Design, proofs and finished bookplate featuring Sir Winston Churchill’s coat-of-arms, November 1955
Pencil,
ink on paper
DGA
70
Sir Winston Churchill became one of the most recognised
public figures of the 20th century by serving England as a soldier and
politician for over 70 years. Soon after his death on 24 January 1965, the
Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies launched a nationwide appeal for
funds to create a Trust in Churchill’s memory. Australia’s World War II
Returned Servicemen and women demonstrated their admiration and respect for
Churchill by conducting the greatest one-day door knock in Australian history.
The appeal raised over 2 million pounds and the Winston Churchill Memorial
Trust was established to administer the funds and the Churchill Fellowship
award scheme. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary.
Churchill
painted boldly with colour, his works almost always landscapes bereft of
people. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts, allowing him to submit six
paintings a year, even when prime minister. To avoid attention, he often
painted under the pseudonyms ‘Mr Winter’ and ‘Charles Maurin’. Churchill said
he painted to escape the responsibilities of his work and is reported to have
said: ‘If it weren't for painting, I wouldn't live; I couldn't bear the extra
strain of things.’
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
The preeminent
British statesman famously said of his approach to death: ‘I am prepared to
meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me
is another matter.’
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
The
letter V became a symbol of resistance in Europe during WWII. Churchill used it
often, either with the back of his hand or his palm and occasionally with
exotic variations. He once made the symbol with his legs while lying on a beach
in North Africa.
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
Known to
have worn pink silk underwear, Churchill developed a unique style of dress
involving polka dot bow ties, hats and a custom made wartime sirensuit which
he wore at all times to be prepared for anything. He also loved to take baths.
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
In
January 1942 he flew from Bermuda to Plymouth on board a BOAC Boeing 314
'Berwick' flying boat. He took the controls and was allowed by the captain Kelly
Rogers, to continue smoking. ‘I must confess that I felt rather frightened ...
I thought perhaps I had done a rash thing that there were too many eggs in one
basket,’ he said afterward. ‘I had always regarded an Atlantic flight with awe.
But the die was cast.’
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
According
to the Oxford English Dictionary, Churchill received the first known use of the
expression 'OMG' in a letter from a friend.
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
By age
26, he had written five books and in 1953 he won the Nobel Prize for literature
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
While
fighting in the second Boer War, he was captured at gunpoint by future South
African president Louis Botha, but managed to escape.
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
‘Churchill Memorial Sunday’ was an
Australia wide doorknock held Sunday 28 February 1965 – only four weeks after
Churchill’s funeral.
Sir
Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965 at the age of 90, following a
stroke. His body lay in state for three days in the Palace of Westminster
before his funeral on January 30, attended by the largest gathering of world leaders
in history at that time.
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
His cigar
smoking was a habit developed when serving in Cuba with Spanish forces in 1895,
but he only ever smoked about half of each one. He started the habit at a young
age and by the time he was 20, a doctor warned him that unless he gave up
cigars and champagne, he would be dead in five years.
Jennifer
King, ABC News, 24 January 2015
World War I was a different story ...
It was Churchill
who gave the signal to launch the disastrous Gallipoli campaign in his position
as Britain's First Lord of the Admiralty. The debacle earned him a reputation
for rashness and bad judgement with the lives of men which he never lived down.
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