July 16, 2013

DATELINES: FINEST HOUR 126, SPRING 1005

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SASSOON REVISITED

MANCHESTER, UK, NOVEMBER 13TH—The bravest and most publicly outspoken of all Britain’s antiwar poets, Siegfried Sassoon, was the author of a gung-ho poem exalting war and the prospect of death in battle, The Guardian disclosed today. Sassoon echoed “the most extreme of the patriotic sentiments which encouraged hundreds of thousands to enlist during the first world war.” The poem, provisionally called “Because We Are Going,” was revealed by Sassoon’s biographer, Jean Moorcroft Wilson,
eighty-nine years after Sassoon wrote it, in an article by Wilson for Remembrance Week.

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Almost certainly written before the poet was sent to the front in France in November 1915 and saw the reality of trench life, “Because We Are Going” bursts with zeal for the prospect of heroism through selfsacrifice: “Since we might not choose I To live where honour gave us life to lose.” But that November Sassoon’s younger brother Hamo was killed at Gallipoli. Not long afterwards the poet lost his most beloved friend and foxhunting companion David Thomas to a rifle bullet on the western front. His verse began to grow biting. For readers of war poetry, the most uncanny quality of Sassoon’s “Because We Are Going” is its resemblance to the work of Rupert Brooke, the most celebrated pro-war poet of the day. Brooke—who died of infection before reaching the battlefield—was the author of “The Soldier” (1914), whose first lines became one of the recruiting anthems of the war: “If I should die, think only this of me: I That there’s some corner of a foreign field I That is forever England.”

Sassoon had met Brooke in 1914 with their common friend Edward Marsh, private secretary to Winston Churchill. After Brooke’s death in April 1915, Churchill publicly eulogised him: “A voice had become audible, a note had been struck, more true, more thrilling, more able to do justice to the nobility of our youth in arms engaged in this present war, than any other.”

Jean Moorcroft Wilson said: “It is safe to say that Rupert Brooke was an influence on Sassoon in 1915. If Brooke had lived, I am sure his views too would have changed.” —JOHN EZARD ARTS CORRESPONDENT, THE GUARDIAN

BECAUSE WE ARE GOING

Because we are going from our wonted places
To be task-ridden by one shattering Aim,
And terror hides in all our laughing faces
That had no will to die, no thirst for fame,
Hear our last word. In Hell we seek for Heaven;
The agony of wounds shall make us clean;
And the failures of our sloth shall be forgiven
When Silence holds the songs that might have been,
And what we served remains, superb, unshaken,
England, our June of blossom that shines above
Disastrous War; for whom we have forsaken
Ways that were rich and gleeful and filled with love.
Thus are we heroes; since we might not choose
To live where Honour gave us life to lose. —SIEGFRIED SASSOON © 1915

ST. PAUL’S REMEMBRANCE

LONDON, NOVEMBER 30TH—Winston Churchill was remembered today as one of the nation’s greatest servants as a set of gates commemorating his life was unveiled at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Churchill Memorial Screen spans the cathedral crypt and incorporates jousting spears, 500 pieces of naval brass and the lion from the Churchill coat of arms. It was dedicated on the 130th anniversary of his birth at a ceremony attended by HRH The Duke of Kent, Churchill family members, and former prime ministers Lady Thatcher and Sir Edward Heath. Tory leader Michael Howard and ICS (UK) chairman Col. Nigel Knocker were in attendance.

Lady Soames, who saw the gates for the first time, said: “They are splendid: a triumph of design. They are a fitting memorial to my father and a great tribute to British craftsmen.” At the service with Lady Soames were two of Sir Winston’s grandsons, shadow defence secretary Nicholas Soames and former MP Winston Churchill.

Leading the dedication, the Duke of Kent said the screen was a memorial to “one of our nation’s greatest servants in peace and in war.” The Dean of St. Paul’s, the Very Revd Dr John Moses, paid tribute to his humanity, vigour, humour and determination.

