journal of the churchill center and societies - Winston Churchill

DATELINES
Trust has a dual responsibility for the
Churchill Papers, said its chairman, Andreas
Whittam Smith: "To make them
as widely available as possible and to
preserve them for posterity. This project
will achieve both goals. First, readers all
over the world will be afforded instantaneous
and unparalleled access to the Papers,
made easier by the brilliant computerised
catalogue which has been
compiled at the Churchill Archives
Centre over the past five years and
which will in due course be put on the
Internet. Secondly, the Trust will obtain
a preservation microfilm, a full facsimile
record of the Churchill Papers,
which will ensure that the originals are
kept in pristine condition as a priceless
part of our national heritage. Finally,
the Trust also looks forward to playing
an active role in the project to ensure
that publications based on the
Churchill Papers reach the highest possible
academic standards."
The University of Southampton
has for many years been a leader in the
digitisation and automated analysis of
large document collections, such as the
Wellington and Mountbatten archives,
added Sir Howard Newby, the University's
vice-chancellor. "This expertise attracted
the Churchill family and the
Gale Group to work with us in evaluating
ways of preserving and publishing
the Churchill Papers. We are delighted
that this has now been achieved
through an important tripartite agreement
with the Sir Winston Churchill
Archive Trust. We look forward to playing
our part in delivering an exciting
and imaginative programme."
The Gale Group, which has entered
into the agreement with the Sir
Winston Churchill Archive Trust and
Southampton University, is a long-established
world leader in reference and
research publishing, meeting the needs
of libraries by delivering intelligently
organized and accurate information in
online, print, and microfilm formats to
researchers, students and the general
public in more than 100 countries.
PRIMROSE
CHAFFINCH
Bletchley First Day Cover
BLETCHLEY PARK, BUCKS., JUNE 6TH— Bletchley
Park Post Office today issued a limited
edition (300) cover containing a set
of Britain's new "People and Places"
stamps cancelled at Bletchley on their
first day of issue. The cover design is
based on links between Churchill and
the secret wartime code breaking activities
of Bletchley Park, his "Geese that
laid the golden eggs but never cackled."
Bletchley Park Post Office presented
a specially framed and mounted
cover to Jack Darrah, curator of the
Churchill Rooms at Bletchley Park and
latest recipient, with his wife Rita, of
the Churchill Center Blenheim Award.
The little Bletchley Park Post Office
was established in 1947 to serve
Bletchley's new role as a training centre;
during the war years it was just a post
room. In 1994 it started to produce its
own first day covers to coincide with
the opening of the Park to visitors. It is
now one of the UK's leading cover producers
and its limited editions grace
many collections. The income contributes
to the continued development
of Bletchley Park as a heritage site.
To order: send £10.95 (sterling
cheque or International Money Order)
to Bletchley Park Post Office, Wilton
Avenue, Milton Keynes MK3 6EF,
England.
ICS (UK) and The Churchill Center
are working with Bletchley Park Post
Office on future cover projects that will
help support Jack Darrah's efforts.
"THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN
EGG, BUT NEVER CACKLED"
Bietchtey Park Post OHKB, Bletchley, MK3 61
Bletchley Bequests
Since Jack Darrah opened his exhibition
of Churchill memorabilia at
Bletchley Park in 1994, many visitors
have presented items to enhance the
collection. One such, rare in Britain, is
a white glazed one pint tankard with a
reproduction of the front page of the
Rand Daily Mail announcing
Churchill's death in 1965 (above, centre).
Other bequests pictured are a
wartime Tallent table lighter, sadly sans
cigar and striker (front left), two "Our
Skipper" photographs (the larger a Tory
Party poster, 1950; the smaller a postcard
as issued by Photochrom and Putnam's,
1942); and the "Our Skipper"
photograph very nicely transformed
into a plaster bas relief sculpture in a
mahogany frame. -DJH
continued overleaf
FINEST HOUR IOS /1