(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)
Some time back I did a two week series on the three month long trip Churchill, his brother, Jack, and their two sons made in 1929 across Canada, down the West coast to California and then back across the states to New York for the return voyage home.
In November 2002, John Plumpton, then President of The Churchill Center, addressed The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy. The event was held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
Plumpton began:
I am honoured to speak to you in a venue that hosted Winston Churchill at a luncheon on August 17, 1929. Including those listening on loud speakers on the street outside of the Royal York, 3,000 heard him.It’s a wonderful story, isn’t it?
Churchill was actually reasonably modest about what drew people to hear him.
On one occasion, when he was complimented on the large turnout, he responded: “Yes, but imagine how many would have come if you had announced you were hanging me.”
I’d never heard it. How about you?
4 comments:
General Brooke's deputy, General Sir John Kennedy had this to say about Churchill as the Casablanca conference was about to begin, it's told in Atkinsosn's "An Army At Dawn" pages 286-287.
"He is difficult enough when things are going badly, more difficult when nothing is happening, and quite unmanageable when all is going well."
Atkinson continues with an anecdote about Winnie ...
"Escaping from the Anfa compound on January 16, he was found strolling along the beach near the El Hank lighthouse, pockets bulging with seashells. During another beachfront expedition, he came upon several American sailors with a guitar; at his request, they serenaded him with 'You are my sunshine.'
"Walking back to village Mirador after a late-night dinner, Churchill was challenged at 3 am by a young sentry from North Carolina who bellowed, 'Corporal of the guard, I have a feller here who claims he is the prime minister of Great Britain. I think he is a goddamned liar.'"
Now that's a tale worth re-telling.
HB, knowing what I do about Churchill I'll bet he laughed as hard as I just did. Beautiful story.
SA,
I also like Churchill's summation of Montgomery a few chapters later in the same book ... pages 418-419.
re Monty "indomitable in retreat, invincible in advance and insufferable in victory."
Following a showing of the film "Desert Victory" chronicling Monty's rout of Rommel at El Alamein, historian Corelli Barnett stated ...
"If he admitted to an error, it was always minor, and served, like a touch of black in a color scheme, to throw up his general infallibility."
Or as his biographer Ronald Lewin described him...
"A kindliness and intermittent humanity marred by ruthlessness., intolerance and sheer lack of empathy; a marvelous capacity for ignoring the inessential, combined with a purblind insensitivity about the obvious; a deep but unsophisticated Christianity; a panache, a burning ambition, above all an individuality -- such were the gifts which both the good and bad fairies brought to Montgomery's cradle."
If I could write like that I wouldn't be a washed up sports hack.
SA,JWM or anyone else for that matter, could you direct me to a good primer that can introduce me to Churchill.
As I stated earlier, I have been almost exclusively a battle-narrative reader, but the more I expand, the better Churchill gets.
I ask you all, for I find books recommended by other enthusiasts is the quickest way to get to the highest quality and best-written works.
Also, anything on Patton. My maternal grandfather served on his staff from North Africa through Bavaria. (grandad, who earned two Silver Stars, also turned on me viciously, at least that's what I thought at 10 years old, when I asked him if he had ever killed anyone in the war. He was also less than impressed with Germany and Bavaria... "I've seen many more beautiful places right here in my country," is my paraphrase.)
I appreciate in advance.
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