THE ECCENTRIC MR CHURCHILL

A small book that’s full of big surprises

Author Jacob F Field Publisher Michael O’mara Books Price £9.99 Released Out now

As a general rule, Winston Churchill is a figure who requires no introduction. However, this highly-readable volume introduces a more personal and intimate portrait of his life than might otherwise be expected. The Eccentric Mr Churchill tells the story of the human behind the wartime leader and national hero. The man who would tap his signet ring against the arm of his chair during Cabinet meetings, wearing away layers of lacquer. The man who travelled to his first love, to tell her in person that her son had died at the Battle of El Alamein.

Further surprising stories and unexpected anecdotes abound. As a rather plump infant, his parents nicknamed him ‘Skinny’. When he served on the Western Front in 1916, he took his own bathtub with

him. He liked the bread for his sandwiches to be sliced wafer-thin. And in 1954 his wife, Clemmie, put him on a diet largely made up of tomatoes. He didn’t like it.

Divided into ten chapters – with titles ranging from ‘Writer and Soldier’ to ‘Winston’s Menagerie’ – the broad scope of this book is clear. Yet the text is presented in what might be best described as bite-sized chunks, with individual subheadings. The formatting is clear, accessible and enjoyable to read.

While this is certainly not intended to be a critical study, The Eccentric Mr

Churchill is an absorbing account of an extraordinary life. It will undoubtedly appeal to those interested in Churchill in particular, or World War II more generally.