The gates, six metres wide and 3.5 metres high, were designed and made by blacksmith James Horrobin, 58, at the Doverhay Forge Studios in Porlock, Somerset. They cost £260,000 and were funded privately by the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation and the trustees of the Wyfold Foundation. Horrobin required 7,000 hours over twelve months and was assisted by ten people. He strove, he said, to evoke the pageantry associated with Churchill, incorporating the heraldic devices of the Churchill Lion, the roundels of the Order of Merit, the Order of the Garter and Warden of the Cinque Ports. The memorial pays tribute to a man whom many people associate closely with the Wren-designed cathedral, where he was given a state funeral following his death in 1965. Churchill recognised the importance of St. Paul’s as a national symbol and famously said during the Blitz: “At all costs, St. Paul’s must be saved.” The Duke of Kent said that many present would recall those words.

The location of the intricately-wrought steel gates adds to their strong sense of history: as spectators look through them, they can see the tombs of Nelson and Wellington further down the crypt. —RACHEL WILLIAMS, THE SCOTSMAN

MEANWHILE IN THE ACADEMY

LONDON, NOVEMBER 30TH— While Britain’s greatest cathedral was memorializing Britain’s greatest prime minister, a Mori poll for “the most successful prime minister” saw Clement Attlee the winner with an average of 8.34 marks out of 10. Churchill came second with 7.88 marks to Attlee, who led his party in opposing conscription as Hitler armed to the teeth in the 1930’s, and succeeded so well as PM that ration cards were still in use when Churchill’s Conservatives returned to office in 1951.

The poll, in which Tony Blair finished sixth and Anthony Eden last in a list of twenty modern prime ministers, was conducted among 139 history and politics academics. Mori didn’t bother to ask the people.

WHY IT DID NOT HAPPEN

WESTPORT, CONN., NOVEMBER 19TH—Following spectacular failures by pollsters in the late American election (exit polls predicted a substantial Bush defeat; Zogby predicted Kerry by 311 to 212 in the Electoral College), pundits are wondering what happened to the “system.” Louis Weinstein wrote that it reminded him of Winston Churchill: “While this remark referred to politicians, the same may be applied to pollsters and predictors: When asked what he considered the most important qualifications for a politician, Churchill is said to have replied, ‘It’s the ability to foretell what will happen tomorrow, next month and next year, and to explain afterward why it did not happen.'”

LEADERSHIP?

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS., NOVEMBER 13TH—Bush won, Kerry lost, but leadership expert Brent Filson argues that both Presidential candidates were “clueless” about leadership and leadership communication: “Leaders not only have to lead well; they also have to communicate leadership. And both Bush and Kerry were considerably off the mark when it comes to leadership communication. Both focused on giving presentations and speeches rather than ‘leadership talks.’

“Ronald Reagan was a master at leadership talks; so was Bill Clinton,” Filson adds. But Bush and Kerry didn’t break out of the speech mode until the debates. There Kerry began giving leadership talks for the first time. And after the debates George Bush, prompted by his having done poorly in them, went out there to many audiences in the battleground states, was himself, and laid it all on the line in heartfelt ways.

“These are our top leaders, says Filson. “They can do better. Clement Attlee said of Winston Churchill that his greatest contribution to World War II was talking about it. George Bush has not been able to inspire the world to join him in this war because he has not been able to talk about it in way that will motivate more people to get behind his leadership….

Hopefully, in the months ahead, he’ll keep up the heartfelt, hard-hitting communications that he delivered during the past several weeks of the campaign. The campaign taught him how to give leadership talks. The question now is, can he keep giving them?”

THEN AND NOW

LONDON, NOVEMBER 21ST—The Observer published comparison lists of the British public’s most admired figures today and fifty years ago. For male figures, the question posed was: “What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?”

The top five in 1954: Sir Winston Churchill, The Duke of Edinburgh, Anthony Eden, Sir Edmund Hillary, Clement Attlee.

The top five in 2004: Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, The Pope, Lance Armstrong, Tony Blair. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of battle perished….

