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Churchill, Winston (1874 – 1965)

Churchill imagines the words of another great war leader: Julius Caesar!

An interesting annotated letter by Winston Churchill, Colonial Office headed paper, Downing Street, 3rd May 1907. Churchill adds comments to his secretary’s (Eliot Crawshay-Williams) draft of a letter to a Mr. Tomkinson. The draft letter reads, simply, ‘Dear Mr. Tomkinson, I fear the great pressure of work at the present moment has prevented my replying to your letter of the 16th April for a long time. Since you wrote to me about Major Ewart and his desire for permission to commence boring for oil in Southern Nigeria, he will have received a letter from this office to which I need hardly say I can add nothing.’

Churchill begins by writing at the top of the letter, ‘This is a queer sort of letter.’ He then takes umbrage with specific issues. Churchill underlines his secretary’s phrase ‘great pressure’ and ‘I need hardly say I can add nothing’, then writes, sarcastically, ‘What on earth does this mean? God forbid that I in my temerity should ever venture even to explain or repeat the dread commands of Caesar! “Words so pungent, so wise, so conclusive need no comment from any mortal” I need hardly say that it would be utterly out of the question for me to add anything to official jargon, however curt or hackneyed.’ Churchill then adds a further comment, ‘Find out when the new law regulating oil boring will be passed. The delay is vexatious and will damage trade prospects. A full answer should be prepared.’ Churchill signs his comments with his initials ‘W.S.C.’

In very fine condition, and together with a Colonial Office envelope that Churchill has signed boldly with his full signature.