Chartwell Branch News #19

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CHARTWELL BRANCH THE CHURCHILL CENTRE UK PRESIDENT MR RANDOLPH CHURCHILL

A REGULAR NEWSLETTER

Best wishes to her Majesty on her Diamond Jubilee

GIVING INFORMATION AND UPDATES TO THOSE INTERESTED IN ALL THINGS ‘CHURCHILL’ PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DISTRIBUTE TO ANYONE YOU FEEL MAY BE INTERESTED

(the ‘Spirit of Chartwell’)

In this issue: Dr Wyn Beasley Talk Link with Ottawa Chapter At the Admiralty

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NOT ALL AT SEA!

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WYN BEASLEY We were treated to yet another fascinating and absorbing talk, this time by Dr Wyn Beasley, on the various sea voyages undertaken by WSC. Wyn skillfully linked the various ships and journeys with periods and personalities throughout Sir Winston’s life, bringing a new slant to these events.

to Alice, Nicole, Flick, Mandy and Guy for making a perfect end to Wyn’s visit.

Also sincere thanks to all our members who attended.

Here is Wyn adding his name to all the famous people who have stood by that wonderful entrance.

It really is quite amazing how new aspects of the life of WSC keep emerging , just when you think you have heard all there is to hear.

It was a great delight to accompany Wyn around the house, which he hadn’t visited for many years, and I am extremely grateful

Link with Ottawa Chapter

It is with great pleasure that I can confirm that the newly formed Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa and our Branch are to ‘twin’.

More information will follow in the coming months which will hopefully detail how we will formalise the arrangement.

Their President is Mr Ronald I Cohen, who may be well known to some of our members as the bibliographer responsible for amassing and collecting details of all WSC’s writings.

AT THE ADMIRALTY Taking my lead from the ‘Great Man’ as a book lover without time to read who likes to “handle” and “fondle” his books — to “peer into them,” and “let them fall open where they will,” (see Churchill’s essay on hobbies in Thoughts and Adventures), I was handling Martin Gilbert’s ‘Churchill A Life’ when it opened at page 239 chapter 12, At The Admiralty.

Given Wyn Beasley’s talk, this seemed rather spooky!

Matters nautical seemed to be the order of the day, to cap it all I was watching the military history channel and who appeared but Fisher, as First Sea Lord. That settled it - a short item about WSC’s years at the admiralty was needed.

The period 1911-1915 was surely one of the most tumultuous of his career, ending in his fall from power plunging him into despair, but releasing his latent artistic ability as a painter.

His record at the Admiralty however stands scrutiny, he secured a modest pay rise for ordinary able seaman, the first since 1857,and improvement of conditions below decks. Perhaps more significantly he established a naval war staff, converted Royal Naval vessels to oil instead of coal and ensured that the fleet was ready for action at the outbreak of hostilities in 1914.

As witness to his forward thinking he championed the use of aircraft at sea for offensive purposes, rather than the Army’s approach as their use for observation, and thus was born the Royal Naval Air Service.