NEVER MIND, WE LOVE HER ANYWAY

LONDON, NOVEMBER 19TH— Vanessa Redgrave has never been one to turn down an acting challenge, reports BBC News, “giving as good as she gets opposite Albert Finney’s Winston Churchill in ‘The Gathering Storm‘ [reviewed in Finest Hour 115]….But her career and political beliefs have often made strange bedfellows and she once publicly quarrelled with her sister Lynn over the 1991 Gulf War.”

Among those nonplussed by Vanessa is the director Sir Peter Hall. “Here’s the paradox,” he wrote in his diary: “What Vanessa says politically is, to me, insane….So how can she express such truth, such sincerity, such lack of hypocrisy in her art?”

Redgrave and her brother Corin “were once members of the Trotskyite Workers’ Revolutionary Party, where fellow travellers included Dame Helen Mirren, The Big Issue’s John Bird, and Matthew Kelly. Now they are set to launch their own political organisation, the Peace and Progress Party, which says it wants to defend human rights, pull British troops out of Iraq, cancel international debt and repeal the UK’s current asylum legislation.” We are not so sure about changing those asylum laws.

Finest Hour wrote of her role as Clementine: “Redgrave not only looks the part….But scriptwriter Hugh Whitemore has also provided her with exactly the right lines as she cajoles, scolds, wheedles and encourages her husband.” We don’t care if she likes Trotsky or Arafat; after giving us so true a Clementine Churchill, Vanessa may do anything else she likes. —RML

NBA SPOUTS WSC

DETROIT, NOVEMBER 19TH— America’s National Basketball Association is beginning to produce the appalling behavior for which British football has long been famous, but in the USA, players are joining hooligans. In November the Indianapolis Pacers’ Ron Artest charged into the stands to sock a fan who’d thrown beer at him, after an argument on the court as the game ended; angry players were hustled off the court as fans rained drinks on their heads. The Washington Post called it “the perfect storm: the league’s reigning hothead, Artest. The marginalized, angry fan, able to purchase alcohol in the fourth quarter. And a bunker mentality fostered by coaches who quote Winston Churchill and defend their players’ foul behavior most nights of the week.” Artest was suspended for the remainder of the season by Commissioner David Stern.

We’re not keen on seeing him linked to foul sportsmanship, and we applaud the equal justice dispensed (charges were filed against both the players and fans who thought such outrages were de rigueur). As the Los Angeles Daily News quoted Churchill (we can’t verify the quotation): “This is one of the cases when the imagination is baffled by the facts.”

THERE THEY GO AGAIN, AGAIN

COVENTRY, NOVEMBER 12TH— Sir Winston Churchill “might never have become prime minister if the public had known the depth of his mental health problems,” says the manager of a Coventry support group which is about to expand. Senita Jassi works for Rethink, the former National Schizophrenia Fellowship, which these days offers practical help and counselling for those suffering from biopolar disorder (manic depression), as well as the sort of severe depressions that used to beset Churchill. WSC used to refer to his condition as the “black dog” but, as Miss Jassi points out, “there was never any question of anybody being worried about living next door to the man recently voted the most popular Briton in history.”

How many times do we have to repeat that Churchill was no more a manic depressive than Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton? Of course he suffered from depression, like anyone with the fate of the world in his hands—and who wouldn’t after Gallipoli or the loss of Singapore? But the “black dog” has been given all too much emphasis by people who never knew him in life. This does not of course pertain to the general depression of his very old age. Enough!

WILL CURIOUS OVER CONDI

WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 20TH— We gave CC Member and syndicated columnist George Will a raspberry for muffing the Coventry bombing story (FH 124:6), so it’s only right that we compliment him for his Churchillian credentials in his column, “Questions for Condoleeza Rice,” which he suggested be asked by U.S. Senators considering on her nomination as America’s new Secretary of State:

“Does the Genocide Convention require a more forceful response to the genocide in Darfur, or is it, like the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact that outlawed war many wars ago, a waste of paper? Should the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China) be changed? Should France (population 60 million) be included rather than India (one billion—soon to be the world’s most populous nation), Indonesia (238 million, the world’s largest Islamic nation), Brazil (184 million, the most populous nation in Latin America) or Japan (127 million, and the world’s second-largest economy)? The European Union, the product of ‘pooled’ national sovereignties, will soon have its own foreign policy, foreign minister, embassies, ambassadors and diplomatic service. Why not replace France with a single EU representative?

