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David Day's forthcoming book looks at the decisive role that Winston Churchill played in precipitating Britain's involvement in two world wars. It examines the fascination that war had for Churchill and the political, financial and psychological pressures that drove him to seek success and fulfillment either on the battlefield itself, directing the battles from afar or writing about them later.
Forced by the early death of his syphilitic father to be head of an impoverished branch of a noble family, and harbouring feelings of rejection by his parents and doubts about his masculinity, the manic depressive Churchill found acclaim and acceptance, as well as confirmation of his courage and his manhood, on battlefields from the mountain passes of India's North-West Frontier to the beaches of Normandy.
Brought low by the Dardanelles campaign of 1915, and denied the restoration of his reputation by the sudden end of that war, Churchill spent the next twenty years seeking to shape the unpropitious times to suit his political purposes. Far from the moment finding the man in 1940, as most historians have argued, Day shows how the astute Churchill remained master of his destiny throughout the interwar period and in many ways made the moment that finally secured his place in history.
book reviews
- Booklist, 19 July 1998
There are many outstanding naval histories for particular countries, but only a few general works that are comparable to this one...
- Sea Power
...an up-to-date and informative reference... The design of the book is elegant and the layout is user-friendly.
- Sea History
In all, this will be a well-thumbed addition to the library of anyone pursuing naval studies, and a useful reference work for general readers whose reading takes them seaward from time to time
- Lafayette Daily Advertiser, 26 November 1999
An all-you-really-need-to-know summary of the subject... Should enjoy a busy life on the coffee tables of armchair adventurers.
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