The Churchill Documents - Volume 1

Volume one of The Churchill Documents includes documents relevant to the first narrative volume of the official biography, Winston S. Churchill: Youth, 1874-1900. When an extract or quotation appears in the narrative volume, the complete document appears here. Where space prevented the inclusion of a contemporary letter in the narrative volume, it is included here. Young Winston Churchill led a varied and dramatic life in his first twenty-two years. From his childhood disputes with his parents and at school, and his struggles as an officer cadet to master the art of military life, to his first visit to New York and his remarkable impressions of that city, to his dangerous journey through war-torn Cuba as an eyewitness to the Spanish Army's attempt to crush the Cuban insurgents, he set down his thoughts in letters that are vivid, well-argued, witty, and full of passion. The intensity of his feelings, the breadth of his opinions, and his tenacity of purpose shine through in these early years, as he gathered the will and determination to confront the world. In the writing of Sir Winston Churchill's official biography, Randolph Churchill—and later Sir Martin Gilbert, who resumed the work following Randolph’s death—had full access to Sir Winston’s letters and papers, and also many hundreds of private archives. The work spans eight volumes, detailing Churchill’s youth and early adventures in South Africa and India, his early career, and his more than fifty years on the world stage. No other statesman of modern times—or indeed of any age—has left such a wealth of personal letters, such a rich store of private and public documentation, and such vivid memories in the minds of those who worked closest to him. Through these materials, assembled over the course of more than twenty years, one is able to know Churchill in a way never before possible. Churchill's personal papers are so extensive that it was only possible to include in the narrative volumes a part of the relevant documents. The volumes titled The Churchill Documents run parallel with the narrative volumes, and with them form a whole. The letters, documents, and correspondence contained within are drawn from the Churchill Papers, now at Churchill College, Cambridge, and from many other archival sources, both private and public.