Tag: Lord Birkenhead

Josh Ireland
Three generations, now sadly all gone, in court dress for the Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II: Randolph, Sir Winston and “young Winston,” 1953. (Wikimedia Commons)
Old Victory’s Pride (Extended Review): “Churchill & Son” by Josh Ireland

Old Victory’s Pride (Extended Review): “Churchill & Son” by Josh Ireland

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Churchill & Son by Josh Ire­land (New York: Dut­ton, 2021) 464 pages, $34, Kin­dle $14.99. First pub­lished in The Amer­i­can Spec­ta­tor, 7 April 2021. I was lim­it­ed to 1500 words, and so have added cer­tain reflec­tions that occurred since pub­li­ca­tion (“Just Among Our­selves”).   —RML

Josh Ireland’s “Life with Father”

Despite an inaus­pi­cious begin­ning, this is a thought­ful study of a father-son rela­tion­ship dur­ing the storms that rocked a trou­bled cen­tu­ry. Ran­dolph Churchill has now prompt­ed six books—not bad for most Churchills, short of his father (1150 and count­ing). Josh Ire­land here con­fronts his bit­ter­sweet Life with Father, adding fresh insights and thought­ful appraisals to our under­stand­ing of the great man and his offspring.…

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Astor
Nancy, Viscountess Astor in 1908, painted by John Singer Sargent, 1856-1925. (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)
Fake Churchill Quotes: Lady Astor and Other Women Nemeses

Fake Churchill Quotes: Lady Astor and Other Women Nemeses

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Pure nonsense

Mak­ing the rounds again is an off-col­or piece of “Churchillian Drift.” Years ago, colum­nist Jon­ah Gold­berg greet­ed its last appear­ance by call­ing it “A Thorny Porn-y Issue.” Porn-y maybe, Thorny not. Win­ston Churchill nev­er said any­thing like it.

For con­nois­seurs of made-up Churchill quo­ta­tions, here’s the alleged exchange. Sir Win­ston says to a woman at a social event: “Madam, would you sleep with me for five mil­lion pounds?” The lady stam­mers: “My good­ness, Mr. Churchill. Well, I suppose….”

Churchill inter­rupts: “Would you sleep with me for a fiv­er?” She responds hot­ly: “What kind of woman do you think I am?!”…

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Quotes
So far an unproven quote, re Montgomery: “In defeat, indomitable; in victory, insufferable.” With Monty at the Rhine, 1945 (Brooke is between them). At left, the Daily Mail’s Rhona Churchill (no relation), first female correspondent during the invasion of Europe.
All the “Quotes” Churchill Never Said (3: Lies to Sex)

All the “Quotes” Churchill Never Said (3: Lies to Sex)

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Fake Quotes continue…

Red Her­rings: Quotes not by Churchill (or things he said quot­ing some­one else), con­tin­ued from Part 2.  Com­piled for the next expand­ed edi­tion of Churchill by Himself.

A read­er sug­gests that the list of “Red Her­ring” fake Churchill quotes be sub­di­vid­ed. We should sep­a­rate quotes he actu­al­ly said, but bor­rowed from some­one else, from quotes sim­ply invent­ed out of whole cloth. Not sure we have much to learn from that. First, while I try to name the orig­i­na­tor of a quo­ta­tion not by Sir Win­ston, I don’t always suc­ceed. Sec­ond, my brief extends only to dis­prov­ing that the words orig­i­nat­ed with Churchill.…

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RML Books

Richard Langworth’s Most Popular Books & eBooks


Winston Churchill, Myth and Reality

Churchill by Himself

Churchill in His Own Words

Churchill and the Avoidable War

The Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill

The Patriot’s Churchill

Triumph Cars - The Complete Story