The Churchill Series – Sept 14, 2006

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

Churchill spent Christmas, 1943 in North Africa.

In the weeks just before Christmas, he’d developed pneumonia and suffered two heart attacks. His physician, Lord Moran, feared Churchill would not survive. Clementine and his son, Randolph, and daughter, Sarah, were summoned to his bedside. All of that was kept from the public.

Churchill made a miraculous recovery. When Christmas Day dawned he was ready to enjoy it. Along with his family and “the top brass,” Churchill arranged that some junior officers serving nearly would join him for the day. One of them tells us a little about the day, and how he managed among all “the personages:”

When we arrived at Mr. Churchill’s headquarters we were joined by the top brass of the Mediterranean theatre headed by General Eisenhower, General Bedell-Smith, General Sir Henry Maitland-Wilson and Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder.

Mrs. Churchill was there with daughter Sarah, her son Randolph and the Prime Minister’s physician, Lord Moran. I also recognized Mr. Churchill’s watchdog, Detective Inspector Thomson and met ‘Tommy’ Thompson, Churchill’s ‘personal assistant,’ and Desmond Morton, his ‘special investigator.’

As the most junior officer present, I decided to move into the only unoccupied corner before anyone asked me searching questions.

Then Mr. Churchill entered the room, shook my hand, and inquired, "How are you on this glorious Christmas morning? I have asked you and several other young officers here today because I thought you might have a more agreeable Christmas with me than you would in your Algerian fastness."

He then left the room and a surprising number of complete strangers gathered around me, convinced that Mr. Churchill had imparted some information of great importance, and I saw no reason to disillusion them.

I’m sure the young officer managed very nicely the rest of the day.
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Gerald Pawle, "Christmas with Churchill," published in Finest Hour (54)