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Literary: correspondence with consultants and others on WSC's war memoirs ("The Second World War", mainly volumes 1 to 4), J-Pownall., Jan 1946 - Apr 1950

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHUR 4/20A-B

Scope and Contents

Correspondents include: R V Jones on bombing science (4); Lieutenant-General Wladyslaw Anders [former Commander, Polish forces in Iran and Palestine] on the Katyn [Soviet Union] massacre; Denis Kelly [WSC's literary assistant] (7); William Deakin (10); Daniel Longwell [editor of Life Magazine]; Frank Rye on the Westminster by-election [1924]; "Bill", 1st Lord Camrose [earlier Sir William Berry, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Telegraph]; 1st Lord Portal [of Hungerford, earlier Sir Charles Portal]; Sir Alan Lascelles [Private Secretary to King George VI]; King George VI on wartime correspondence with WSC; Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pownall (34) including (1) on the death of his wife Lucy and (1) on the theft of his suitcase containing proofs; Sir Edward Marsh (9); Sir Stewart Menzies [Head of Secret Intelligence Service] on the degree of information available to WSC on Pearl Harbor [United States] (4); Herbert Morrison on WSC's coverage of the Blitz, the death of one of WSC's black swans, and Down Street Station [London] (3); 1st Lord Montgomery of Alamein on the timing of the Normandy [France] landings; Sir Norman Brook [later 1st Lord Normanbrook, Secretary of the Cabinet from 1947] (2); Admiral Sir Dudley North on the attempted landings at Dakar [Senegal] (4); [George Gordon] Allen (2); Virginia Cowles [Mrs Aidan Crawley] on Lord Randolph Churchill and Aneurin Bevan; Philip Argenti of the Royal Greek Embassy, London, on a book from General Alexander Papagos; 1st Lord Alanbrooke [earlier Sir Alan Brooke]. Also includes notes and copies of correspondence from secretaries Jo Sturdee ("N S") [later Lady Onslow], Lettice Marston [later Lettice Shillingford], Elizabeth Gilliatt, Jane Portal [later Lady Williams of Elvel], Chips Gemmell, and Anne Hipwell; and from WSC to some of those mentioned above and to General 1st Lord Ismay and Duncan Sandys.Other subjects include: matters concerning the production of the memoirs including comments on the proofs, books consulted, maps and diagrams, spelling, and permission to quote from WSC's correspondence with Mackenzie King [Prime Minister of Canada]; other matters covered in the memoirs including the role of King Leopold of Belgium, WSC's flight from Bermuda in 1942, Benito Mussolini, the lead-up to the war, meeting President Roosevelt, the Norwegian campaign, Polish issues, the war in north Africa, the Italian campaign, the Russian front, "Anvil" [codename for Allied invasion of the South of France], pre-war comparative aircraft strengths, the British Expeditionary Force and the fall of France; suggested amendments; payments to Kelly, Marsh and Pownall; [Joseph] Kennedy's comments on the memoirs; various pieces of news from Marsh; an offer to publish WSC's correspondence with Roosevelt; WSC providing signed copies of the memoirs.Also includes: comments by Jones; a statement by Anders; extract from a Rudyard Kipling poem; corrections by Deakin; various drafts and proofs; copies of 1941 letters from WSC to the King; copy of New Times; cutting and Polish newspaper; list of errors from Pownall; Martin Gilbert's [official biographer of WSC] photocopying slips.

Dates

  • Creation: Jan 1946 - Apr 1950

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Extent

2 file(s) (2 files (436 loose folios))

Language of Materials

English