“Churchill”, by Winston Churchill’s personal bodyguard W. H. Thompson, published by Buchet/Chastel. The author was an officer in Scotland Yard who served for many years as Winston Churchill’s personal bodyguard. Paris, 1957 – First French edition, translated by Jean Kathleen (from the original English edition published in 1951).
“Churchill’s disregard for his own safety was a nightmare for a bodyguard. … When they were driving through Hyde Park and were attacked by IRA assassins, he said: ‘If they want trouble, let them have it.’ But Thompson decided that ‘it was not part of my duty to grant his wish for a fistfight in Hyde Park.'”. An intimate biography of Winston Churchill, seen through the eyes of the man who accompanied him daily as his bodyguard between 1921 and 1931, and returned to this role on August 22, 1939 – the point at which the biography begins. As Churchill’s close personal protector, Thompson was a firsthand witness to highly dramatic moments, particularly during World War II – in Cairo, Yalta, the United States, Canada, the Kremlin with Stalin, at Eisenhower’s or Montgomery’s headquarters, even under fire, he never left Churchill’s side. He toasted with Stalin and Roosevelt and mingled with leading political and military figures. One of the most important biographies written about Churchill, revealing his human side – not only as a statesman but also as a man with fears, humor, difficulties, and personal habits. Due to Thompson’s closeness to him, this work also occasionally unveils details absent from official biographies, including how Thompson eventually married Mrs. G. Sherborne, Churchill’s secretary.
230 pp. Very good condition.
