Churchill At The Gallop

Horses were at the heart of the Greatest Briton of them all, Sir Winston Spencer Churchill. They were his escape in childhood, his challenge in youth, his transport in war, his triumph in sport, and his diversion in dotage. This book traces all the ways horses affected his life, from the rough ride his mother had while returning from a shooting party that caused Churchill's premature birth, to the time spent riding through childhood, and as he grew into adulthood, when riding horses increasingly became the means of proving the courage that was to become the very core of his being. The book covers his riding in the Royal Military Academy, his leading a 1,200 horse gallop of the Oxfordshire Hussars at Yeomanry camp, his boar hunting in France, his playing polo into his 50s, and his purchase at the age of 75 a front running grey that won 14 races and triggered ecstatic scenes as his homburg-hatted, cigar-chewing owner gave V for Victory signs in the unsaddling enclosure.

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.”

A magnificently fresh and unexpected biography of Churchill, by one of Britain's most acclaimed historians Winston Churchill towers over every other figure in twentieth-century British history. By the time of his death at the age of 90 in 1965, many thought him to be the greatest man in the world. There have been over a thousand previous biographies of Churchill. Andrew Roberts now draws on over forty new sources, including the private diaries of King George VI, used in no previous Churchill biography to depict him more intimately and persuasively than any of its predecessors. The book in no way conceals Churchill's faults and it allows the reader to appreciate his virtues and character in full: his titanic capacity for work (and drink), his ability see the big picture, his willingness to take risks and insistence on being where the action was, his good humour even in the most desperate circumstances, the breadth and strength of his friendships and his extraordinary propensity to burst into tears at unexpected moments. Above all, it shows us the wellsprings of his personality - his lifelong desire to please his father (even long after his father's death) but aristocratic disdain for the opinions of almost everyone else, his love of the British Empire, his sense of history and its connection to the present. During the Second World War, Churchill summoned a particular scientist to see him several times for technical advice. 'It was the same whenever we met', wrote the young man, 'I had a feeling of being recharged by a source of living power.' Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt's emissary, wrote 'Wherever he was, there was a battlefront.' Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, Churchill's essential partner in strategy and most severe critic in private, wrote in his diary, 'I thank God I was given such an opportunity of working alongside such a man, and of having my eyes opened to the fact that occasionally supermen exist on this earth.'

Winston Churchill has for decades been regarded as one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century, not just in his home country Britain but in the USA as well, where he continues to be an inspiration to many to this day. In 2002 he was voted The Greatest Briton, and the 2016 movie The Darkest Hour continues his global iconic status as someone who stood up to tyranny in 1940, against all the odds, and prevailed. But while 1940 has deserved iconic status, Churchill’s 60 year political career saw as many downs as ups, disasters as well as triumphs, and had he died in 1939 he would, historians judge, have been seen as a failure not the hero he went on to become. So we need to see the whole of Churchill’s life to gain a proper perspective, and that is exactly what this book sets out to achieve Includes a detailed chronology of Churchill’s life, family, and work. The A to Z section includes the major events, places, and people in Churchill’s life. The bibliography includes a list of publications concerning his life and work. The index thoroughly cross-references the chronological and encyclopedic entries.

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.

"An intoxicating read. You'll want to consume it twice." —A.J. Baime, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental President and Dewey Defeats Truman A fun little book packed with historic Churchill information, drinking companions, locations, and preferences, as well as plenty of cocktail recipes! Churchill was seldom short of a witty remark, and made his views on drinking quite well-known: “I have taken far more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.” When feeling down he said he felt like “a bottle of champagne . . . left uncorked for the night.” And when encouraging a young government minister to indulge in another drink, he promised, “Go ahead, I won’t write it in my diary.” Divided into four sections—Drink Choices, Drinking Companions, Drinking Spots, and Drink Recipes—this book will keep readers turning the pages of fresh and fun material as they lift a drink along with Winston. The book will also focus on the various eras—from the 1910s through the 1960s—the times in which he was drinking alone and with others. Working with the historic companies that kept him refreshed, it will include vintage advertisements and marketing material from their closely guarded archives. Winston certainly drank with a colorful cast of characters, and you’ll glimpse those such as FDR, Stalin, Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and various other kings, queens, dukes, and duchesses. Among the elegant settings we will pop in and out of for a drink include Hearst Castle, Chanel’s house in the South of France, the Ritz Hotel in Paris, the Dorchester in London, Monaco, the Savoy, the Biltmore, and of course the bars and first-class cabins of the famed ocean liners the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary. So raise a glass and join us in toasting Churchill’s life and unique abilities!

'From beak to tail feather and from flipper to fin, this is a book that will long be known, read and savoured.' - James W. Muller, Chairman of the Board of Academic Advisers of the International Churchill Society Winston Churchill was known for his great love for and admiration of animals. In fact, one of Churchill's key characteristics was his fascination with the animal kingdom - creatures of all sorts were a crucial element in his existence. He was amused, intrigued and enchanted by, sometimes even besotted with a vast menagerie, from his pet budgerigar, dogs, cats, fish, butterflies, to his own lion, leopard and white kangaroos kept at London Zoo, and even more unusual species. Dwelling and walking amid flora and fauna was Churchill's ideal form of existence - 'The world would be better off if it were inhabited only by animals' - and he signed his letters home as a boy 'The Pussy Cat'. In this fascinating biography, Dr Piers Brendon looks deeper into Churchill's love of the animal kingdom, and at how animals played such a large part in his everyday life. We encounter the paradox of the animal-loving-hunter: he hunts foxes yet keeps them as pets, he likes fishing but loves fish; along with the man who used analogies to animals time and time again in his speeches and writings. The picture that emerges shows another side to the great man, showcasing his wit, wisdom and wayward genius from a different perspective and shedding new and fascinating light on the man voted The Greatest Briton.