August 1, 2020

By BRIAN KRAPF

Only the Great Man would be allowed to smoke a cigar whilst being depicted on the bowl of a pipe! Pictured here are three distinct Winston Churchill figural pipes, all made in France. While Churchill was never a pipe smoker himself, he did have a well-known affinity for France.

It seems these were made in 1940 to celebrate Churchill’s first premiership since a similar pipe exists for Neville Chamberlain. While at first blush they might seem very similar, each is distinct.  Since each one is hand carved, there are necessarily variations. Note that the cigars are differently positioned and vary in size.

What I find most interesting is that two of these pipes were used. One can just imagine someone enjoying a Churchill pipe in a pub or office. What a brilliant showing of patriotism!

Brian Krapf’s book We Want Winston!—A Treasury of Churchill Memorabilia is due to be published by Pen and Sword in 2021.