Torch Magazine • Winter 2017 The Seven Lives of Winston Spencer Churchill By Joseph C. Huber, Jr.

I first encountered * * * nearly sixty years ago in the six volumes The first additional life was the most of his Marlborough, the biography of unusual one, for an author, of his ancestor John Churchill, First professional soldiering. Not considered Duke of Marlborough, for whom the smart enough for Oxford or grateful Queen Anne commissioned Cambridge, he graduated (after some the construction of magnificent Blen- difficulty with the entrance exams) heim Palace, named for his great 1704 from England’s military school, victory in the War of the Spanish Sandhurst, and joined the cavalry, in Succession. which he fought, was shot at by, and probably killed enemy soldiers on four Joseph C. Huber, Jr. John’s diplomacy with a fragmented continents. coalition army, his logistics innovations, Home schooled on an isolated Philippine rubber plantation (less 31 and his series of successful battles Fighting in Cuba before America’s months a Japanese prisoner) and graduate against France put England in first “little war” and later in what was then of a rural Ohio high school, Joseph C. place in Europe; Winston’s command northern India, he supported himself Huber, Jr., earned an SBEE and an SMEE of the English language, inventive use in the style he wished by writing at MIT in electromagnetic waves. of words, lucid and succinct narrative, newspaper articles and successful For 50 years he created designs, and fascinating content were irresistible. books on the wars. received patents and led programs to keep the Cold War cold, drugs out of the US, and Though not the overwhelming best- soldiers safe in the War on Terror. In so seller his history of the Second World Always on the lookout for the next doing he traveled a good part of the world, War was, the biography has many other English conflict, he pulled strings and drove in a dozen foreign countries, and admirers; it is nothing less than “the used holidays to “go to the sound of the visited the room in which greatest historical work written in our guns.” Off to Africa, he joined the Winston Churchill was born. century, an inexhaustible mine of fighting near Khartoum. Scouting, he Currently he is secretary of the Akron Club; active in church, Rotary, and WWII political wisdom and understanding, found the enemy, then joined in the Round Table; a member of historical which should be required reading for world’s last great cavalry charge at societies and a bibliophilic organization; every student of political science,” Omdurman in 1898, driving his horse and has nearly finished his second book. according to political philosopher Leo through twelve-deep ranks of He has been married to Julia McMillen Strauss. Dervishes, killing several. Huber for over fifty wonderful years, and they have two great sons, two delightful Churchill earned his living by daughters-in-law, and five grandsons to be Resigning his commission, he sailed proud of. writing, and five feet of my shelves hold to the Boer War as a correspondent, This paper was presented to the Akron some of his fifty-eight books and 9,000 but soon joined the army. When Torch Club on April 25, 2016. speeches. He published more than accompanying an armored train, his Dickens and Shakespeare combined, valiant efforts to rescue it when earning a Nobel Prize for Literature. ambushed failed, and he was captured by the Boers. Escaping alone from a His literary production alone would Pretoria prison, he made his way with amount to a full industrious life for help to friendly lines, with a bounty on most, but not for Churchill, who his head. achieved six more successful interwoven lives. He was the first descendant of Continuing his dual military/ John Churchill to match his ancestor’s correspondent role, he took part in achievements. lifting the siege of Ladysmith, then

