I don't know what the truth is about Ralph Wigram's death, and would like to know. Wikipedia says:
Wigram's sudden death is somewhat mysterious. Again, sources disagree, on several points. For one, some say he was found dead at home, but a letter from Churchill says he died in Ava's arms.[8] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-GuardianArticle-8>[9] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-Gilbert-9> His death certificate recorded the cause of death as pulmonary <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_lung> haemorrhage <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemorrhage>, but a letter from [British historian] Henry Pelling indicates he committed suicide while deeply depressed.[8] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-GuardianArticle-8>[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-Manchester-7> The fact that his own parents did not attend his funeral is cited as support for this theory (although Churchill and his family did attend, along with a number of others such as Robert Vansittart <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gilbert_Vansittart> and Brendan Bracken <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Bracken>).[8] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-GuardianArticle-8>[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-Manchester-7> Churchill's letters indicate (but only indirectly) that depression and suicide were the cause.[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-Manchester-7> Polio <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polio> has also been put forward as a cause by some sources.[5] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wigram#cite_note-ChurchillCentre-5> Source 8 is Thorpe, Vanessa (22 June 2002). "The man who told Churchill to take on Hitler". The Guardian. This about controversies over not *The Wilderness Years*, but Albert Finney's BBC production *The Gathering Storm*, and cites its scriptwriter (Hugh Whitemore) saying: "Churchill was a natural leader, with no self-doubt, and that was what the nation needed. But Wigram, he was just a normal man and not naturally brave, more like the rest of us. I don't think he could cope. His death certificate says he died of a pulmonary haemorrhage, but if I had to guess I would say it was suicide. His own parents did not attend his funeral." The entire article, which inspires little confidence in the issue of Wigram's death, can be read at http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jun/23/filmnews.film Source 7 is William Manchester's *The Last Lion*, p. 193. I'm away from home and books, but this is apparently the Henry Pelling reference, and perhaps someone can let us know what it says. On Sat, Jul 18, 2015 at 12:49 PM, 'Antoine Capet' via ChurchillChat < churchillchat@googlegroups.com> wrote: > Dear Jonah, > > Many thanks for this most useful indication, of considerable importance. > > Horrible news, in fact - it means that though Sir Martin was the official > historical adviser, the producers did not stick to the facts which he no > doubt gave them. > > I wonder what other people and "events" are "pure fantasy" in this TV > series which I rated highly until you told us what Sir Martin himself > thought of it. > > I naïvely believed that, since Sir Martin had been the official historical > adviser behind the series, everything in it was "true to the facts" ! > > This is the eternal problem associated with liars : when can you trust > them ? In other words, the rivetting episodes about the Manchester cotton > trade association and the India Bill might also be "pure fantasy" . . . > > Why on earth do TV and film producers believe that they have a God-given > right to take liberties with established facts ? > > We all know the despicable meaning of "being creative with the truth" . . > . ! > > Best wishes, > > A.C. > ======== > > From: Jonah Triebwssser > Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2015 7:34 PM > To: churchillchat@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Re: secret informants in 'In Search of > Churchill' > > I had the pleasure of being a guest in Sir Martin's home for tea many > years ago. The conversation turned to "The Wilderness Years. Sir Martin > said that some characters were combined intio one, some events were > compressed in time, and some events were pure fantasy. He was not happy > with that. Regards-Jonah > > > Sent from my Samsung Galaxy. > > -------- Original message -------- > From: 'Antoine Capet' via ChurchillChat > Date:07/18/2015 6:03 AM (GMT-05:00) > To: churchillchat@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Re: secret informants in 'In Search of > Churchill' > > Dear Ms Finnegan, > > Thanks to the excellent index, as usual, I was able to find the relevant > passage almost immediately : it runs from p.131 to p.135. > > Incidentally, reading that passage again, I noticed that Sir Martin > suggests that Ralph Wigram died of polio (bottom of p.133). > But in the excellent TV series, _The Wilderness Years_* (for which I seem > to remember that Sir Martin was historical adviser), > Ralph Wigram is shown as committing suicide. > > Any lights from List Members on this apparent contradiction ? > > Best wishes, > > A.C. > > *Easily available on DVD, and unreservedly recommended > =========== > > From: Pat Finnegan > Sent: Friday, July 17, 2015 10:19 PM > To: churchillchat@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Re: stories in 'In Search of Churchill' > > Hello, Professor Capet-- > > I think there was one story about how Sir Martin tracked down a man who > had secretly given Churchill some reports about what > Hitler