The Churchill Literary Society

Anyone who knows a decent amount about Winston Churchill would admit that his was no ordinary personality. His recklessness in battle, fierce defiance, rare mastery of the English language, and witty repartee are just a few of his powerful traits. Despite his unusually potent character, however, I hope that all of my readers can join me in saying, emphatically, that Sir Winston Churchill was a real person. If you can, you will be smarter than 23% of British teens when it comes to Churchillian knowledge. Here's why: 23% percent of British teens surveyed in 2008 thought that Winston Churchill was a myth. Meanwhile, 58% believed that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes had actually existed. A 1904 sketch of the (fictional?) detective Sherlock Holmes Although Doyle may have taken this statistic as a complement to his writing, Churchill would certainly have been insulted. It is interesting to reflect that Churchill could have actually rea...

Many readers may not have known that Winston Churchill came to visit Franklin Roosevelt just two weeks after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. On the day when Roosevelt delivered his famous "day of infamy" speech, December 8th, 1941, Churchill offered to make a special trip to the White House. “We could review the whole war plan in light of reality and new facts,” he eagerly wrote. FDR was concerned about the German U-boats, but after Churchill convinced him that he would somehow stay perfectly safe, and the President replied that he would be “delighted to have you here at the White House." Two weeks later, Churchill arrived in Washington for a three-week stay at the White House. He celebrated Christmas 1941 with FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, who despite being an extremely accommodating hostess, was slightly annoyed at the English Prime Minister. Roosevelt had forgotten to tell his wife that Churchill would be staying so long, and she had been under the impression that he w...

Most people who have read about the life of Winston Churchill will agree that, as mentioned in earlier posts, he was not only a leading figure in WW2 history, but also a prominent statesman in the Edwardian era. One of the marking events of the late Edwardian times (I regard the Edwardian era, as many people do, as the rule of King Edward VII and the early years of King George VI's rule), however, is often separated and singled out from the politics of that time.  Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty in 1912 The sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of the most famous and controversial events of the Edwardian age, and Winston Churchill, one of the most famous and controversial people of that glittering era, was the First Lord of the Admiralty during the year 1912 - the year that the Titanic sank. His position put him in charge of the general administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom. It would seem that the man whose job was to review all of the Royal Briti...

A helpful resource that I have referred to many times for noting Chu rchill's main accomplishments is "Churchill's Chart of Achievements" by the International Churchill Society - one of the most, if not the, prestigious and accurate sites dedicated to the life of Winston Churchill. I hope that you enjoy this helpful tool. Thes e m ajor initiatives and evaluations are compiled by Steven F Hayward, from his book Churchill on Leadership (Rocklin, CA: Prima, 1998). p.24, and Richard M. Langworth, former editor, the International Churchill Society. Churchill's Chart of Achievements - The International Churchill 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 ...