Still, when this was the same man who was a master orator and a recognized historian who wrote a four-volume history of Britain and a six-volume narrative about WWII. An aside: Mark Twain was one of his heroes, whom he met on a tour of the US in 1904, after his exploits in the Boer War as a war correspondent gained him international celebrity.

Also, in reference to the picture: George Orwell wrote a review of the last book of Lewis’s Space Trilogy.

It just seemed the father was actually hostile towards him, especially during military academy.

The watch story: Winston’s father, Lord Randoplh Churchill, gave him a watch. Now, when Lord Randolph got the watch back for some reason, it was rusted and not in pristine condition, so he sent a letter to Winston complaining and demanding an explanation. He got one:
Winston lacked good true watch pockets in his uniform so when he had to cross or swim in a lake while in uniform he lost it. He went diving into the lake several times to try and retrieve it, couldn’t find it. Got permission to DRAIN THE LAKE and then found it.
Apparently the explanaition wasn’t good enough and Randolph fixed the watch and gave it to another son.

Also, interestingly enough, it seemed that Randolph never thought Winston would amount to anything. He sent him to military academy because he felt he was too stupid to attend anywhere else. (To Randoplh’s credit, Winston failed the entrance exam twice before finally passing a third time -with tutoring aide).

Churchill is one of my favorites. A truly eccentric character who could also play politician in his spare time. When he’s not painting of course.

Besides Scott, the only who can down three bottles of champagne, port and brandy and can still dictate speeches, write history and hold policy discussions well into the night. I can’t even function on that level when sober.