The Churchill Literary Society

Winston Churchill was born of November 30, 1874 at Blenheim palace. He grew up to become a giant in world politics. By the close of his political career, he was recognized by many people as the most revered statesman on the globe. On his eightieth birthday, in 1954, parliament awarded him a portrait of himself painted by the revered portrait painter, Graham Sutherland, in gratitude of his years of service. Sutherland's Portrait of Churchill Sutherland's paintings were rather controversial at the time, for their earth-toned color schemes and smudgy, slightly Rembrandt-esque look gave them an appearance that greatly differed from the crisp, formal appearance of traditional portraits. Parliament, however, was willing to take the risk; this was a terrible decision. When Sutherland finished, it was obvious that the portrait was a total failure. The painting depicted Churchill as old, feeble, and weak, and the quality of the work was also terrible. For some reason, Churchill ha...

As much as we know about Sir Winston Churchill, little appears in most biographies on what he liked to eat. He didn't prefer tea, that much is for certain. Of course, this shocked many people, because someone who was so characteristically British (actually, this mother was American) would be expected to guzzle tea by the gallons. Churchill, however, preferred to leave this quintessential British beverage to be enjoyed by Clemmie and her friends. In hindsight, this makes sense: Churchill was assertive and to the point; tea probably seemed too wishy-washy for him! Churchill didn't comply with the then-current trend of a skimpy breakfast either. He enjoyed large breakfast of cold meats, a poached egg, a grapefruit, jam and toast, coffee, and orange juice. thebusinessinsider.com notes that "After eating, he would wash his hands and smoke a morning cigar." When he had the time to do so, Winston Churchill also enjoyed taking picnics for lunch whenever possible. It would ...

When he was around forty years old, Winston Churchill discovered a hobby that he would enjoy for the rest of his life: painting. Churchill had always had a knack for art (he drew detailed pen drawings of scenes from his time in Cuba), and around the beginning of the First World War, he enjoyed relaxing outside while he painting - especially in France. Churchill completed over five hundred paintings in his life, and w hile he was never considered a master, nearly all critics of his work admitted that he had a talent for art.  Churchill wrote Painting as a Pastime in 1921. It was published as a two-part work that appeared in issues of the Strand magazine. It explains why painting is such a wonderful hobby and is meant to inspire others to start painting themselves. Who knows? Maybe you will enjoy taking a "joyride through the paintbox" just as Churchill did.  You can buy Painting as a Pastime on amazon  here . Note: this version does not contain any copies of ...

What were Winston Churchill's interests? The Punch magazine stated them accurately in a 1902 comic sketch, shortly after he had first entered Parliament: "the House of Commons—and its reform. The British Army—and its reform. The British Navy—and its reform. The Universe—and its reform."  From the very beginning of his political carrier, Winston Churchill set out to ameliorate everything he was able to. This exasperated a large number of people, but, luckily, others were open to reform. Regardless of if they supported him or not, quickly became clear to everyone that Churchill had ambitious plans, and few doubted that he wouldn't rise to a prominent position in the British government.  Churchill electioneering in Manchester, 1908. "It seems to me," remarked Harold Begbie, a reporter who interviewed young Churchill, to a friend, "that, given health, it is safe to prophesy that he may become on of the great figures in political history." ...

{This article is the first in a series of articles on Winston Churchill's hobbies} Churchill, his wife Clemmie, and his Grandson  Winston S. Churchill Watching a horse race. Most people remember Winston Churchill as the old man who gave stirring  speeches in parliament, wrote many lengthy books, and advised a number of monarchs, presidents, and tsars. But as much as Churchill was dedicated to his work, he still had a number of interesting hobbies. One of these was riding horses. While working as a cavalry soldier in his early carrier, Winston Churchill learned to ride. Before long, this once-necessary skill developed into an enjoyable pastime. Mr. Brough Scott noted in the Express that " h e was in the saddle in England, Ireland, France, Spain, Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), India, North-west Frontier (now Pakistan), Canada, USA, Sudan and South Africa." Churchill was a superb polo player in his younger days, and later in his life he owned no less...

November 11th is Veterans Day in the USA, but it has not always been so. Now recognized as Veterans Day, November 11th was once celebrated as Armistice Day in the allied nations. On this day at eleven o'clock, World War 1 officially ended. A year after the first Armistice Day, Winston Churchill made a speech thanking General Pershing and his fellow Americans for securing the victory. The speech, humorously titled "Farewell to 'the Beer of Old England'" reflected on the new prohibition laws, and how soldiers returning home were effected by it. However, Churchill first spoke of Armistice Day before introducing this topic. Here is an excerpt from his speech:  "We are all delighted to see General Pershing and his gallant Americans over here. We are passing through a phase of intense rejoicing almost reaching the extremes to which human beings are capable, and the rejoicings after the great war are like everything else in that great war - on a scale and in ...

Never Give In! By Winston S. Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill's grandson) is a wonderful collection of Churchill's most interesting or notable speeches. This is a perfect resource because it does not include all of Winston Churchill's speeches, which fill many thick volumes, but does use the most famous as well as some of the lesser-known ones. They are arranged chronologically, the book includes some fascinating pictures of Churchill giving the speeches, and it contains a helpful index and table of contents. The author gives a helpful paragraph of context before each speech to help the reader understand what the speech is about. BBC also published this book as a delightful audiobook which uses the original recordings of Churchill giving the speech.  B uy it on amazon.com here