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Winston Churchill TLS: "I should be a little shy about writing on the British Navy's role in time of war…"
Winston Churchill TLS: "I should be a little shy about writing on the British Navy's role in time of war…"
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Description:

Winston Churchill
[Chartwell, Kent, England], May 6, 1939
Winston Churchill TLS: "I should be a little shy about writing on the British Navy's role in time of war…"
TLS
A 1p typed letter signed by Winston Churchill (1874-1965) as "Winston S. Churchill" near bottom; and also inscribed with two small typographical edits in his hand ("s'/") on line 9. May 6, 1939. [Chartwell, Kent, England.] On a leaf of watermarked custom stationery with "Chartwell, Westerham, Kent" letterhead. Expected light wear including flattened transmittal folds A few isolated stray pencil marks or light discolored spots, else near fine. 7.875" x 10."

Winston Churchill wrote this letter to Major David Percy Davies (1891-1946), director of the popular British weekly newspaper "News of the World" (N.O.W.) Davies had been appointed Deputy Editor of the newspaper in 1933 and would serve as its Editor between 1941 and his death in 1946.

Churchill wrote in part:

"…I am preparing the article for Sunday, May 21, on the War Office, and will let you have it by Wednesday, May 17, at latest.

I should be a little shy about writing on the British Navy's role in time of war, as I should be hampered by the many things I would have to leave out that I know.

I have another article which will be published in Colliers' [sic] on whether war is likely to come this year. It will appear before the one on June 17, and I venture to send it to you in order that you may see whether it will suit you or not. If it does not suit, perhaps you will let me give you the final article a little later in the year, as pressure is high at the present time…"

1939 would be a good year for Churchill from a literary perspective; he would publish no fewer than seven articles in N.O.W. between January 1939 and June 1939. It would also prove to be a momentous year for Churchill politically, marking the definitive end of his "Wilderness Years" as a defanged backbench member of Parliament. Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty on September 3, 1939, the same day that Great Britain declared war on Germany. In this capacity, Churchill would serve as the senior government advisor on the British Royal Navy and all naval affairs. Churchill had previously served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1911 to 1915.

"News of the World" was a tabloid specializing in sensational news. Published continuously from its founding in 1843 until its discontinuation in 2011, its earliest stories (19th century) focused on crime and vice, while its later stories (21st century) trafficked in sex and celebrity gossip. By the 1920s, N.O.W. maintained an estimated readership of 3 million throughout Europe and the British Empire. Sales in 1939 reached an estimated £4 million.

This sort of widely-circulated publication appealed to Churchill, who had been writing newspaper and magazine articles for more than half a dozen publications since his days as a war correspondent in the mid-1890s. It is well-documented that Churchill earned most of his income through his writing. In 1939, according to one historian's estimate, Churchill earned $100,000 through freelance writing. From 1936-1939, N.O.W. paid Churchill £400 per article submitted, and during this period he produced two widely-read multi-article series, "Great Men I Have Known" and "Great Events of Our Time."

Churchill's submissions to N.O.W. in the late 1930s mostly concerned British and international politics. Churchill anticipated the rise of the Third Reich and its intrinsic threat to territorial sovereignty as early as 1933. Churchill used the platform provided by "News of the World" to loudly warn that German aggression was an imminent danger. Some of Churchill's articles published in "News of the World" in 1939 included: "Parliament is the Stage of Empire Drama" (published January 1, 1939); "Our Rule Britannia Office of State (The Admiralty)" (published May 14, 1939); "The Cinderella of our Fighting Services (The War Office)" (published May 21, 1939); and most presciently, "Will There Be War in Europe - and When?" (published June 4, 1939).

In the letter, Churchill's reluctance to discuss "the British Navy's role in time of war" may have alluded to the content of an upcoming article of his that would be published by N.O.W. about one week later, on May 14, 1939: "Our Rule Britannia Office of State (The Admiralty)."

The article that Churchill explicitly references in this letter was published about three weeks later, on May 21st, under the title: "The Cinderella of our Fighting Services (The War Office)." While the actual article is quite difficult - if not impossible - to obtain outside of libraries and institutions, the University of Cambridge provides a helpful summary of Churchill's article in the Scope and Contents note of its archival collection ("Literary: News of the World articles by WSC: 2., May 1939 - Jun 1939.") Thus we know that "The Cinderella…" discussed some of Churchill's observations from World War I, specifically pertaining to mobilization, conscription, mutinies, and demobilization. The subtext to readers would have been clear: once again, in 1939, war seemed imminent and mobilization would take center stage. Churchill's word choice of likening the War Office to a Cinderella figure is an interesting one; does he suggest that, even though Cinderella (read War Office) may be abused or overlooked, she (it) will persevere through her (its) industry and diligence?

The Collier's article which Churchill mentions in the letter is not specified by a publication date except that "it will appear before the one on June 17…" By process of elimination, then, this Churchill Collier's article was almost certainly called "Will There Be War in Europe - and When?" (American title: "War - Now or Never.") In this article, Churchill discussed the mobilization, armament, and nakedly aggressive policies of Britain's future enemies, the Nazis and Italian Fascists. He ventured to prognosticate that Hitler would try to force a general European war if current conditions did not undergo drastic revision. Evidently, Davies approved of Churchill's Collier's submission since he authorized publication of the same article under the same name in N.O.W. on June 4, 1939.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.875" x 10"
  • Medium: TLS

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