December 3, 2015

Finest Hour 170, Fall 2015

Page 05

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Finest Hour 169

Remarkable Work

LOS ANGELES, CA—I am glad to see Jeremy Wilson’s explanation of Churchill’s prefatory note for the 1954 Home Letters of T. E. Lawrence and His Brothers. This is an interesting and rare episode because, unlike so many politicians then and now, Churchill was inclined to write his own letters and speeches. I took down from its shelf my copy of the Home Letters, read its prefatory note again, and am struck by what an excellent imitation it is of Churchill’s style.

And what a coup to have Jeremy Wilson aboard Finest Hour! In addition to his biography of Lawrence, his publications for Castle Hill Press are also major contributions to Lawrence scholarship. I expect many readers will want to get the forthcoming edition of Lawrence’s correspondence with political elites, which I believe will include pretty much all of Churchill’s correspondence with Lawrence.
—Paul Alkon

High Ground

INDIAN WELLS, CA—Charles Edward Dixon’s depiction of Australian and New Zealand soldiers landing at Anzac Cove, which accompanies Harry Atkinson’s admirable article about the Dardanelles on pages 10–11, shows how close the high ground was to the landing beaches. I noticed this striking similarity of the terrain at Anzac with that at Omaha Beach while on recent visits to both.

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In each case a steep hill lies directly behind the beach, providing an ideal defensive position. The assault at Omaha was supported by a massive and effective naval bombardment provided by eleven American and British destroyers firing from close inshore. This enabled the US V Corps to reach high ground and advance inland, albeit with heavy casualties. Dixon depicts a heavy bombardment by accompanying warships. I would be interested to learn more details about the bombardment at Anzac.
—David Ramsay

Readers who may be able to provide information about David Ramsay’s inquiry are encouraged to contact the editor.

Russian Tribute

NABEREZHNYE CHELNY—Hello. I am a Russian artist living in Tatarstan. I have created the enclosed illustration [below] of Sir Winston Churchill and would be happy to have it published by The Churchill Centre in Finest Hour. Yours faithfully—Farit Rassam