By Andrew Roberts
It is easy to see why some tout Walking With Destiny as the best one-volume Churchill biography. This work is fascinating biography and detailed history.
Roberts’ title comes from the conclusion of The Gathering Storm, the first of Churchill’s six volumes of his World War II memoir. In it, Churchill said, “I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour in for this trial…”
Andrew Roberts work is deep and wide. The author plunges us into the vast depth of Churchill; the politician who earned his living “by my pen and by my tongue.”(947) Of course, we see the politician. We must. The two-time Prime Minister devoted nearly sixty years of his life to parliament and Great Britain. But it is the gargantuan genius, the genial Victorian gentleman, the grand strategist, and the great lover of the British Empire that comes into focus in these pages.
One cannot condense 1100 pages into a brief review. Certain themes, however, do run throughout the book:
1. Churchill’s creed: “The Empire was his creed” notes Roberts. He spoke of God, Providence, and heaven; but not Christ. "Christ" appeared only once in the 6.1 million words that make up his 37 books and the 5 million words that comprise his public speeches. (44, 972 )
2. Churchill’s fatherly devotion: “He worshiped at the altar of his unknown father,” said his friend Violet Bonham Carter. (29) In some ways, he spent his life seeking to please a father who despised him, who never thought his son would amount to much. Despite that Churchill honored his father, copied him, and predicted he would die on the same day -- and he did. (972)
3. Churchill’s prescience: Churchill built battleships as First Sea Lord in 1912. He saw the need to prepare for a German menace. “He urged a policy of building 60% more warships than Germany,” knowing few things would dishearten Germany more than a strong Navy. (159) He created the Royal naval air service. He could be called the godfather of the tank and the father of the modern aircraft carrier. (160, 173, 198). Mostly, Churchill saw the twin dangers of Nazism and Communism far in advance of his contemporaries. Interestingly, at 16, he saw himself as the one who would rescue Great Britain. (22-23; 975)
4. Churchill’s communication eminence: He wrote 6.1 million words in 37 books and delivered 5 million words in public speeches. “He understood how in the Victorian era of long political speeches he needed to entertain if he was to instruct, persuade and inspire.” (86) He fashioned “The Scaffolding of Rhetoric” at age 23, which shaped future communication: “Well-chosen words; carefully crafted sentences; accumulation of argument; use of analogy; deployment of extravagances.” (50)
5. Churchill’s work ethic/rest ethic: Tommy Thompson, his long-time personal body guard, said Churchill worked 120 hour weeks. During the war years he lengthened his days by adhering to a strict regiment of a daily afternoon nap (often followed by a bath). He maximized hours by maintaining a host of secretaries. These individuals worked alongside of him morning, noon, and night. Churchill would dictate from the bathtub, while laying bricks, or on drives from Chartwell to Parliament. He was overweight, but physically robust. The River War is an example of Churchillian effort. Immediately after a war campaign in the Sudan Churchill began his work, “writing in Egypt, in London and on the boat to rejoin his regiment in India.” (60) For all his work, he knew how to rest. Chartwell was his oasis. Painting was his pastime. Film was necessary entertainment.
6. Churchill’s emotion: He was an uninhibited crier. Churchill had no compunction about weeping in public or private. His trusted General Ismay said, “the PM, who is very emotional and cries equally from pleasure or sadness, cried and sobbed from the moment he set foot in France.” (847 et al)
7. Churchill’s magnanimity: One example, and my favorite, occurred when Churchill was called back to the Cabinet and the Admiralty in 1939 after a lengthy political exile. Colin Thornton-Kemsley MP wrote apologetically for the years he had berated Churchill. Churchill replied, “I certainly think Englishmen ought to stand fair with each other from the outset in grievous a struggle, and so far as I am concerned the past is dead.” (461) This is one example of a lifetime of separating politics from friendship and treating political enemies with grace. (94)
8. Churchill’s ability to learn: Churchill learned from his own mistakes (Antwerp, Dardanelles), but he also learned from others. Watching the propensity of Brigadier-General John Charteris to tell General Sir Douglas Haig what he wanted to hear, Churchill wrote: “The temptation to tell a chief in a great position the things he most likes to hear is one of the commonist explanations of mistaken policy.” The World Crisis, quoted on page 238 of Walking With Destiny.
9. Churchill’s wit and wisdom: Even when he was not “in power,” MPs waited with expectancy when he rose to speak. His capacious mind, lifetime of learning, quick wit, as well as self-and-other deprecating humor kept audiences riveted.
10. Churchill’s friendships: Churchill was Victorian high class. He maintained an impressive circle of friends: F.E. Smith, Frederick Lindemann (the Prof), Bredan Bracken (Lord Beaverbrook), FDR (in war) of whom he said, “I love that man.” Late in life, Aristotle Onassis, occupied a key role. There were some (e.g. Anthony Eden) who walked with him, respected him, and still struggled with him. There were others he chided (e.g. Clement Atlee, whom he nonetheless greatly respected). There were those who aided him (Bodyguard, Tommy Thompson; Physician, Lord Moran; Secretaries such as Jock Colville).
11. Churchill’s versatility: “He was Protean. One of Churchill’s biographers, Robert Rhodes James, described him as a ‘politician, sportsman, artist, orator, historian, parliamentarian, journalist, essayist, gambler, soldier, war correspondent, adventurer, patriot, internationalist, dreamer, pragmatist, strategist, Zionist, imperialist, monarchist, democratic, egocentric, hedonist, romantic.' He was indeed all of those, but to them might also be added: butterfly-collector, big-game hunter, animal-lover, newspaper editor, spy, bricklayer, wit, pilot, horseman, novelist and cry baby (this last the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s nickname for him). In all of these, he was animated more by deep emotions than by rational analysis, which for much of his life left people believing that he lacked judgment.” (968)
12. Churchill's relationship to Clementine: With the exception of Mary, Churchill's children struggled in his shadow. (956) Not Clementine. The couple married in 1908. Churchill was 33, she 28. Five children, two World Wars, stints in the spotlight and in exile, heartaches and highlights, even seasons of separation did not quench their mutual love. She was cat. He was pig. She held strong opinions and offered great advice (about returning from the front see 243-44; about how he treated his staff see pages 567-8). She was beautiful, bold, broadminded, and devoted. When Clementine Churchill retired for the evening, following her husband's funeral -- unprecedented in Great Britain -- she told her daughter Mary, "It's wasn't a funeral, it was a triumph." (964) Clementine (Clemmie to Churchill)
Such depth of insight comes from breadth of research. Robert’s work is delightful for his understanding of the times (national and international), the politics (at home and abroad), and the immense cast of characters both personal and professional who dot the life of Winston Churchill.
I appreciated — and it is evident through the book — Roberts’ obvious respect for Churchill, but dispassionate ability to point out Churchill’s flaws, and missteps, including shortfalls in character, leadership, and writing. For example, Roberts pointed out contradictions between items presented as “facts” in Churchill’s the Second World War and the actual facts. While these discrepancies are rare, there are many places where Roberts unhesitatingly addresses Churchill’s shortcomings. His keen eye for historical accuracy means he will also turn tables on detractors, pointing out the propensity of some to take a portion of a Churchill reference out of context or to "pick and choose" which aspect of a quote suits their bias. For example, see pages 101, 131, 176, 194, 204, 234, 325,410, 415, 440, 564.
John Piper has said, "Mountains are not meant to envy." Roberts will help you see through the fog to Churchill, the mountain to be admired as a leader, statesman, historian, writer, speaker, and citizen of the world. As he takes you on this guided tour you end up with deep respect for the guide as well.