and the Nazis were doing during the 1930s--without PM Chamberlain's > knowledge. The man was afraid that he would be > killed--or at least seriously injured--if the truth came out. > > I don't remember if Sir Martin mentioned the man's name, or gave him a > pseudonym. But the gentleman was afraid--even after more > than several decades! > > Now I'll have to re-read 'In Search of Churchill' again! > > (Ms.) Pat Finnegan > > > On Fri, Jul 17, 2015 at 4:01 PM, 'Antoine Capet' via ChurchillChat < > churchillchat@googlegroups.com> wrote: > Dear Ms Finnegan, > > When you write "the stories of how he tracked down so many of Churchill's > colleagues were both very amusing--and something of a > 'spy novel'!" I do not know which is your favourite. > > For my part, I was left speechless when I read how he had "tracked down" > the estate agent (realtor, I think, in American English) > who negotiated the transaction for Chartwell - so many years after the > event ! > > This is definitely my favourite story in the book. > > Best wishes, > > A.C. > ===== > > From: PatFinn1940 > Sent: Friday, July 17, 2015 8:53 PM > To: churchillchat@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Another Image of Churchill > > I have that 'warmer' photo by Karsh on my copy of Sir Martin's one-volume > Churchill biography (it was the first book Sir Martin > sent me, after we began our correspondence in 2006). It's one of my > favorite Churchill photos. I wonder how Karsh got him to > smile for it, after the 'scowling lion' one was taken? > > And you are right about 'In Search of Churchill' being a 'masterpiece'. > It helped a lot with the background of how the young > Martin Gilbert became the 'official' biographer after Randolph Churchill's > death. And the stories of how he tracked down so many > of Churchill's colleagues were both very amusing--and something of a 'spy > novel'! > > (Ms.) Pat Finnegan > > > On Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 4:47:32 PM UTC-4, Antoine Capet wrote: Dear > Terry, > > No harm done in anglicising Adolf - except that the custom among > historians is to anglicise the (first) names of kings, emperors > and popes : perhaps too great an honour for "that man". > > On a more serious note : > > I was struck when recently reading the late Sir Martin's masterpiece, _ In > Search of Churchill_ (by the way, many thanks to the > List Members who wrote it was priority reading - they were absolutely > right) that he said why he had rejected that world-famous > portrait in favour of a warmer one (albeit also by Karsh at the same > session) for the photograph on his dust cover. Was he > influenced by Clementine's opinion (which he no doubt knew) ? - that will > remain forever an interesting question. > > Best, > > A.C. > ================== > > From: Terry Reardon > Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2015 9:57 PM > To: church...@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Another Image of Churchill > > OOPS! > > Before someone comments - of course it should be Adolf. > > Terry Reardon > > From: Terry Reardon > Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2015 3:53 PM > To: church...@googlegroups.com > Subject: [ChurchillChat] Another Image of Churchill > > We clearly know the opinion of Winston and Clementine on the Graham > Sutherland painting, but what was their opinion of the > “Roaring Lion” photograph by Yousuf Karsh? > > While to the best of my knowledge Winston Churchill is not on record as > having given an opinion, we do have his reaction by way of > Clementine. As I said in my book (take every opportunity!) on Churchill > & Mackenzie King, the diary of King of May 6, 1944 > recorded a conversation with Clementine. “She (Clementine) does not like > the Karsh picture, neither does Churchill himself. She > said ‘He really has a more playful expression about his mouth.’” > > Now I wonder if Adolph Hitler ever commented on it! > > Terry Reardon > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to churchillcha...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to church...@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to churchillcha...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to church...@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to > mailto:churchillchat%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to churchillchat@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/churchillchat/tQ0ShlxR62o/unsubscribe. > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to mailto: > churchillchat%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to churchillchat@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > > > -- > > Pat > pfinn2...@gmail.com > > "Keep Calm--And Make Ornaments!" > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to churchillchat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to churchillchat@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to churchillchat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to churchillchat@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > ____________________________________________________________ > Holland America Line > Enter to win the Holland America Line Choose your Cruise Sweepstakes! > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3165/55aa8c53773bcc5321f2mp01vuc > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to churchillchat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to churchillchat@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to churchillchat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to churchillchat@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. 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