The Churchill Documents At The Admiralty July 1914 April 1915

"The letters and documents reproduced in this volume of The Churchill Documents were written between July 1914 and April 1915, the period covered by the first part of Martin Gilbert's volume III of the official biography of Sir Winston Churchill. They contain the documentary evidence of his initiatives, setbacks, and achievements as wartime First Lord of the Admiralty. The volume includes his efforts to sustain the siege of Antwerp, his support for the use of air power in war, and his central part in the early development of the tank. It also shows the enthusiasm and forcefulness with which he supported an offensive naval policy, first against Germany, then against Turkey, impressing and influencing his colleagues. By examining in detail the evolution of British war policy, Martin Gilbert has discovered the extent to which the precise nature of Churchill's involvement and responsibility, with regard to all he controversial aspects of his war policies, differed greatly from what many of his contemporaries believed: misconceptions that soon became widely accepted in the public mind. A few of the documents reproduced here were first printed in full in Volume III of the eight-volume Churchill biography. Others were printed in part, but most only as brief extracts or not at all. In this volume, the materials selected are reproduced in full. A substantial number are published here for the first time. More than half the documents printed here come from the Churchill papers now at Churchill College, Cambridge. The remainder were found in more than seventy different archival sources, both public and private. The selection is not restricted to Churchill's own writings; the context in which he was putting forward his opinions, and the part played by colleagues and opponents in influencing policy, are illustrated throughout by other people's letters, diaries, and documents, most published here for the first time"--Bloomsbury Collections.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Sykes-Picot Agreement was one of the defining moments in the history of the modern Middle East. Yet its co-creator, Sir Mark Sykes, had far more involvement in British Middle East strategy during World War I than the Agreement for which he is now most remembered. Between 1915 and 1916, Sykes was Lord Kitchener's agent at home and abroad, operating out of the War Office until the war secretary's death at sea in 1916. Following that, from 1916 to 1919 he worked at the Imperial War Cabinet, the War Cabinet Secretariat and, finally, as an advisor to the Foreign Office. The full extent of Sykes's work and influence has previously not been told. Moreover, the general impression given of him is at variance with the facts. Sykes led the negotiations with the Zionist leadership in the formulation of the Balfour Declaration, which he helped to write, and promoted their cause to achieve what he sought for a pro-British post-war Middle East peace settlement, although he was not himself a Zionist. Likewise, despite claims he championed the Arab cause, there is little proof of this other than general rhetoric mainly for public consumption. On the contrary, there is much evidence he routinely exhibited a complete lack of empathy with the Arabs. In this book, Michael Berdine examines the life of this impulsive and headstrong young British aristocrat who helped formulate many of Britain's policies in the Middle East that are responsible for much of the instability that has affected the region ever since.