Forms part of the official biography of Winston Churchill, consisting of eight narrative volumes and twenty-three planned document volumes. Drawn from Churchill's personal papers and other archives, the document volumes contain materials referenced in the narrative, including top secret telegrams, private letters and diaries from family, friends, and opponents.
"Volume 4 of The Churchill Documents begins with Churchill's remarkable visit to East Africa in 1907 and his journey down the Nile. Then follows his entry into the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade, his courtship with and marriage to Clementine Hozier, his prominent part in the successful parliamentary and public struggle to curb the powers of the House of Lords, his work for prison reform as Home Secretary, his deepening involvement in defence matters, and his opening months as First Lord of the Admiralty. The correspondence relating to his journey through East Africa and along the Nile shows that he combined political action and reflection with a sense of adventure. On his return, his private life took a turn toward courtship and marriage. His correspondence with 'my darling Clementine' weaves an intimate and revealing thread throughout the remaining document volumes. From the spring of 1908, Churchill was a full and active member of the British Cabinet, and remained so for seven years. These letters disclose how seriously he took his Cabinet responsibilities, and how fertile was his administrative work. He was at the forefront in challenging and destroying the power of the House of Lords to veto social legislation involving government expenditure. It was a prolonged and bitter battle that brought him in conflict with the Court. The prison reform correspondence reveals a humane and compassionate Churchill. He had also, as Home Secretary, to confront and suppress the riots and disturbances that followed the industrial unrest of 1910. His refusal to allow troops to confront the miners of Tonypandy, in South Wales, was denounced by his former Conservative colleagues as too lenient. With the Agadir Crisis of 1911, Churchill moved to confront concern for Britain's weakness at sea. Recognising his patriotic zeal and practical abilities, Prime Minister Asquith appointed him First Lord of the Admiralty. The last pages of this volume follow his steps into this new responsibility"--Bloomsbury Collections.
Volume 5 of The Churchill Documents serves as the final companion volume to the second volume of the official biography, Young Statesman, 1901-1914. It begins with Churchill's prominent part in the Liberal Government's attempts to introduce Home Rule for Ireland. It continues with his spirited opposition to Votes for Women, during which he incurred.
Forms part of the official biography of Winston Churchill, consisting of eight narrative volumes and twenty-three planned document volumes. Drawn from Churchill's personal papers and other archives, the document volumes contain materials referenced in the narrative, including top secret telegrams, private letters and diaries from family, friends, and opponents.
This in-depth account of the legendary leader’s ailments and their effects is a “tremendously important contribution to Churchillian studies” (Claremont Review of Books). Prominent physicians Allister Vale and John Scadding have written a meticulously researched and definitive account documenting all of Winston Churchill’s major illnesses, from an episode of childhood pneumonia in 1886 until his death in 1965. They have adopted a thorough approach in gaining access to numerous sources of medical information and have cited extensively from the clinical records of the distinguished physicians and surgeons invited to consult on Churchill during his many episodes of illness. These include not only objective clinical data, but also personal reflections by Churchill’s family, friends and political colleagues, resulting in a unique and fascinating study.
Vols. 3-8 by Martin Gilbert. v. 1. Youth, 1874-1900.--v. 2. Young statesman, 1901-1914. Companion. pt. 1. 1901-1907. pt. 2. 1907-1911. pt. 3. 1911-1914.--v. 3. 1914-1916, the challenge of war. Companion. pt. 1. July 1914-April 1915. pt. 2. May 1915-December 1916. --Companion v. 5 pt. 1-2--v. 6. Finest hour, 1939-1941.--v. 7 Road to victory, 1941-1945 -- v. 8. 'Never despair', 1945-1965.
A vivid study of the politics and stress of high command, this book describes the decisive roles of young Winston Churchill as political head of the Admiralty during the First World War. Churchill was locked together in a perilous destiny with the ageing British Admiral 'Jacky' Fisher, the professional master of the British Navy and the creator of the enormous battleships known as Dreadnoughts. Upon these 'Titans at the Admiralty' rested British command of the sea at the moment of its supreme test — the challenge presented by the Kaiser's navy under the dangerous Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. Churchill and Fisher had vision, genius, and energy, but the war unfolded in unexpected ways. There were no Trafalgars, no Nelsons. Press and Parliament became battlegrounds for a public expecting decisive victory at sea. An ill-fated Dardanelles adventure, 'by ships alone' as Churchill determined, on top of the Zeppelin raids on Britain brought about Fisher's departure from the Admiralty, in turn bringing down Churchill. They spent the balance of the war in the virtual wilderness. This dual biography, based on fresh and thorough appraisal of the Churchill and Fisher papers, is a story for any military history buff. It is about Churchill's and Fisher's war — how each fought it, how they waged it together, and how they fought against each other, face to face or behind the scenes. It reveals a strange and unique pairing of sea lords who found themselves facing Armageddon and seeking to maintain the primacy of the Royal Navy, the guardian of trade, the succour of the British peoples, and the shield of Empire.
From the Preface by David Freeman, editor of the Finest Hour, the journal of The International Churchill Society. “Fred Glueckstein knows Winston Churchill. As can be seen in the essays that follow, Fred’s Churchillian interests are both catholic and eclectic. Fred can tell us in detail about members of the Churchill family, such as the seventh Duke of Marlborough; Churchill’s mentors, such as J.E.C. Welldon, the headmaster of Harrow; and political patrons such as Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who gave Churchill his first government office. But Fred can also tell us about the lighter side of Churchill’s life including the name of every racehorse that Churchill owned.” “Churchill knew the great families of his time, and we read about his efforts to assist the son of Theodore Roosevelt. We also learn about the people whose lives orbited that of Churchill such as several of his bodyguards." “As editor of Finest Hour, I was responsible for commissioning some of the essays that follow and having the pleasure of being the first person to read them. You will enjoy as much as I have delving into these studies in miniature of the many facets of Winston Churchill.”
Vols. 3-8 by Martin Gilbert. v. 1. Youth, 1874-1900.--v. 2. Young statesman, 1901-1914. Companion. pt. 1. 1901-1907. pt. 2. 1907-1911. pt. 3. 1911-1914.--v. 3. 1914-1916, the challenge of war. Companion. pt. 1. July 1914-April 1915. pt. 2. May 1915-December 1916. --Companion v. 5 pt. 1-2--v. 6. Finest hour, 1939-1941.--v. 7 Road to victory, 1941-1945 -- v. 8. 'Never despair', 1945-1965.
