Layout 8 - Winston Churchill

In December 1905, Prime Minister SirHenry Campbell-Bannermanappointed Winston Churchill Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. Ayear and a half later, on 5 June 1907,Churchill proposed visiting British EastAfrica. His superior, Colonial SecretaryLord Elgin, wrote: “…if it is convenient& appeals to you to undertake that expedition,it will I am sure be of the greatestadvantage that you should have seen thecountry—where we have so many difficultproblems to deal with.” Elgin addedthat he hoped “it will be a pleasant aswell as an interesting trip.”Plans advanced and LadyRandolph wrote Winston on August22nd that she “hate[d] to think of yourgoing off for so long—and that I shallnot see you again before your departure.”Winston’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, LadyGwendeline Bertie (“Goonie”), wrotehim several letters before his departure,including one in which she expressed thehope he would not be visiting Uganda:“It is a country of fevers, man killingcountry, full of pestilentious insects andpoisonous marshes....” He did plan to gothere and, in a very unusual inscriptionin a copy of My African Journey, he laterwrote: “Uganda is defended by its insects.p. 94”—and on page 94 of the firstedition we read these same words, followedby a typically Churchillian passage:The dreaded Spirillum tick has begun toinfest the roads like a tiny footpad, andscarcely any precautions avail with certaintyagainst him….When he bites aninfected person he does not contract theSpirillum fever himself, nor does hetransmit it directly to other persons. By apeculiarly malevolent provision of naturethis power is exercised not by him butby his descendants, who are numberedin hundreds. So the poison spreads in anincalculable progression. Although thisfever is not fatal, it is exceptionallypainful in its course and distressing in itsconsequences.Subsequent editions of MyAfrican Journey. Above, L-R:Neville-Spearman (Cohen A27.9),Icon (A27.10) and Heron Books(A27.11) appeared 1962-65.Left: The New English Library,1972 (A27.12). Right: The mostrecent Easton Press volume,1995 (A27.16). Below L-R: Issuedin 1989 by Leo Cooper (A27.13),Norton (A27.14) and Mandarinpaperback (A27.15).Churchill set out on September10th, passing through France, Italy,Austria, Malta, Cyprus and Aden beforearriving in Mombasa in early November.Already a much-in-demand author, hehad begun his negotiations (with TheStrand Magazine) for the publication ofa series of articles and photographs onhis East African trip before departing,although it was only after he arrivedthere that those negotiations were concluded.As originally contemplated,Churchill was to be paid £150 per articlefor a five-part serialisation in The Strandplus £30 for the photographs.On November 17th Churchillwrote his brother Jack: “I have received afine offer from the Strand Magazine forfive articles for £750, which I propose toaccept, as it will definitely liquidate allpossible expenses in this journey. Therewill be another £500 in book form.”The excitement of Churchill’stravels can only be appreciated from thetext of the work, which he described as“a continuous narrative of the lighterside of what was to me a very delightfuland inspiring journey.” By the 27th ofDecember, however, our author was backon the Nile, and 3 January 1908 foundhim relaxing in Cairo. Only ten dayslater Churchill stopped at the elegantHotel Bristol in Paris, and was diningwith his brother at the Ritz Hotel inLondon on the 17th. >>FINEST HOUR 149 / 55