If like me you love biography and are fascinated by the man who is in the authors view the greatest to have ever occupied No 10 Downing Street you will love this book. I just finished it and wanted to record some thoughts for prosterity.
Churchill was an amazing man and was known to have created the term ‘terminological inexactitude’ (p112) a fairly typical game with words for him. He was a definite rascal and not always popular by a long shot. He is claimed to have said ‘The characteristic of a great man is his power to leave a lasting impression on people he meets’ It seems Churchill certainly did that.
His tough nature was made for war and he was a minister in the first world war, but had to resign. He was famously described at this time to ‘have many faults but he has the supreme quality…the power, the imagination, the deadliness to fight Germany’
That he was a man born for war is beyond dispute. That he rose to his finest hour in the second world war was also beyond dispute. Few would have predicted such a rise however.
He was irritable, pompous, self-opinionated, straying beyond his job at the time, and making most lesser beings feel inferior. He wrote massive books of history whilst working as an MP. He famously said of the second world war that he need have no fear of the verdict of history for he would write it!
His perhaps most famous witty insult (of which there were many) was probably on being challenged as being drunk ‘Lady you are right and you are ugly, but I will at least be sober in the morning’ or words to that effect!
He was famously known for his mood swings and may even have had Bipolar diorder. Churchill’s black dogs were well known but seem to have been largely associated with not getting his own way.
He won and lost many elections having to move constituencies several times.
It is therefore difficult to know which if not both of the following sentiments on taking over the Prime Minister’s office in the 2nd World War were his real feelings- ‘I hope it is not too late- I am very much afraid it is’ or ;I was consious of a profound sense of relief. At last I had the authority to give directions over the whole scene. I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that my whole life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial….I was sure I should not fail’ p592
He was a man of clear vision speaking of ‘So we had won after all ‘(p800) on the day Pearl Harbour forced the Americans, annoucing the ‘Iron Curtain’ had descended accross Europe, seeing the importance of a unification of Europe, among other things.
When his ever patient wife tried to tell him that loosing the election immediately after the war might be a blessing in disguise his response was ‘at the moment its certainly very well disguised’… but a few months later saw it differently ‘ I feel a great sense of relief…others having to face the hideous problems of the aftermarth..it may all indeed be ‘a blessing in disguise”
During a post war election a letter of thanks to Churchill for a meeting he had run read ‘the valley is still aglow with your presence’ (p840)
In many ways the nation of the UK still is- I often drive past his statue less than a mile from my house (we live on the border of his parlimentary constituency, Woodford in London) and think what an impact this life had on human history.
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