Though today he is hailed as one of Britain’s greatest leaders, throughout his career, Winston Churchill was an outsider, accumulating a reputation for bad judgement and untrustworthiness. Only risk-takers and fellow outsiders would back him – but these strong and often feuding personalities proved to be vital to his decision-making in war and peace alike.
Winston’s Bandits provides, for the first time, a detailed account of his greatest friendships, and here author Adrian Phillips takes us behind the scenes of his latest book.
What inspired you to delve into the lesser-known friendships of Winston Churchill for this book?
The story blends Churchill’s distinct personality, his warmth and love of friendship with the way in which this influenced his public life. As a huge historical figure, there’s a danger that he can be looked at in isolation, with the people who worked with him treated as far less important. He came very close to pariah status during the 1930s, so it is revealing to look at the friends who had the courage and foresight to stand by him in those difficult days.
The year between the Munich agreement and the outbreak of war was not, as is often supposed, an interlude devoted to preparing for inevitable conflict; the government was heavily committed to a negotiated settlement with Germany, so Churchill and his allies still had to fight. Inevitably, military commanders appear to stand on the rank immediately below him in terms of contribution to the war effort, but this misses out the human and also the political dimension. Party politics took a backseat during the war, but it did not disappear – especially, as Britain began to look at how the nation would be shaped after the war.
Why have these characters not been written about before?
The friends – Lord Beaverbrook, Frederick Lindemann, Brendan Bracken, Bob Boothby, Randolph Churchill and Duncan Sandys – have been looked at individually but not as a group. Except for Beaverbrook, they barely rate a mention and they have been rather treated as minor curiosities. They did not make up a cohesive group – there were major differences amongst them, so there is no temptingly easy way to apply blanket judgements or analysis. The relationships with Churchill and amongst the group have been rather neglected.
What was the most surprising discovery you made while researching?
Not only did the friends have little in common, but in some cases, they pursued feuds against each other vigorously. There proved to be huge gaps in the traditional account of Churchill’s campaign to improve Britain’s defences from air attack both with an expanded RAF and new technology. Lindemann influenced Churchill’s views hugely before the war and this carried over into how the RAF’s strategy was shaped. Beaverbrook’s mission as Minister of Aircraft Production extended Churchill’s pre-war concerns, and he gave Churchill vital psychological uplift, for which Churchill was willing to forgive him capricious and demanding behaviour.
How did Churchill’s relationships with these ‘bandits’ influence his decision-making?
None of them exercised a dominant influence on him; they were sounding boards and not echo chambers, friends and not courtiers. Churchill trusted Lindemann’s judgement on specific topics, notably on air warfare, and argued furiously with Bracken. He was willing to entrust them with important tasks. He needed them, but he did not rely on them exclusively; he was pragmatic enough to leave room for former opponents and talented individuals.
How would you summarise each of these ‘bandits’ in three words?
Beaverbrook – dynamic, tonic, manipulative
Lindemann – self-assured, argumentative, intellectual
Bracken – affectionate, pragmatic, romantic
Boothby – committed, ambiguous, impulsive
Randolph – talented, flawed, uncontrolled
Sandys – focused, driven, calm
Winston’s Bandits: Churchill and His Maverick Friends by Adrian Phillips is out on 29 August.
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