September 1940; Gramophone Album No. 356 The Progress of the War: Broadcast Speeches by the Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, M.P., Volume Two, October 1940 to February 1941; Gramophone Album No. 364 The Progress of the War: Broadcast Speeches by the Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, M.P., Volume Three, March 1941 to August 1941.
Historical Recordings 1051A [part of a 4-disc album, with speeches by Churchill, Truman, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Admiral King and Montgomery]
Mercury UBC-IT-111 to 114 Speech by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, C.H., M.P. at the Golden Jubilee Dinner of The Association of H.M. Inspectors of Taxes National Voice Library [Hollywood, Calif.] [described as an Audiograph, with no record number, with a head-and-shoulders picture of Churchill imbedded in black on the red record; there is a broadcast by President Roosevelt on the other side] Excerpts from Prime Minister Winston Churchillʼs Fighting Speech to the British Empire September 11, 1940
Recorded Sound Ltd. RSL 119-120 [Whitehorse St., Piccadilly] [5 discs on the Conservative Party Convention, the last of which has the WSC speech]
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund of U.S.A. [no record number] [Sponsored by Who The Magazine about People – it is record No. 2 of a pair of records; the other side of the record is Wendell Willkie’s “A Salute to Winston Churchill”; the companion disc, Record No. 1, sponsored by Voices of Democracy, includes broadcast addresses by King George VI and President Roosevelt]
WOR Recording 8-3641
33 rpm recordings
BBC CMS 112: Into the Storm: The Coming of War 1939
BBC REB 39M: British Prime Ministers 1924-1964
BBC 50: BBC 1922-1972: 50 Years of Broadcasting
BBC REJ 187: Fifty Years of Royal Broadcasts: 1924-1974
Caedmon TC 2018: Churchill in His Own Voice
Caedmon TC 2065: Great British Speeches Volume Four 1867-1940
Capitol TBO2192: Sir Winston Churchill: A Selection from his famous Wartime Speeches
Columbia: D-Day Plus 20: 1944-1964 [a Columbia Records Special Product, “A Limited Edition Prepared Exclusively for Philco] [1964]
Columbia ML 5066/KL 5066: I Can Hear It Now [ML 5066 is the mono version; KL 5066 is the stereo version; the contents were repeated in the later Columbia album KOL 7000, Winston Churchill]
Columbia KOL 7000: Winston Churchill [see Columbia ML 5066/KL 5066; the contents are identical]
Decca: Winston S. Churchill: His Memoirs and His Speeches [the discs are numbered WSC 1 to WSC 12, with a side number reference that runs from Side No. 1 to Side No. 24; each side also includes what appears to be a master Tape Reference running from ARL 6426 to ARL 6449]
Decca LXT 6200: The Voice of Winston Churchill
EMI ALP1435-1436, ALP1555-ALP1563: The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston S. Churchill K.G., O.M., C.H., D.L., M.P.: A Selection from his famous Wartime Speeches
London: Winston S. Churchill: His Memoirs and His Speeches [discs numbered XL.1 to XL.12, with a side number reference from 1 to 24; each side also includes what appears to be a master Tape Reference running from ARL 6426 to ARL 6449. The London records differ from the Decca records in that London disc XL.1 includes side numbers 1 and 24, disc XL.2 includes side numbers 2 and 23, and so on; consequently, the speeches appearing on, say, WSC 3 do not correspond to those appearing on XL.3]
London RB 100: The Voice of Winston Churchill [identical to Decca LXT 6200]
Maytag: Maytag [75th] Anniversary Album [1982]
National Broadcasting Corporation: A Reference Recording and an Orthacoustic Transcription record [issued only to radio stations for broadcast]
Odeon: [Identical to the E.M.I. recordings, except for the label tipped onto the album covers]
Philips A 01299 L: I Can Hear It Now [see Columbia ML 5066/KL 5066]
RCA Victor LBC 1063: Coronation Day
Rococo 4001: Famous Voices of the Past: England before the First Great War
Rococo 4010: World War I
Spoken Arts SA 917: Sir Winston Churchill: “The Sinews of Peace”
World Record Club EZ.1026 Sir Winston Churchill: A Selection from His Famous Wartime Speeches
World Record Club, ME-2121-2123 The Years of Challenge
1/4 inch Cassette Tapes
Argo 1118, ARGO 1118: Winston Churchill: A Collection of His Wartime Speeches, 1939-1945
Argo 1232, ARGO 1232: Winston Churchill: 25 Years of His Speeches 1918-1943
BBC Radio Collection ZBBC 1081: The Second World War
BP PSPMC 037: Great British Moments
Decca KSXC 6200: The Voice of Winston Churchill
Hodder Headline Audiobooks HH 660: Great Political Speeches: Selected from over 100 years of archive recordings
Spoken Arts SA 917. “Sinews of Peaceˮ
Compact Discs
Alanna Records ACD 555: D-Day: 50th Anniversary
