Martin Gilbert Archives - Page 7 of 7

“Houses, red meat, and not being scuppered…”

24 January 2012 Comments 0 Comments

I have read that Churchill told his private secretary, Jock Colville, in November 1951 that his new government’s priorities were ‘houses, red meat and not getting scuppered.’ But I can’t find this in Colville’s Fringes of Power. Any thoughts?

Wonderful quote, quite appropriate in an election season, wish it were in my book. The date was March 1952 not November 1951.

It is quoted as you state it by Paul Addison in his outstanding book Churchill on the Home Front (London: Cape, 1992) 412, footnoted to Fringes of Power “diary for 22-23 March 1952.” But Prof.…

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The Alcohol Question (Again)

2 March 2011 Comments 1 Comment

Reference to Churchill and abuse of alcohol. When my father and I had lunch with Churchill at the House of Commons in 1952, I certainly did not see Churchill drink any more than the usual lunch time glass of wine. My father never mentioned his excessive use of alcohol in any form.—R.W.

He had an impressive capacity but you’re right. Except for a bodyguard who helped him and Eden totter home after a night of toasts with the Russians at Teheran, no one close ever saw him the worse for drink. (Well, Alanbrooke sometimes wrote in his diary that the boss was inebriated.…

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Churchill Books for Young Readers

26 June 2009 Comments 1 Comment

Please send me some book recommendations on Churchill’s life for young readers. By young, I mean a boy of seven years old. My nephew asked me about the book I was reading (Churchill: The Unexpected Hero by Paul Addison), and after I told him a little bit about it, he wanted to know more. I’d appreciate any recommendations. —R.M., Mass.

Paul Addison’s Unexpected Hero is probably the best “brief life” in print. If your nephew is into that at seven, he has great promise, and you should buy him a membership in The Churchill Centre. The student rate is $25, which represents a 50% discount.…

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President Obama and the Churchill Bust – Out

4 March 2009 Comments 0 Comments

James Kirkup reported in the March 2nd Telegraph that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was presenting the President with "a first edition of Sir Martin Gilbert's seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill." ("Seven volumes" was a typo; Sir Martin was short Volume V, but Chartwell Booksellers in New York City helped him out and the full eight volumes were delivered.) So now, effectively, "Winston is Back" in the White House, and President Obama has arguably more Churchilliana than President Bush had.

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