Month: May 2018
On Time: Winston Churchill’s Pocket Watch and Wristwatch
A wristwatch that the Commune de Vaud gave Churchill on 11 September 1946 was sold recently by Sotheby’s. Did he wear wristwatches? One almost always sees him with a pocket watch. —S.R., New Hampshire
From the 1890s until the end of his life Churchill carried his father’s pocket watch, nicknamed “The Turnip.” He did however sometimes wear a wristwatch, as the above photo shows. N.B.: This is a revised, extended version of a 2009 post, which I have left up for the comments by readers: click here.
WristwatchesWilliam Manchester wrote that the wristwatch was a ”product of trench warfare.”…
Churchill 101: Three Reasons to Learn about Sir Winston
Originally written for and published by the Hillsdale College Churchill Project. This is one of several forthcoming articles intended to encourage younger readers to learn about Churchill. Reader comment, suggestions of further points to make, and other articles on the same theme, would be appreciated.
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Learn …Who was Winston Churchill? Why, half a century since his death, is he the most quoted historical figure? Scholars know the answers. Do you? Why does it matter?
It matters because Churchill continues to offer guidance and example today. His indomitable courage, his ability to communicate, his knowledge of history, his political precepts, are as valuable now as they were in his time.…
Sir Winston Churchill spoke about baseball? Yes, that too…
A correspondent and fellow devotee of the game asks if Sir Winston had anything to say about American baseball. Out of fifteen million words over ninety years? Of course he did!
It may seem odd, since baseball is not an English sport, and its closest counterpart over there is rounders. But—ever obedient to the whims of Churchillians—I offer what he had to say on the matter.
The interesting photo above accompanied a nice article, “Churchill on Baseball,” by Christopher Schwarz, which I published a few years ago in Finest Hour 163. I supplied the following Churchill quotes as a sidebar to Mr.…