28 Torch Magazine • Winter 2017 scouted and found the critical point 21st Regiment of the Royal Scots Minister, through most of World War through which he signaled the attack Fusiliers in trenches on the Western II, he had, for an author, quite a military that proved the war’s final turning front. Despite making twenty-six trips career. point at Diamond Hill. into no-man’s-land, he again escaped shot and shell, and was once only a * * * Brave to the point of rashness and couple of hundred yards from a Invention and innovation constituted deserving a Victoria Cross, he was not corporal named Adolf Hitler. Urged to a third life. Among the first to learn to viewed with favor by the old-line stay, he felt he needed to return to fly, and crash, piloting in over 130 officers who awarded medals. His Parliament, later serving as Minister of training flights, he started the Naval Air widely read writings lambasting senior Munitions at a time of severe shell Force. officers for their failings would not shortages. Even in this position he have made him any more popular with regularly visited the front, once in a Crucially, he converted the Royal his superiors. He could be called, in combat aircraft over no-man’s-land. Navy to oil from coal in time for World today’s parlance, an aristocratic show- When America entered the war, his War I. Seeking a solution to the boater. efforts to equip the AEF earned him quagmire of trench warfare, he used the US Distinguished Service Medal. Navy money to fund development for It is also true that some of his a project he gave the non-army cover opportunities arose because of name of “tank,” and then worked connections his mother had through assiduously for its use to end her liaisons, not then uncommon in Britain’s brilliant horrendous casualties. Six hundred that social stratum. The beautiful “tanks” in the Battle of Amiens started American Jenny Jerome was the widow Professor modern maneuver warfare. of the 8th Duke of Marlborough’s younger brother, Lord Randolph, a Henry Tizard In World War II, Churchill was leader of Parliament till his irrational and his team of receptive to bold ideas offered by behavior cost him the job; he is believed others, to which he often contributed to have died of syphilis or its mercury experts developed his own ideas. Britain’s brilliant treatment. dozens of useful, Professor Henry Tizard and his team of experts developed dozens of useful, Elected to Parliament in 1900, occasionally occasionally bizarre, devices, whose Churchill brought his military tests Winston loved to watch. experience to new responsibilities. bizarre, devices, Appreciating the value of joint efforts, Prior to and in the first year of World whose tests he insisted on sharing with the United War I, Winston served as first Lord of States the secrets of radar, of jet engines, the Admiralty and was responsible for Winston loved and of the decoding work done at the sea and air defense of England, to watch. Bletchley Park. ordering successful air raids on their Friedrichshafen air-docks when * * * Zeppelins first bombed London. In Churchill’s first priority, and the life 1915, he was forced out in a change of In World War II, he stood on rooftops for which he is most remembered, was government and berated over the to witness German bombings. Only a as a politician. He served in the House Gallipoli debacle, which, in his view, direct order from the king kept him of Commons almost continuously had resulted from the timidity and from being on a ship in close support from 14 February 1901 until 15 Octo- vacillation of commanding generals at D-Day; nonetheless, in a few days he ber 1964, dying January 24, 1965, 70 and admirals that allowed Turkey, managed to be on a ship firing at the years to the day after his father. Not under German leadership, time to shore. Later he stood calmly under shy, in his first two weeks he gave three create a trench warfare defense. heavy shellfire to the discomfort of effective speeches in Parliament, and Hundreds of thousands of casualties accompanying Allied generals, as he was always at the fore with speeches, resulted, and the success of the had done trying to save Antwerp in ideas, and programs in ten different Bolshevik revolution can be traced in . cabinet posts. He approached each new part to this failure. ministry and issue with vigor and new Serving as Home Secretary with the ideas, faltering only when as Chancellor He then served for five months power to use the military in England, of the Exchequer he followed bad commanding the 6th Battalion of the and Defense Secretary, as well as Prime advice on the price of gold.

