June 26, 2013

DATELINES: FINEST HOUR 132, AUTUMN 2006

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CIGAR ATTACKS ON THE RISE

GLASGOW, JULY 20TH— Scenes from modern Scotland: A taxi driver in Glenrothes, alone in his cab between fares, lights up. Enter, from left, a smoking ban enforcer to slap a £200 fine on him for polluting public transport. Talk about a Hamlet cigar moment.

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The comedian and actor Mel Smith is playing Winston Churchill in a play describing a 1921 meeting between Britain’s bulldog and the Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins. It was a long night of brandy and cigars and Smith, wishing to be true to his character, wants to smoke a Romeo y Julieta or two on stage. Doing so, however, would put him in breach of Scotland’s smoking ban.

Clearly a graduate of the Stanislavski school of method acting, Smith reacted to this invasion of his artistic integrity with a declaration of war. “I’ve often wondered what the Scottish Parliament does,” he says. “Maybe this is an opportunity for me to find out. The thing I would like to say about it is that it would have delighted Adolf Hitler, who, as you know, was anti-smoking. You couldn’t smoke at Hitler’s dining table. So he’d be pleased, wouldn’t he? Congratulations, Scotland.”

When the play transfers to England, Smith will be free to smoke as much as he likes on stage. The law there will allow actors to smoke “if the artistic integrity of a performance makes it appropriate.” So there you have it. Scotland is the land of Knox with knobs on, the worst wee small-minded country in the world, a nation of fake cigars and fanaticism. Or so we are made to seem. —Alison Rowat in The Herald, Glasgow, 20 July 2006.

CIGAR VALUES HOLDING

LIVERPOOL, JULY 12TH— One of Winston Churchill’s half-smoked cigars was sold at auction today for £365 ($670) to a private collector in the North of England. The Leader of the Opposition was puffing this cigar as he arrived for the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool on 14 October 1950, auctioneers Outhwaite and Litherland said. Upon being told he would not be able to smoke in the ballroom, where he was due to give a major speech, WSC stubbed out the cigar and handed it to a constable standing next to him. The policeman kept the cigar as a souvenir and it stayed in the family until his relatives decided to put it up for auction.

In his address Churchill told the Tories: “.. .we need just one more heave [to] fling this Socialist government out of power and replace it by a broad, progressive and tolerant administration, the slave neither of class nor of dogma but putting national need first and determined to make Britain and the British Empire once again both great and free.” A year later, they had their chance.

CHURCHILL AND THE AIRLINE BOMB PLOT

One of our recent new members is Michael Fullerton, deputy executive director of the Homeland Security Advisory Committees. Following the recent terrorist alert and plot to blow up transatlantic airplanes traveling from the UK to USA, he sent us an internal notice to DHS staff from Secretary Chertoff, excerpts of which will be of interest to our readers. —DNM

WASHINGTON, AUGUST 11TH— Secretary Chertoff to all DHS Employees: Over the last few hours, British authorities have arrested a significant number of extremists engaged in a substantial plot to destroy multiple passenger aircraft flying from the United Kingdom to the United States Winning this war against terror is the great calling of our generation, and this is a critical moment in the Department’s work to protect the world’s travelers who transit by air to and from the United States. Since
9/11, we have erected a number of layers of defense against such attacks A number of you will receive more extensive briefings from your managers and supervisors in the coming hours the Department is depending on you too to proceed with unyielding focus and quiet determination. The public is counting on us to protect our families, our fellow citizens, our visitors, and our homeland. In Winston Churchill’s words, “We will not flinch or weary of the struggle.”

Secretary Chertoff s quotation is from the last lines of Churchill’s speech of 11 September 1940, “Every Man to His Post”: “It is a message of good cheer to our fighting Forces on the seas, in the air, and in our waiting Armies in all their posts and stations, that we sent them from this capital city. They know that they have behind them a people who will not flinch or weary of the struggle—hard and protracted though it will be; but that we shall rather draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival, and of a victory won not only for ourselves but for all; a victory won not only for our own time, but for the long and better days that are to come.”

NEW YORK, AUGUST 22ND—In an interview with nationally syndicated radio talk host Glenn Beck, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D., Conn.) agreed with Beck’s proposition that defeat in Iraq could presage “the end of the West.”

The Senator continued: “Somebody told me that Iraq is going to be like the Spanish Civil War, which was the harbinger of what was to come. Also, as the Nazis began to move in Europe, we tried to convince ourselves we contained them—and we obviously didn’t, and then we paid the price.”

Lieberman went on to invoke Churchill: “I don’t have the quotation in front of me, but he said something like there is only one solution and it was victory.” The words he was reaching for are from Churchill’s first speech as Prime Minister on 13 May 1940:

“You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.”