“When, during the Second World War, Winston Churchill criticized Charles de Gaulle’s intransigence, de Gaulle replied, ‘I am too weak to be conciliatory’ Does this partially explain some European attitudes toward U.S. policies? Such questions are difficult, but there will also be peaches and gravy.”

NO 1. DEAD MOST RESPECTED

NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 20TH—Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ “Most Respected” survey among top business leaders expanded this year, asking: “What individual, from history or today, would you wish to join your company board?” Winston Churchill finished third. He was topped only by two very much alive figures: Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric; and Bill Gates of Microsoft. Running behind WSC in fourth place was Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn; coming in fifth was Jesus Christ. Mirable dictu: WSC has been absent forty years and he’s still running third! This reminds us of the Beatles’ quip, “We’re more popular than Jesus now.” (See also “Around & About,”)

SCENARIOS

CONCORD, N.H., NOVEMBER 12TH— In late 1941, after spending three days with Churchill, John Winant of Concord, U.S. Ambassador to Britain, wrote a five-page memo to Franklin D. Roosevelt outlining three scenarios Churchill had posed to him. The worst: Japan enters the war against Britain, but the United States stays out. Better: Neither country enters the war. Best: The USA enters the war, but Japan doesn’t. Less than a month later, Pearl Harbor put a fourth scenario into effect. — “LOCAL HISTORY TODAY” IN THE CONCORD MONITOR

PENALISED FOR FREE SPEECH

HARARE, ZIMBABWE, NOVEMBER 19TH—Zimbabweans who deplore the prosecution and conviction of Reason Tafirei last week for saying “Mugabe is a dictator who rules by the sword while Tony Blair is a liberator” may be interested by a note sent by Prime Minister Churchill to Home Secretary Herbert Morrison (equivalent to Zimbabwe’s Minister of Justice) on 19 July 1941:

“I should like to have my opinion put on record that this sentence [five years’ penal servitude for Elsie Orrin for saying Hitler was “a good ruler, a better man than Churchill”] is far too heavy for expressions of opinion, however pernicious, which are not accompanied by a conspiracy. Nothing in the internal state of the country justifies such unreasonable and unnatural severity. I consider such excessive action defeats its own ends.”

Britain was then in a state of declared war with Germany, and Hitler was directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of British servicemen and civilians. There was also the imminent danger that Germany would renew its efforts of the previous summer and autumn to invade Britain. —JUDGE JEFFREYS, THE ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT

The above item give us some hope that free speech still survives in Zimbabwe. But will somebody please check on the health of the Judge.

ALLURE OF AGED CHAMPAGNE

CORAL GABLES, FLA.— Of all the great wines, Champagne may be the one most prized for its freshness, youth and vitality, yet it also can be a wine of great complexity that develops nuance and character over time, writes Lynn Farmer in The Wine News internet magazine: “Palates are divided on the benefits of corkaging. Over the years I have tasted many Champagnes aged on the cork well beyond their release date and continue to marvel at the irony of a white wine that is capable of aging longer than most reds. The resulting qualities are almost never explored by consumers and seldom discussed by Champagne makers themselves.”

“True, we don’t talk much about it,” says Christian Pol-Roger, general manager of the grande marque that bears his family’s name. “The fact is, some Champagnes age well and others do not, but beyond that, it is really just a question of taste.” The “taste” he refers to is sometimes called le gout anglais (the British propensity for very old, even oxidized, wine) by the French. Those who possess an English palate generally revel in the slightly maderized qualities imparted by cork aging.

