For example, as I look across the room, I eye with delight the six-volume set of Winston Churchill's works "The Second World War" I discovered at a local sportsman's show! Houghton Mifflin, first editions, excellent condition. Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature for this series.
I recall hearing Churchill on the radio when I was a little kid, I was mesmerized by his voice. It was so unique, deep, gruff and yet eloquent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill
Churchill after his speech to theParliament of Canada in December of 1941
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Churchill at the Cairo Conference in 1943
Thanks to Wikipedia for some quotes and these pictures.
I recall reading the letters of President Roosevelt to Winston Churchill, it was incredible...the friendship they had was quite close. I recall reading about Churchill padding around barefoot in his underwear around the White House, where he was invited several times. He was also a good friend of Harry Truman, the next president of the United States.
I interviewed a woman veteran of WWII who was at the Potsdam conference with Truman, Churchill & Stalin. That is where European boundaries and settlements were officially agreed to. The woman I interviewed was a communications person posted in England and was selected to go to the Potsdam conference to "handle important messages" for Truman. She sat a few feet away from them and reported to me that Stalin was "not a nice person". Perhaps it was because he was reportedly not feeling well. She was responsible for handing off secret messages to Truman during the conference, like "the bluebird sings in spring"...She said she did not know what any of the messages meant, and they were all in code.
A couple years ago I watched Churchill's granddaughter talk about him on a PBS show. It was fascinating. He was a tender, sensitive man...mostly ignored by his parents and spent much of his youth in private school. He had a deep dependency on his wife. He went and stayed with his nanny at her deathbed. He stated she had been his best friend [for the first 20 years of his life]. One time he had a stroke that required him to re-learn to speak. He had to give an important speech and he was able to do so, despite the stroke. He was also a prolific writer. It is said he was a prolific writer to fund his extravagant lifestyle.
He was an avid representative for Great Britain, he traveled around the world trying to get support during WWII (especially trying to get Franklin Roosevelt's help). He would travel "incognito". He also started the famous "V for Victory" sign that people still use today. He also was a painter, using art to overcome depression, or "the Black Dog" as he called it.
Churchill had his ups and downs. He had some major, terrible challenges with politicians and people in his own country through his life and career. If you know of the movie "The King's Speech" with Colin Firth, you will recall the abdication of his brother Edward VIII to marry Wallace Simpson, the American Divorcee. Churchill was VERY involved in that situation, trying to get Edward to hold off making his decision. He made enemies when trying to do so, and it seems many people misinterpreted his intentions...it was thought he was putting unconstitutional pressure on the King to make a hasty decision when it was (I believe) just the opposite. His reputation was terribly damaged.
He was the first person to become an honorary citizen of the United States, proclaimed by John F Kennedy. He was an amateur bricklayer and joined the Union as part of this hobby. He was a man of so many talents and contradictions.
Churchill died at age 90, January 24, 1965. I was 13. His life is such an interesting story. I have been blogging on and on and barely touched the surface. Watch the PBS special if you ever get a chance.
http://www.pbs.org/churchill/feedback/index.html
http://www.celiasandys.com/html/tv_presenter.html
