September 7, 2025

The World of Churchill Collectables

By BRIAN KRAPF

Prime Minister Winston Churchill was undoubtedly the world’s best-known cigar aficionado. His ever-present cigar provided a popular wartime theme for posters, postcards, badges, porcelain, and even sheet music. There are numerous examples of  Churchill cigar-themed sheet music with excellent cover illustrations and lyrics. I have many such pieces in my collection, while others are displayed at Blenheim Palace and the Cabinet War Rooms’ Churchill Museum.

The piece of sheet music presented here was recently discovered and previously unknown.  Who is That Man with the Big Cigar, was published in 1941 by the composers Art Noel and Don Pelosi, who earned some notoriety with their popular wartime song Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant Major. The pair, along with their publisher, Cinephonic Music Company, shared offices on London’s Dean Street. Often called London’s “Tin Pan Alley,” Dean Street, like its famous New York City counterpart, served for decades as a hub for composers, songwriters and publishers.

Like other wartime music composed by Noel and Pelosi, Who is That Man with the Big Cigar was intended to provide some lightheartedness and humor during the war.  Also, it was written for the ukelele. Who could ever argue with these lyrics:  

He puffs away every night and day, 

With a twinkle in his eye

And all the while, behind that smile, He’s a real tough guy,

Down Whitehall way you’ll see his car

He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere, 

The man with the big cigar!  

In a bizarre wartime twist, Who is That Man with the Big Cigar was pirated by the Nazis! The Nazi Propoganda Ministry headed by Joseph Goebbels brazenly took this and other British wartime songs and converted them into propaganda. The altered versions were played over shortwave radio broadcasts with the intent of demoralizing British citizens. The Nazis even created their own swing band, Charlie and his Orchestra, to perform these rewritten versions. While some of the original lyrics remained intact, others were changed or new lyrics were added.

The Nazis’ version of Who is That Man with the Big Cigar disparages Prime Minister Churchill as a communist sympathizer, a friend of the Jews, and a weak leader. A search of Charlie and his Orchestra on YouTube lists many of the pirated titles as well as wartime propaganda songs composed by the Germans. Unfortunately, YouTube does not include a recording of the original British version of Who is That Man with the Big Cigar. If any reader would like to play and record the original version to post to the ICS web site, I will be happy to provide a copy of the music.

Brian Krapf’s book A Churchill Treasury: Sir Winston’s Public Service through Memorabilia was published in 2024 and is available in the UK and North America.