.JOURNAL OFTIIE CHURCHILL CKNTER AND ... - Winston Churchill

RIDDLES, MYSTERIES, ENIGMASRight: 12 Bolton Street,London W.I, the firsthouse ever of his own,remains as modest todayas it was when WSCowned it, 1905-1909.Here he brought his newwife Clemmie in 1908.QI realize the Churchill quote, "Inever did any sports," is a fake,but what is its source—Nazi propaganda?Alt is almost certainly a fake, sinceit is flatly untrue. He played golf,indifferently, in his 30s and 40s. Herode to hounds until well into his 70s.He swam into his 80s. He played polointo his 50s. (See "Churchill andPolo" by Barbara Langworth in FH72.) He rode horses into his 70s, evenraced. ("Churchill and the Lure of theTurf" by Katharine Thomson in FH102.) It may arise from his famouscrack that he got his exercise by servingas pall-bearer for his many friendswho exercised all their lives, one of hisexaggerations. He had, and exhibited,prodigious energy.QPrior to the Second World Warwhen Churchill was not in thecabinet but the chances of war weregrowing, billboards or a billboard appearedin London with the words,"What Price Churchill?" How manybillboards were there, when were theyLeft: 11 Morpeth Mansions was leased bythe Churchills from 1932 through 1939.In his flat on the top floor, Churchill andhis few Parliamentary allies gathered todiscuss the rise of Hitler. Duff Cooper,ascending in the lift one night afterMunich, whispered, "This is hell."WSC replied, "It is the end of theBritish Empire..."put up and who paid for them?AWe know of only one billboard.It was put up in The Strand inlate July 1939. The sign was paid forby an anonymous supporter. Whetherthe identity of the mysterious sponsorhas ever been uncovered I cannot say.—Rafal Heydel-Mankoo, Ottawa, OntarioWhy was Churchill given theNobel Prize for Literature for hiswont"as a writer and speaker in 1953?AIn a publication of the NobelPrize Library, published underthe Sponsorship of the Nobel Foundationand the Swedish Academy,Kjell Stromberg tells the story of the1953 award.Usually government leaders werenot honoured, but Churchill had alreadybeen considered twice. Supportfor him had come from around theworld, particularly from within Sweden.In 1946 a report found thatSavrola was without literary merit, MyEarly Life was charming, but onlyMarlborough could serve as a basis forwinning. The World Crisis was dismissedas history and historians didnot win (only Theodor Mommsenwas a previous winner).In 1948 another report committeeconsulted G.M. Trevelyan who,despite their disagreements overMacaulay, endorsed Churchill. TheWorld Crisis carried great weight thistime because in no other work could"the true pulse of the age be sensed sowell or the direct breath of the greatevents be felt so clearly."This report called Churchill "theincomparable painter of the history ofour time." Nevertheless, it was feltthat the orator, without peer in hiscentury, was needed to reinforce thewritten work. "It is, then, basically forhis oratory that Churchill deserves thePrize; but his art as an orator is wellframed by the rest of his production,"said the report.In spite of this extremelyfavourable report, the Academy eventuallywaited another five years beforeyielding to the appeals which camewith ever greater urgency from all cornersof the globe. The fact that he wasstill an active politician was probablyinfluential in their reluctance to makethe final decision.Competition was not particularlyfierce in 1953. The Swedish Pen Clubsupported E.M. Forster. Others, includingErnest Hemingway, were towin in subsequent years. On October15th, the Prize was voted to Churchill"for his mastery of historical and biographicaldescription as well as forbrilliant oratory in defending exaltedhuman values."Winners are seldom consultedbut this time the Swedish Ambassadorasked Churchill if he would accept.He replied that he was honoured, particularlybecause of the recognition ofhis written works. He was required tobe in Bermuda to meet with PresidentEisenhower so his wife, LadyChurchill, and his daughter, nowLady Soames, represented him. I haveposted much of this information onour website.—John Plumpton, Agincourt, Ontario BFINEST HOUR 103 / 47