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Quebec Conference diary, 5-26 September 1944, 1944-09

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0269/DCPP/WHI/2/3/2

Scope and Contents

Marked 'To Canada with the Prime Minister and Chiefs of Staff' inside front cover. A small pocket diary, about 30 pages of writing, written to his wife Ethel Whitby in his absence. Describes lunch with the Prime Minister on the train on the way to board the Queen Mary, 5 September, where Whitby joined Sir Alan Brooke, Admiral Cunningham and Sir Charles Portal. He refers to the 'noble Lord' (Churchill's physician, Lord Moran) and describes a sumptuous dinner on board on 6 Sept. Entries include: (8 Sept) being summoned to check 'morning gob that the PM had expectorated' to check for blood (there wasn't any) in the lab at the bottom of the ship; (9 Sept) carrying out 'blood counts etc' as the PM had a temperature. 'I fear he is not in a very good condition and there may be much anxiety before this trip is over'; (10 Sept) lunch on board before landing at Halifax, with 'Mr C, Lord Cherwell, Alan Brooke, Andrew Cunningham, Charles Portal and little me'. (11 Sept) arrival at Chateau Frontenac; (15 Sept) description of dinner with Churchill at the Citadel, including a seating plan where Dr Whitby sat next to US President Roosevelt and near Winston Churchill, who ;were most delightful' [this meal is described in more detail in one of his letters to Ethel copied by the family]; (19 Sept) train jounrey from Quebec to New York to re-board the Queen Mary home; (21 Sept) dinner with Churchill and Admiral Cunningham, during which they 'refought the Battle of Matapan and several other battles of this and the last'.

Dates

  • Creation: 1944-09

Conditions Governing Access

From the Fonds:

Generally open.

Extent

1 volume(s)

Language of Materials

English

Related Materials

DCPP/WHI/2/3/3 for Ethel Whitby's reciprocal diary. Copies of two letters from the conference in DCPP/WHI/2. Whitby's relationship with Winston Churchill is referenced in Lord Moran's book 'Winston Churchill: The Struggle for Survival'.

Originator(s)

Whitby, Sir Lionel Ernest Howard (1895-1956) Knight, haematologist

Finding aid date

2019-09-13 13:21:17+00:00

Geographic

Topical

Repository Details

Part of the Downing College Repository

Contact:
Downing College Archive
Downing College
Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB2 1DQ United Kingdom
+44 (0)1223 762905