Winston S. Churchill

[…]” — With: portrait photograph of Vere Harvey (1945). - After attending Framlingham College in Suffolk, Harvey joined the Royal Air Force in 1925 and served there until 1930. From 1930 to 1935 he was both director of the Far East Aviation Company Ltd and of the Far East Flying Training School Ltd in Hong Kong, and between 1932 and 1935 he also served, with the honorary rank of major general, as an adviser to the Chinese Air Forces in South China. In 1937, holding the rank of Squadron Leader, he became commander of a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAAF). After the outbreak of the Second World War, he became commodore of No. 615 Squadron of the RAF, which he had founded in 1937, and commanded it, among other engagements, during combat operations in France. During this period he was promoted to Group Captain in 1942 and was simultaneously appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire, before being promoted to Air Commodore in 1944..

625). On 9 September, the day before this letter was written, the first units of the British Expeditionary Force embarked for France. The connection between Churchill and Graves was forged through Edward Marsh, Churchill’s longtime private secretary and the influential editor of the Georgian Poetry anthologies. Marsh had been introduced to Graves by the mountaineer George Mallory, who taught Graves English at Charterhouse and later championed his literary career. Marsh’s encouragement was instrumental in the publication of Graves’s first volume, Over the Brazier (1916). As established writers, Graves and Churchill maintained a correspondence on literary matters throughout the war and beyond. In 1942, Churchill wrote to Graves expressing his admiration for his historical novels: “…I have read very few books during this war… I find sometimes a book dwells with me for several months, and I read a chapter or two at a time… I am a great lover of narrative, in which art you excel…” (letter dated 2 May 1942, ex Forbes Collection). Graves continued to send Churchill his works, including a copy of The Golden Fleece in 1945, of which Churchill wrote: “…once it gets hold of you, you cannot put it down…” (letter dated 27 November 1944, ex Forbes Collection). Provenance: Christie's, 'Winston Spencer Churchill: The Collection of Malcolm S. Forbes, Jr, Part I', 2 June 2010, lot 111; private collection, UK..

S. C.' to lower edges, glazed, the desk support to the first frame now detached. - The first portrait was one of Churchill’s favorites of himself, and he signed and gifted many high-quality copies of varying sizes. The photographer Vivienne [Florence Vivienne Entwistle, 1889-1982] was a leading society photographer of the day and took Churchill’s portrait many times. Her son Anthony married Churchill’s daughter Sarah in 1949, the families becoming friends..

Therefore, Churchill's reference to the "pressure of business from the Election" likely pertains to the ongoing political activities and responsibilities associated with the electoral campaign..

The Nitrate position is even more serious than the iron and steel, because in this case the whole supply is seaborne, and the entire process of ammunition filling will come to an abrupt arrest. It is, further, very difficult for me to proceed without any idea of what the future has in store. I failed entirely to obtain any answer on this point from your Department. I have to make an enormous series of arrangements for the supply of the Army which depend absolutely upon Raw Material, and we cannot be told even generally within what limits we may expect to be supplied. I have been pressing for information on this vital point for more than three months without receiving anything in return except your invariable courtesy. I really do not know what to do [...] As it is we weem to be moving forward to a complete administrative breakdown [...]". - On stationery with printed letterhead of the Ministry of Munitions; punched holes at top left corner..

These payments would be in lieu of any royalties. The contract calls for the first portion of the manuscript to be delivered by no later than June 1941, with Churchill obligated to return his advance with interest for failure to do so. Since this is precisely what happened, this paragraph is boldly marked thrice in pencil in the margin. - Churchill's demanding obligations as member of the War Cabinet and then as Prime Minister and saviour of Britain in 1940 did not leave Harrap in a forbearing or forgiving mood when Churchill tried to get out of this contract. Indeed, his growing stature made him all the more valuable as a literary commodity. As called for in paragraph 10 of this document, the matter went to arbitration, with Churchill arguing that he had completely lost interest in the subject of Europe since the Russian Revolution. In any case, he was in no position to do anything about it: "I suppose I have not read a dozen books in the last five years." Besides, he added, writing about Russian relations might injure the delicate wartime alliance with Stalin. More than anything else, however, Harrap's hardball tactics annoyed him. When the publisher offered new contracts with much more generous terms, Churchill curtly refused, saying "I do not want to have any further dealings of any kind with them." Realizing he was beat, Harrap unconditionally surrendered on 7 September 1944, saying "it is distasteful to us, whether we are right or not, to litigate this matter with a man to whom every one of us is so much indebted" (cf. Reynolds, In Command of History, pp. 19-20). Churchill gave back the £1,500 advance with interest and went on to publish his war memoirs with Macmillan and Cassell's. - Somewhat dusty and frayed..