September 6, 2015

Finest Hour 168, Spring 2015

Page 42

Brian A. Dementi, Churchill & Eisenhower Together Again, Dementi Milestone Publishing, 200 pages, $40. Available from www. dementimilestonepublishing.com

Review by David Freeman

This large, handsome, and lavishly illustrated new book brings together photographs and memories of Winston Churchill’s triumphant post-war visit to historic Williamsburg, Virginia, in the company of his wife and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower.

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Churchill had just returned with President Truman from Fulton, Missouri, where he delivered the famous “Iron Curtain” speech. After a brief rest in Washington, Churchill set off by railway with his wife Clementine in the private coach of the President of the United States, bound for Richmond. Joining them was the victorious Supreme Commander Allied Forces Europe, Gen. Eisenhower. In the state capitol, Churchill and Eisenhower both addressed the Virginia General Assembly.

From Richmond the party made the one-hour train ride to Williamsburg, where Churchill and Ike were driven about the city in a horse-drawn carriage. At the Raleigh Tavern, the women in the party took tea in the Apollo Room, while the men assembled in the Tap Room for Scotch and soda. The capstone of the visit was a banquet at the Williamsburg Inn hosted by John D. Rockefeller III, whose father was responsible for the restoration of the famous colonial city.

The 12” x 9” dimensions of this book allow for the reproduction of the many beautiful black-and-white images taken by photographer Frank A. Dementi that recorded the visit. The text provides a complete account of every aspect of the tour and includes the memories of several Virginians who witnessed the events.