At our visit to Pol Roger during the 1992 Churchill Tour, M. Pol-Roger treated us to a glass of the ’47 vintage, which Churchill asked Mme. Odette Pol-Roger to keep in stock long enough to last him the rest of his life. The bouquet was astonishing, and the wine itself, though much heavier than we were accustomed to, was magnificent.

Two vintages of PR’s premier Sir Winston Churchill Cuvee were described by Wine News, which you might want to invest in (“invest” is, we think, the right word). The 1979, disgorged 1986: “Medium, straw-gold hue. Youthful, fresh doughy aromas. Full, very appealing flavors of toast with a robust yeastiness and elegant citrus that carry through to the long finish. No maderization.” The 1985, disgorged 1991: “White-gold hue; fine bead. The nose blossoms with rich scents of peach and citrus. Red fruit notes emerge in the long finish.”

AFFILIATE NEWS

CHURCHILL’S 130TH BIRTHDAY

MEACHAM, FRANKLIN, WINSTON

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., NOVEMBER 30TH— A record 100 Churchillians turned out at the British Consulate General for “A Passport to Hyde Park, Casablanca, Shangri-la and Teheran with Roosevelt and Churchill,” a speech by Jon Meacham, managing editor of Newsweek and author of the acclaimed Franklin and Winston. More scintillating—if that’s possible— than his Churchill Lecture in Washington last April, Meacham appraised the famous relationship in a way that was at once witty and profound, hilarious and touching.

We are grateful to British Consul General John Rankin and Terri Evans for hosting us so bountifully; and to Joe Hern, Suzanne Sigman, Jilene Thomas, Pat Foley, Pauline Perkins and Susan Kidder of New England Churchillians for all the arrangements.

Jon Meacham was introduced by FH’s editor, who defied warnings of radio’s Don Imus, “who dotes on such Newsweek regulars as Howard Fineman, Jonathan Alter and Evan Thomas but says, ‘Joe Meacham’— he calls you Joe!—’brings nothing to the table!’ Never despair! Invective is usually a prelude to an appearance on ‘Imus in the Morning.'” Sure enough, Mr. Meacham appeared on Imus December 8th. How’s that for a prediction?

In fact Jon Meacham brings everything to the table, as he did tonight, on Churchill’s birthday…”gone nearly forty years, as alive as ever.” There is much to learn from the Churchill-Roosevelt relationship, not the least of which is collegiality among the parties. “We’ve been through so much, politics has become so hateful we must return to the essentials, as they did, and become again a united people.”

Meacham’s remarks were punctuated by laughter as he tossed off delightful examples of Churchill-Roosevelt repartee. Both statesmen, he reminded us, fancied themselves Episcopalians: “I am one myself. We are God’s Frozen People.”

He quoted FDR, inviting Churchill to a Methodist church service in Washington: “It’s good for Winston to sing hymns with the Methodys.” Then Churchill, at his Washington press conference, when a reporter asked him about the enemy: “Mr. Minister, can you tell us when you think we may lick these boys?”

For the first time Churchill looked puzzled. (He didn’t know what “lick” meant.) Steve Early, the President’s press secretary, went over and translated the American vernacular. Churchill lit up. “If we manage it well,” WSC answered with a smile, “it will only take half as long as if we manage it badly.” Meacham added: “How I would love to hear President Bush say something like that.”

There is plenty to chew over with Jon Meacham, plenty of what Randolph Churchill called “lovely grub.” He is convinced that there was just a little human failing in Churchill’s absence from Roosevelt’s funeral. WSC, he thinks, remembered that he had been in the fight much longer, and saw staying home as a little gesture of umbrage over Roosevelt getting all the attention. There is no testimony from family or colleagues to suggest this. Is it possible that with victory tantalizingly close, with the enemy likely to capitulate any day, Churchill decided it was no time to leave his post? Small debates are almost beside the point. Jon Meacham’s wonderful book not only plumbs every source living and dead on what may have been the most crucial relationship of the 20th century; it forces us constantly to question our assumptions. And most important of all, it demonstrates that the example of “Franklin and Winston” is a model still.