29 Torch Magazine • Winter 2017 Though grandson of a Duke of best—unsuccessfully—to convince monument on her London grave. Marlborough (and next in line to be Roosevelt and Truman. As early as the 10th Duke before the 9th Duke’s 1945 he spoke of the and Though a powerful speaker, Winston wife, the American heiress Consuelo the need, not for a balance of power, had a problem with women. Enamored Vanderbilt, produced an heir and a but the affordable strategy of enough of attractive Pamela Plowden, whom spare), he strove to improve life for the power to dissuade any gambler. His he met serving in India, he pursued her common man. His efforts led to many 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech at West- so slowly that she married the Earl of reforms, labor laws, and early welfare minster College in Fulton, Missouri, Lytton. When he asked Ethel Barrymore and health systems. was pooh-poohed by the New York to marry him, she declined, as life with Times and the Wall Street Journal, but him would be too much politics. When * * * became the foundation for U.S. first he met beautiful Clementine A fourth additional life came conduct. Hozier (after asking to be introduced at from being the one called upon when a ball), he stood and stared. Later, at a a problem needed a consummate * * * dinner, they discovered their mutual diplomat. He worked on the still- For a fifth additional life, he became passionate interest in politics, the vexing Irish problem, playing a role in an oil painter. Unafraid to tackle convictions they had in common, and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. something new, he took it up during their shared intelligence. Particularly contentious were strikes, World War I as a cure for his “black where he demonstrated a willingness dog” depressions, which generally He immediately wrote, praising her to successfully negotiate and avoid occurred when he was out of office; mind and strong convictions, and said using the Army. painting, he claimed, kept him alive in he would like to get to know her much times of extreme stress. While he ranks better. But when his cousin Sonny In 1921 he was given the Mid-East only a gifted amateur, he created over a finally arranged for both to be at geography problem created when hundred paintings, one of which Blenheim Palace, he had to push England promised the same “camel,” eventually sold for 2.7 million dollars. Winston to meet her on her last day. figuratively speaking, to the Arabs, to The value of the thirty-seven paintings Then, as they sat in a gazebo, he talked the Jews, and to France. His map his last surviving daughter gave to the about everything else till she concluded satisfied no party totally, but who else averaged almost that, if the beetle she was watching can claim to have kept peace in much $400,000. Notable, even if people were reached a crack in the floor before he of that volatile region for fifty years? paying for the name—as people who proposed, she was leaving. He made pay that sort of price for art usually are. that deadline! They married a month His greatest diplomatic achievement and a day later, and ten months after was his charm offensive with Harry * * * the wedding, their first child was born. Hopkins and Roosevelt before America With all his interwoven lives, his entered the war. It obtained aid for enormous energy allowed him a sixth Winston and Clementine were very England and helped start America’s life as a family man. close and let their four children know preparation for World War II. The they were loved, though raising them “Destroyers for Bases Agreement” of His own childhood had been marked the old way, seeing them only at teatime. September 1940 had little immediate by neglect by his parents and serious When their youngest died at three, he practical impact—a year later, only ten belittling by his father, who denigrated was devastated. of the promised fifty ships with limited him in letters and in every one of the capabilities were fit for service—but it six times they had a discussion. His He was devoted to his “Clemmi,” helped move sentiment in the US from parents, like typical English aristocrats, whose brilliance, speaking ability, and isolation to enthusiastically embracing had a nanny raise their children. Once, common sense helped him keep getting England. Similarly, Lend-Lease was while Winston was on a walk with his elected and smoothed the way when he not generous, with England completing brother, their parents rode up on went off course. Two hundred and fifty repayment only in 2006 (the only horseback, and his brother asked years earlier, the first Duke had had country to do so), but its influence Winston who they were. By contrast, Sarah, Queen Anne’s closest friend, on American public opinion was the brothers were so close to the nanny both ladies playing major roles in significant. that, when she was summarily dis- English history. missed without a pension after they In the Big Three Conferences, the were grown, Winston shared his In World War II, Clementine acted as Cold War’s enabling events, Churchill meager student funds with her. He and a minister without portfolio. Her letters was not fooled by Stalin and did his his brother later erected a striking to the appropriate ministers were given