BBC Audiobooks: Never Give In! Winston Churchillʼs Greatest Speeches
BBC ZBBC 2038 CD: 75 Years of the BBC
British Library NSACD 17-18: Voices of History
EarthStation1.com: The Iron Curtain Speech
EMI 7243 474564 2: Sir Winston Churchill: Churchillʼs Speeches
Enlightenment EN 9002: Talking Heads
Hodder Headline Audiobooks HH 662: Great Political Speeches: Selected from over 100 years of archive recordings
ProArte CDD 567: His Finest Hour: The Speeches of Winston Churchill
SpeechWorks JRCD 7700: The Greatest Speeches of All-Time
Sunday Express: VE Day: 60th Anniversary Collection
This England: The Voice of Winston Churchill: Extracts from his wartime speeches
Ronald I. Cohen MBE is the author of the seminal Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill (London: Continuum, 2006), although as he states, recordings were not part of that work and here serve as a supplement. Mr. Cohen founded the Churchill Society of Ottawa in 2011. In 2012, he received the Farrow Award in recognition of his bibliography. In 2014, HM The Queen named him as a Member of the Order of the British Empire “for services to British history.ˮ
Hi Mr Cohen, Is it possible to listen to the speech from 1951, “The Path of Duty,” delivered at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, Guildhall, London, on 9 November 1951? Is it in digital format to listen online?
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Mr. Cohen replies: That disc is a 33 rpm recording (2 sides), albeit privately made, possibly by a radio station. By privately made, I mean that it was not commercially made for public sale, although it appears to be professionally done. The next question is, how do I convert that recording to an mp3 format. A copy is also in the Cohen Collection of recordings at Hillsdale College, and we are working on that.
Dear Mr Cohen, I read with interest your above article. I recently did some research into WSC and his use of early versions of “Dictaphone devices.” I found that Churchill had been making private recordings at Chartwell and other places for many years before World War II; indeed I found the following recorded quote by Churchill: “I use such equipment not for the ordinary purposes of dictating business letters or saying things to secretaries. I use it actually to do composition, to put down a speech, or the outlines of some article or historical work I am writing, writing is very boring to me. The action of calligraphy I find a burden and a nuisance.” (“Sir Winston Churchill and his Recordings,” by Jerrold N. Moore, Yale University Library Gazette, April 1966.) Churchill used a “Sound-Scriber” machine to record his own voice. I discovered that there are more than fifty discs at the Churchill Archives which I believe capture Churchill recording his own works and speeches. I wonder if perhaps this is of some interest to you.
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Mr. Cohen replies: Many thanks for your observations. The information on the fifty discs is surely fascinating to hear (and read), but it falls within the domain of preparatory or draft material. My primordial interest, as bibliographer of Churchill’s writings, has focused on his published material. There are without doubt numerous drafts, proofs with emendations, notes on subjects in his writings, correspondence with research assistants such as Sir WIlliam Deakin, and so on. My focus (on the written side) has been limited to the results: to what has finally emerged in published form. In my article above, I once again limited myself to published audio speeches and other recordings. This is not to suggest that audio versions of his drafts and preliminary thoughts are not of interest, indeed fascinating. It is just that they differ from the ultimate versions of matter as he approved it for public consumption. It has been difficult enough to find the time to locate all of the ultimate versions. I fear that it could be a tall order also to digest all the preparatory matter, but I very much appreciate your bringing the existence of these discs to our attention.
Where might I find the speech where Churchill said: “This truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is”?
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It is in a very long speech, “An Air Ministry,” House of Commons, 17 May 1916, in Robert Rhodes James, ed., “Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches 1897-1963” 8 vols. (New York: Bowker, 1974), III: 2417-28. The remark is in a paragraph praising the air defense of London against German Zeppelin raids (page 2421):
How can I purchase these records/discs?
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Try eBay and similar sales sites.