We are so very grateful to Mr. Meacham for taking time out in the midst of moving house; and to his wife Keith for permitting him this diversion. We could have listened to him all night. —RML

ROYAL PALMS OASIS

PHOENIX, NOVEMBER 30TH— Arizona Churchillians enjoyed a great and wonderful evening last night at the Royal Palms, famous for hosting great personages (see “Camacho or Romeo y Julieta?,” page 9). We thank all who came for being there, for your efforts, and also for your expressions of support in strengthening our chapter. I received several emails the next day and it appears unanimous that everyone present had a great time.

One new face in the crowd, Dick Wilson, reminded me that there was a Churchill group in Arizona some years ago (early 90s) but for some reason it fizzled out. Dick said he was happy that it has been reconstituted; he has been a FH subscriber since 1981! He has pledged his support.

Thanks also go out to Norman and Beverley Lane of the British American Business Council of Arizona: the driving force behind BABC. Norman, its president, is an avid Churchillian. He has expressed interest in finding ways to support the Centre.

For the benefit of our friends outside of Arizona, I should point out that we had several guests arrive who are not CC members, but who after last night pledged to subscribe. Also, thanks go to the Royal Palms General Manager Greg Miller, who arranged to reserve last night’s remarkably appropriate cigar room, and surprised all of us by having photos of Churchill framed and placed throughout the room. He will be receiving a hand-delivered bottle of Pol Roger as a token of gratitude.

I am optimistic that last night was the formal beginning of a larger and more active chapter. Stay tuned and “Remember Winston Churchill.” —LARRY PIKE

MORE 30 NOVEMBER

Winston Churchill’s 130th birthday was celebrated widely. The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston S. Churchill Society of Alaska held a Greek dinner (marking the 60th anniversary of Churchill’s trip to Greece and the subsequent salvation of Greek liberty) on the quarterdeck of the Hotel Captain Cook, their traditional meeting place … North Texas Churchillians met for a social hour of wine and soft drinks with a harpist playing background music. A Champagne toast and dinner were followed by Marcus Frost speaking on “Churchill’s Leadership during World War II.”

28 NOVEMBER

A luncheon at the Hyatt Regency was held by Churchill Friends of Greater Chicago. CC executive director Dan Myers spoke on Centre activities while toby jugs were displayed by Kevin Pearson of Kevin Francis Ceramics … Churchillians of Southern California met for lunch on the Queen Mary; John Plumpton spoke on the diaries of Churchill’s “Secret Circle” in the period leading up to D-Day. They also approved by-laws and elected officers.

2 DECEMBER

Wine and sandwiches accompanied the program of Northern Ohio Friends of The Churchill Centre, which offered a report with photographs by several members on the 2004 Churchill Conference and five-country tour (Britain, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany), marking the 60th anniversary of D-Day and following the path of Allied armed forces from England to Berlin. (See FH 125.) Also on the agenda were establishing (and finding volunteers for) an outreach program on Churchill for local schools and incorporation of the affiliate. —MICHAEL MCMENAMIN

MORE NEWS

Under Gary and Bev Bonine, Detroit members have drafted papers to become a formal affiliate of the Centre, and are now fixing on a name for the group … The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Round Table of Nebraska met on 19 December for their discussion on Churchill’s third volume of WW2 memoirs, The Grand Alliance, concentrating on the chapters, “The Battle of the Atlantic” and “The Greek Campaign” … California North is a new affiliate now in formation. Richard and Susan Mastio of Carmel have engaged David Ramsay as their speaker for their inaugural event on St. George’s Day, April 23rd, at the Highlands Inn. Pre-notices had a good response, and they are holding a membership drive.

PICNIC-BOOK DISCUSSIONS

New England Churchillians’ successful round of summer picnics combined with book discussions was inspired by the Washington Society for Churchill, which holds similar events. In 2004, FH editor Richard Langworth led a discussion of Jon Meacham’s Franklin and Winston, which was specifically selected to build interest for our November 30th birthday event. Thirty-five attended from as far away as southwestern Connecticut, and eleven were first-time attendees.