MORE LIEBERMAN-WSC

NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, AUGUST 18TH— Peter Friedman in the New Bedford Standard-Times writes of Joseph Lieberman, who was rejected by his party in a recent senatorial primary: “History shows that it is consistency, steadiness and perseverance that define our greatest leaders, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Arguably Americas most admired man, Gen. George Washington, led us to victory and independence in a war that virtually nobody thought we could win. Abraham Lincoln held our nation together by bucking popular opinion through a brutal and unpopular war. Although he was very unpopular for most of his presidency, history gives him the credit he deserves. Real leaders lead even at the expense of their own popularity, whereas popular ‘leaders’ often are just opportunistic followers of public opinion.” We are not experts on Washington or Lincoln, but Mr. Friedman has Winston Churchill right.

DUCK HUNTER

DAYTON, OHIO, AUGUST 17TH— In his appearance at the Kettering VFW Hall last week, former last week, former Sen. Max Cleland (D., Ga., Churchill Centre member and speaker) invoked more words of Winston Churchill: “In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.”

A decorated veteran who lost two legs and part of an arm in Vietnam, Cleland came to town last week to campaign for Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and congressional candidate Stephanie Studebaker. “I have almost been killed once in war, and I have been killed many times in politics,” he told supporters. The jovial Cleland couldn’t stay serious for long. “I wasn’t wounded in Vietnam,” he joked. “I just went duck-hunting with Dick Cheney.” —ASSOCIATED PRESS

WEBLIOGRAPHY

ASHBURN, VIRGINIA, JULY 17TH— A year ago David and Peter Turrell launched “Savrola,” a bibliographic website devoted to the book-length works of Winston Churchill. The intent of the site was to marry bibliographic detail with a series of pictures to show what the volumes actually look like. For the average collector or interested individual, the lack of images is the weak spot of almost any traditional bibliography and can be frustrating.

After months of tweaking and adjustment they have now performed major upgrades to the underlying software, and Savrola version 2 is ready. Pete Turrell has spent countless hours supporting the technical side of this endeavour, has generously underwritten web hosting costs, and has tirelessly scoured the bookshops of the Malverns on brother Dave’s behalf.

A link on the homepage will take you to a detailed discussion of what’s new. In addition to cosmetic changes and new features, much effort has gone into improving the search capability and the usability of the search results. Additions to the site content are made almost daily.

The Turrells now have details of approximately 1700 items in twenty-eight languages, backed by over 7300 images. There is still, of course, a long way to go, and no bibliography is ever truly complete. To keep the Turrells moving closer to the goal, if you can help by offering suggestions and/or supplying information or images from your own collection, they would be immensely grateful. Contact [email protected].

NINETY YEARS ON: THE MAN WHO MADE TANKS

LONDON, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 1916— “What about the tanks?” Mr. Lloyd George was asked, as he left the War Office yesterday.

“Well,” said the War Minister, “we must not expect too much from them, but so far, they have done very well. And don’t you think that they reflect credit on those responsible for them? It is really to Mr. Winston Churchill that the credit is due, more than to anyone else. He took up with enthusiasm the idea of making them a long time ago, and he met with many difficulties. He converted me, and at the Ministry of Munitions we went ahead and made them.

“The Admiralty experts were invaluable, and gave the greatest possible assistance. They are, of course, experts in the matter of armour plating. Major Stern, a businessman at the Ministry of Munitions, had charge of the work of getting them built, and he did the task very well. Col. Swinton and others also did valuable work. You see, the enemy has by no means a monopoly of inventive ingenuity.”—DAILY SKETCH, 19SEP16, JOHN FROST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPER COLLECTION

MICHAEL PINTAVILLE WEST CHESTER, PA., MAY 30TH— The Churchill Centre records with sadness the passing of Michael Pintaville, a longtime member who attended many events over the years. His wife Amy writes: “Churchill was his hero and Mike was an ardent admirer. He collected and read many books by and about him and we had wonderful times at conferences. Thank you for the inspiring lectures, marvelous black-tie dinners, and Finest Hour. They gave him great pleasure and the opportunity to learn. Enclosed is a small donation in memory of Mike, and to support the mission of the Centre.” Friends may reach Amy at 273 Devon Way, West Chester PA 19380.

“TOP PILOT, TOP SOLDIER” GEOFF BARKWAY DFM

Staff Sergeant Geoff Barkway, who has died aged 84, will be remembered by delegates at the Portsmouth 2004 Churchill Conference for his modest yet stirring recollections of his important role in the capture of Pegasus Bridge in the early hours of D-Day, 6 June 1944.

Geoffrey Sidney Barkway was born on 18 September 1921 in London, and joined the Territorial Army in February 1939. Mobilised at 17, he volunteered in 1942 for training as a glider pilot. This demanding role required, on D-Day, flying a heavily laden glider miles into enemy territory, landing with pinpoint accuracy in a confined space, in the dark, under possible enemy fire, in a place he had never seen, all without an engine.

