July 20, 2013

UK NEWS: FINEST HOUR 124, AUTUMN 2004

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52 PORTLAND PLACE

LONDON, SEPTEMBER 8TH— Thanks to the owner, ICS (UK) member David Coffer, a small group of guests was entertained here today. Lady Soames outlined the significance of the address: Here at a March 1908 dinner, given by Clementine Hozier’s great aunt, Lady St. Helier, Winston Churchill and Clementine met for the second time. (The first occasion had been four years earlier, when neither made any impression on the other.) This time it was different and they were married only six months later, on 12 September 1908.

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Two years ago David Coffer bought the large house for business premises, unaware of its historical significance. He was pleased at our recognition of this and was happy to invite the ICS (UK) group. Clementine Hozier spent the night before her wedding at 52 Portland Place, and it was from here that she left for her wedding at the Church of St Margaret’s, Westminster. The wedding reception took place back at Portland Place. And from here also, the bride and groom departed on their honeymoon, travelling first to Blenheim for two days, then to Baveno on Lake Maggiore (cover, FH 123) and later to Venice.

Lady St. Helier was a close friend of Lady Randolph Churchill, and in 1898 it was she who intervened on Winston Churchill’s behalf by pressing the Adjutant General to allow him to join Kitchener’s expedition to reconquer the Sudan (against Kitchener’s wishes). So this is one more family link with the house.

BLETCHLEY PARK WEEKEND

SEPTEMBER 12TH— A weekend full of events at Bletchley Park highlighted its progress in becoming one of the most important World War II sites in the United Kingdom. Jack Darrah’s extensive collection of Churchill-related items, beautifully displayed in its own large gallery, attracted many visitors, as did new exhibits on codebreaking and the secret war.

Alexander Sandys, son of the Hon. Celia Sandys and Gen. Ken Perkins, was guest of honour at luncheon on Sunday, where he made a graceful maiden speech about his great-grandfather’s connection to Bletchley Park.

2004 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Much effort has been expended over the past two years on the arrangements for this ambitious programme, and the last six months have been increasingly busy. In outline the conference comprised:

Phase I (24th-26th September). This was designed as scene-setting for all that follows. About 220 members, including large numbers from North America, booked places at Portsmouth and were joined by forty-six members of the World War II Veterans Association. The immense naval operation of 6 June 1944 featured prominently in the programme.

Phase II (26th-30th September). About 200 registrants travelled to Normandy to see where the D-Day landings took place and to follow some of the major events of 1944, especially where Churchill visited during this period.

Phase III (30th September-6th October). About 120 people continued on to Dieppe, Ploegsteert (where Churchill served in World War I), the Ardennes and the Rhine, ending in Berlin and the site of the Potsdam conference. (Report next issue.)

ESU CHURCHILL LECTURE

LONDON, NOVEMBER 17TH— This year’s lecture will be given by former Senator George Mitchell (D.-Me.) at the Guildhall at 6:15 PM, to be followed by a reception.

CHURCHILL’S 130TH BIRTHDAY

LONDON, NOVEMBER 29TH— Instead of marking this occasion on the actual date (30 November) at the Cabinet War Rooms, a reception will take place on Monday 29 November at the Special Forces Club, London, beginning at 6:30 PM. Professor David Reynolds will launch his new book on the writing of Churchill’s memoirs of World War II, which is entitled In Command of History: Winston Churchill and “The Second World War.”

CHARTWELL IN 2004-06

WESTERHAM, KENT—We are very busy here with plans for the next three years to celebrate a succession of anniversaries: on June 6th, sixty years since D-Day, Nicholas Soames and Robert Lloyd George spoke at a lecture lunch. November 30th is the 130th anniversary of Sir Winston’s birth and we shall be holding a special Churchill Dinner. We hope that Professor David Reynolds will be delivering a lecture lunch at some point in 2005, which will be forty years since Sir Winston died; and 2006 marks the fortieth anniversary of Chartwell as a National Trust property. So there are lots of plans, which I hope will be of interest to all. In the meantime we are supporting the new Churchill Museum at the Cabinet War Rooms with around one hundred items from our reserve collection. I think that is going to be a major attraction in London. —CAROLE KENWRIGHT, ADMINISTRATOR CHARTWELL, WESTERHAM, KENT