This is the fourth year that we have held this always-popular summer event. Attendees bring lawn chairs and we provide an all-inclusive English ploughman’s lunch, English ale, soft drinks and dessert for $20 each. After an informal social, we draw our chairs into a circle to discuss the selected book.

Modest fund-raising efforts are also undertaken. This year we raised $277 for our juvenile book donation program, which provides public and school libraries with the Reves Award winning Winston Churchill, by Fiona Reynoldson. For a $21 donation, one may designate a library to receive the title in the donor’s name. We solicit with mailings and at events; donors may contribute a whole book or $5 toward part of the cost. We also held a silent auction of Churchill books donated by members. Donations and auction proceeds brought in enough for thirteen Reynoldson donations from this event alone.

The annual picnic and book discussion is a low-stress event, as we are able to hold it without incurring advance financial commitments based on guesses about attendance. We simply buy food and beverages a day or two before. We do not have to worry in advance about breaking even, as we do at larger events; in fact, we almost always earn a small surplus. The event is timely, as it provides seed money for our annual November 30th signature event, for which we have to make partial payments in advance of ticket revenues. We also garnered some more email addresses for our email list, which is now over ninety. —JOE HERN

UK NEWS

PAUL H. COURTENAY

The Society’s main achievement over the past year was the 21st International Churchill Conference, held over twelve days in three phases during September/October. Much was published in FH 125, so there is no need to say more about it here. Many appreciative letters were received afterwards, which gave us much satisfaction. These major events have the scope for being so easily overtaken by unforeseen disaster, that any sigh of relief is premature before the final whistle blows.

To mark Churchill’s 130th birthday in November ICS (UK) held a reception at the Special Forces Club in London. The venue is redolent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which was called into being by WSC to “set Europe ablaze.” The event coincided with the publication of member David Reynolds’ In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War. The author was present and gave an enticing overview of this major contribution to the Churchill story.

A notable event at St Paul’s Cathedral on Churchill’s birthday was the dedication of memorial gates in the crypt (see page 5). ICS (UK) was represented at the ceremony by its chairman.

The fortieth anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral was in January 2005. To mark this mile stone a service was held at Bladon Church in the presence of family members and close associates, with ICS (UK) representation. A lunch followed at nearby Blenheim Palace. Thus were commemorated the events of forty years ago with fitting solemnity and remembrance.

April saw our Annual General Meeting, which took place this year at the Cabinet War Rooms. This gave members a chance to see the new Churchill Museum—part of the War Rooms complex—which had been opened by HM The Queen only two months earlier.

This major site, wonderfully conceived and brought into being, is now a “must” on any Churchillian’s itinerary. The Centre and Societies hope shortly to acquire their own room at the Museum, which will give them a heightened profile.

One further event of current interest is an exhibition in London of Churchill cartoons, mounted by the Political Cartoon Society. Many well-known, as well as less famous, cartoons are on display. Churchill, of course, was a gift to cartoonists throughout his life, and the exhibition makes the most of the immense range of what had been published over a 65-year period.

It is particularly pleasing to record that hardly an ICS(UK) event goes by without participation by members from other parts of the Churchill Centre; this is a highly desirable state of affairs which is to be encouraged. It gives practical meaning to the homogeneous nature of the organisation as a whole.

Membership is increasing. In this connection it is very laudable that ICS (Portugal), which began as an offshoot of ICS (UK), has now become virtually independent, having recruited some forty members, with only minimal residual support needed from here.

Turning to the future, we will continue to market the Society especially among younger people—with the long-term aim of creating a momentum of interest which becomes self-sustaining. We have all the advantages of home-based historic sites and of a hard core of dedicated loyalists. There are at last signs that a younger generation is coming forward with the relevant knowledge and dedication, and with the ability to attract increasing numbers of its own age group.  

 

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