There being no quick or sure way to get home again (despite being issued with beach boarding passes to get home to make a second sortie, intended to be within 24 hours!), each pilot then had to pick up weapons and fight alongside the crack infantrymen they had delivered. The job of the glider pilot was thus one of “top pilot, top soldier.” Barkway received the Distinguished Flying Medal for what the Commander-in-Chief Allied Expeditionary Air Force described as probably the finest piece of precision flying in the whole of World War II.

Barkway’s glider broke in half on landing and he was thrown out, awaking, somewhat concussed, in a small pond. He returned to the crippled glider to free his co-pilot and others. Unfortunately, whilst unloading ammunition in the firefight that followed, Geoff was wounded. He was soon to lose his arm through gangrene, but his humour helped him handle the loss with aplomb: in later life he used to enjoy hanging his false arm from the boot of his car whilst driving!

His humour was evident at Portsmouth, where Geoff gave one of the most memorable speeches at a Churchill Conference. His great modesty and wit showed us why he was in demand for commemorative reunions. His reception was truly rousing.

Barkway married Eileen Underwood in 1945. She survives him with two sons and two daughters. —ROBERT A. COURTS

CHURCHILL AT PRITZKER

CHICAGO, JULY 24TH- The Pritzker Military Library has acquired the Winston Churchill Collection of Mort and Joan Mollner, containing books, medallions, coins, postage stamps, tobacco cards, busts of Churchill and other memorabilia. Highlights include a limited edition bust of Churchill by Michael Sutty, one of six medals ordered struck for Churchill by President Eisenhower, a silver Russian “kilo” coin bearing Churchill’s likeness, and a case of three limited edition crystal paperweights by Bacarrat & Wedgwood. The gift contains a large number of the medallions listed in J. Eric Engstrom’s book, The Medallic Portraits of Winston Churchill (London:Spink 1972), and some sixty military medallions struck to honor wartime generals, presidents and battles.

Mort Mollner began collecting in 1947. He wanted the trove to stay in the Chicago area, as a resource for his home town and viewable by friends and family members. “Having witnessed how one man almost single-handedly held the free world together, I’ve derived untold pleasure in playing a part in helping keep his memory and deeds alive,” he says. “Mort Mollner’s collection is an extraordinary tribute to an amazing historical figure,” said Ed Tracy, executive director, Pritzker Military Library. “We are honored to feature this unique collection in our library and gallery.”

The Pritzker Military Library, dedicated to a bibliographic and cultural venue for military history and the representations of the citizen soldier in a democratic society, is located at 610 N. Fairbanks Court (second floor). For information call (312) 587-0234 or visit their website.

GIFTS AT CHARTWELL

WESTERHAM, KENT, AUGUST 10TH— To mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of Chartwell to the public, the National Trust is changing the display of exhibits in the Museum Room at Chartwell for the first time since 1966.

Over 5,000 items personally associated with WSC are in the Chartwell collection, and it is impossible to show them all. The “Churchill: Gifts to a Hero” exhibition provides an opportunity to highlight a number of pieces never seen before. Many objects that have been in storage for half a century have been taken out and researched as to how and when they were given. The stories contribute to our picture of how Churchill was regarded by so many in his lifetime.

Within the exhibition, and the companion souvenir catalogue, gifts from great figures of the time mingle freely with gifts from ordinary people. They include birthday presents from his wife Clementine and from President Roosevelt, and honours and awards bestowed by towns, institutions and nations. Items range from a magnificent silver sailing ship given by the Gold & Silversmiths of Holland, to home-made birthday cards from individual well-wishers.

“Churchill: Gifts to a Hero” runs at Chartwell throughout the 2006 and 2007 seasons. It is open at the same times as the house.

APSA CHURCHILL PANEL

PHILADELPHIA, SEPTEMBER 2ND— The annual Churchill Centre panel during the American Political Science Association Convention was held this afternoon at the Philadelphia Marriott, devoted to a discussion of Churchill’s 1932 book, Thoughts and Adventures (also published in the USA under the title Amid These Storms). The book comprises essays on a variety of subjects published by Churchill in public print over the previous decade. One of Churchill’s most charming books, it is also one of his most neglected.

William Kristol, editor and publisher of The Weekly Standard, served as panel chairman. The speakers and their topics were: Kirk Emmert, Kenyon College, “Churchill on Painting, Political Knowledge, and Statesmanship”; Steven F. Hayward, American Enterprise Institute, “Churchill and the Problem of Scale in Modern Politics”; James W. Muller, University of Alaska, Anchorage, “Politics and Philosophy in Churchill’s Interwar Essays.” Paul Cantor, University of Virginia, was our discussant.

That evening, on the 108th anniversary of the Battle of Omdurman, a black-tie dinner was held by the Centre at The Union League in Philadelphia. Steve Hayward spoke on “The Use and Abuse of Churchill in History.”