Barbara, Thank you so much. Just what I needed. I appreciate your help. Lew
On Sep 2, 3:55 pm, Barbara <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Subject: [ChurchillChat] Churchill & Croquet > > From Churchill and Chartwell by Fedden p. 56: > > Soon the path and the yew hedge take a right-angle turn to reveal a > lawn. This was originally a grass tennis court. Lady Churchill was at > one time a good player, and tennis a feature of Chartwell life. The > court was converted to a croquet lawn after the war. Though Churchill > sometimes took part in a game, swinging his mallet single-handed like > a polo stick, Lady Churchill was the croquet expert and often played > with her family and friends. Among the friends who joined in was > Field-Marshal Montgomery, whose performance has been described as > 'long > on strategy, rather shorter on accurate play'. > > From Simply Churchill by Howells p. 128: > > Sometimes Sir Winston would appear on the scene at the end of a game > and have a little practice on his own. He used to discard his walking > stick, using the croquet mallet as a prop in between shots. He would > line up a ball, steady himself and get it through the hoop first time. > He was never mediocre at anything. Most summer afternoons at Chartwell > he spent watching his wife playing for an hour or so before taking > himself off on a trip to the fishponds. > > From Clementine by Fishman p. 192: > > Clementine is an enthusiastic croquet player, with a keen eye and a > steady hand. Winston does not share her enthusiasm, but summer-time > guests at Chartwell usually find themselves playing a game before > lunch and another after dinner....Though Winston is also good at the > game, he does not approach his wife's class. > > From the Official Biography VIII by Gilbert p.872 > > `The nurse telephoned this morning,` noted Lord Moran on August 9, > `that yesterday, when Sir Winston was playing croquet, he hit the ball > hard, and then, hurrying after it, became very short of breath - he > was cyanosed, she added. But Jock said he was in fine form at night, > hilarious in fact, and kept them up until one o`clock.` > > Hope this helps a little. > Barbara Langworth > > On Sep 2, 4:32 pm, Lew <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Does anyone have any stories, insights or references on Churchill and > > the game of croquet? > > > The Denver Croquet Club has invited our Churchill Centre Affiliate, > > The Rocky Mountain Churchillians, to participate in a gathering & game > > on September 21st. I have been asked to say a few words about > > Churchill and croquet at Chartwell. I have seen the beautiful croquet > > lawn at Chartwell in my visits there and I know Churchill loved games. > > However, I have not been able to come up with any definitive > > information on the subject of Churchill and croquet, such as, did he > > in fact enjoy playing the game; who of note might he have played with > > him at Chartwell, besides, I assume, his family, children and > > grandchildren? > > > I would greatly appreciate any stories or references. > > > Best regards to all, > > > Lew House --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/ChurchillChat?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
