The Churchill Series - Nov. 27, 2006

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

It's some "this and that" today.

First, thank you to the two readers who responded to the question of what it is that Churchill is holding in his left hand in this photo of him and Clementine leaving St. Paul's Cathedral after a V-E Thanksgiving Service. Both responses were informed but I'm still not sure what he's holding.

One of Churchill's many "isms" was that, with certain notable exceptions, he liked, if at all possible, to keep his hands free. He was reluctant to carry even small, light objects. When, for example, walking to a spot where he would paint, he'd typically ask friends and aides to carry his brushes, paints and canvases.

The most notable exception to Churchill's "hands free" ism I can think of is his frequent use over many decades of a walking stick.

In recognition of Churchill's birthday November 30, tomorrow I'll begin a three-part post series which I hope will provide you some different from the well-deserved, but very familiar, birthday appreciations we usually read.

Two posts will concern his private life: his relationship with his younger brother, Jack, and his treatment during the 30s of a gypsy couple who first occupied land near Chartwell and then, at his invitation, moved onto Chartwell property.

The third post will concern his critical role after WWI in preserving the RAF as a separate service in the face of Army and Navy demands for its abolition and the distributing of its functions to them. In helping preserve the RAF as a seperate service, Churchill made an incredibly important contribution to the development of British air power which was just strong enough in 1940 to win the Battle of Britain.

John