30 Torch Magazine • Winter 2017 full attention. One letter complaining those who felt gifts were warranted by “Law, language and literature—these of insufficient beds in air-raid shelters his service to the nation. Wealthy are considerable factors. Common quickly led to two million more. She friends, including Onassis, provided perceptions of what is right and decent, worked through the war to keep him extensive travel, holidays and yacht a marked regard for fair play, especially connected to the people, but never let trips. He was, after all, a tremendous to the weak and poor, a stern sentiment Winnie know. And family helped. draw, and his magnificent presence and of impartial justice, and above all a love wit made every dinner memorable. of personal freedom […] these are the Daughter-in-law Pamela was inti- common conceptions on both sides of mate with the married Averill the ocean among the English-speaking Harriman, Special Envoy to coordinate peoples.” Lend-Lease, and daughter Sarah with Alcohol was the American Ambassador. They held Churchill’s energy He guided, even remade England. soirées for high-ranking American offi- No wonder the Queen granted him the cers, providing priceless understanding drink, never unique honor, for a commoner, of of U.S. thinking. attending his funeral. On their own affecting his initiative, dock crane operators dipped Servants and staff are one reason performance or his them one by one in a final salute as his Churchill was so productive. Secretaries casket passed up the Thames. took dictation, even sitting by the open health—he lived to bathroom door while he bathed. His be ninety. In the U.S., he and Mother Teresa are meals were set in front of him, his bath the only two individuals to be made was drawn, and his clothes laid out. Honorary U. S. Citizens during their A bit of his family life has been related He was driven by an overwhelming lifetimes, and more people watched his by Annelese Nefos, a woman who, ambition to outdo his father and leave funeral live on TV than watched that of when a young Swiss girl in England, a great legacy. Perhaps for the latter, he Kennedy. All in all, a true successor to was hired to run their household from resurrected his father’s reputation with the 1st Duke of Marlborough. 1959 to 1961 because she could speak a two-volume biography that won rave French to Winston and (Swiss) German reviews. to Clementine. They were devoted to Bibliography each other, she reports, adding that * * * Churchill, Winston. The Aftermath: 1918-1929. although Churchill is often described His seventh life, as an outstanding NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929. as a heavy drinker, his pre-dinner prophet, speaks to us still. In 1911 he __. A History of the English Speaking Peoples. 4 vols. NY: Dodd, Mead, 1958. whisky and soda was mostly soda and wrote a government paper predicting __. London to Ladysmith via Pretoria. London: the whiskey of low alcohol content. in detail the first forty-two days of Longmans, Green, 1900. Alcohol was Churchill’s energy drink, World War I. In 1919 he published a __. Marlborough: His Life and Times. 6 vols. never affecting his performance or his prediction of World War II, and his Charles Scribner & Sons, 1933-38. health—he lived to be ninety. Cold War vision has been noted. His __. My Early Life. 1930. Rept. Liverpool: John prophesies shaped today’s geography: Gardner, 1948. However, Churchill was no saint. He the Mideast is his doing, Ireland and __. Onward to Victory: War Speeches by the could be insensitive and abrasive to South Africa owe much to him, the right Hon. Winston S. Churchill. Charles cabinet members and military leaders, breakup of the USSR into individual Eade, ed. London: Cassell, 1944. __. The World Crisis: 1911-1918. 2 vols. with Clementine often being called on nations can be traced to his advice, and London: Odhams Press, 1938. to smooth things over. He could be of course Turkey is in part the result of Johnson, Boris. The Churchill Factor. NY: stressful to live with, and Clementine failure to follow his prophecy on Riverhead Books, 2014. had to take breaks. With his travels and Gallipoli. “.” Wikipedia. hers they spent much time apart but Nefos, Annelese. “Tape of speech to the World kept close with regular loving letters, But he should really be remembered War II & Korean War Round Table.” Akron, which have survived. for the concept he laid out in the four OH 20 May 2014. Held in the U. of Akron volumes of the History of the English Archives. Money was frequently a problem, his Speaking Peoples. From England, a tiny Purnell, Sonia. Clementine: The Life of Mrs. ambitions for home and life style language and a governing concept have Winston Churchill. NY: Viking, 2015. frequently bigger than his budget. spread to be heard and practiced More than once he had to be bailed out around the world. He said it best in a The publication of this article is funded by with generous gifts (not bribes) from talk at Harvard on September 6, 1943: The Torch Foundation

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