January 1, 1970

Introduced by Richard M. Langworth

In 1949, visiting his friend Lord Beaverbrook on the French Riviera, ‘Churchill listened to the triumphant tones of Land of Hope and Glory. His eyes glistened as is face became heavy with emotion. “It’s a terrible thing”, he said, “to have lived to see England brought down to ruin and the Empire lost … I’ve always said I could defend India against the world—all except the English” … And what folly to slang the Americans.’

After ‘the best feast of conversational entertainment I ever enjoyed’, Churchill suffered his first stroke — within an hour of removing his father’s ring from his hand. Lord Beaverbrook’s companion, Michael Wardell, offers rare insights into the Churchill persona, his long friendship with Beaverbrook and new insights into Churchill’s view of the world in mid-twentieth century. Just before the stroke, he paused and said: ‘The dagger is pointing at me. I pray it may not strike. I want so much to lead the Conservatives back to victory. I know I am worth a million votes to them.’

Read the full article by Michael Wardell here: ‘Churchill’s Dagger: A Memoir of La Capponcina’, Finest Hour 87, Summer 1995). Scroll of p.14.