FINEST HOUR - Winston Churchill

presence, says Celia Sandys, that drew her to hergrandfather. "Ours was a very companionable relationshiptowards the end of his life. It was thrillingthat he came to my coming-out party at Quagliano's,though he didn't dance. It was a very peaceful time ofhis life: we'd go for a drive together. I'd watch himpaint, or we'd just sit together and watch the sun godown over the Mediterranean. I adored him."Being red-headed and fair-skinned means you canspend little time in the sun, "which was one reason Iwas so thankful," says Celia, "that none of my fourchildren have it. (She has two grown-up sons by twoformer marriages, Justin, 27, a banker in HongKong, and Dominic, 25, who works at The TravellersClub.) That hair, Celia recalls, was the one unfortunateinheritance from her grandfather — at least inwartime."Our nanny, Miriam Buckles, knew that if theGermans invaded, which was of course unthinkableand unmentionable, my brother, sister and I would,as redheads, be immediately identifiable asChurchill's grandchildren and, therefore, death targets.So Nanny planned, as she later told us, to dyeour hair black and take us to her parents' pub in Liverpool,safe from Hitler's vengeance."Watching her own children explore Chartwell,Celia is struck by the comparisons and contrasts betweentheir light-hearted modern childhood andChurchill's Victorian youth. Although his hair isbrown, Alexander certainly has a look of the youngWinston and was also lucky to survive his prematurebirth. "All my children were three weeks early," saysCelia.Alexander is bound, like Winston, for Harrow, butunlike Winston, can follow comfortably in his two bigbrothers' footsteps. "And he can also rest assured,"says Celia, "that he can change his mind, if he suddenlyprefers not to board." Winston sold his parents'autographs for profit, but Alexander is reluctanteven to divulge his famous connections. "We took himto the Imperial War Museum and while watching afilm he said, "Oh, look! There's my great-grandfather.'The audience clapped and he was rather embarrassed."Alexander and Sophie's biggest worry is whetheror not they have behaved well enough during theday's photo shoot to warrant roller boots as a reward.Their informal upbringing is secure and equallyshared by their mother and Ken who, now retired,paints and writes, too.For Winston, however, the whole of his early lifewas a battle of some sort. "For affection, for health,and later for recognition," says Celia. "He was alwayshaving to push himself to be heard or noticed. Hisgreatest regret was that he didn't have the close relationshipwith his father for which he always longed."What young Winston did have was an unfashionablyuninhibited love for his mother and for hisFINEST HOUR 88/20