Art

A fine artwork depicting one of Winston Churchill's forgotten battles - commanding small children to defend his sand fortress against the tide, drawn by one of the defenders, his nephew John Spencer Churchill, who reproduced it in his memoir A Churchill Canvas. John (1909-1992) was Winston's favourite nephew and close to Winston and Clementine throughout their lives. His memoir, published in 1961, details the event shown. On a family holiday in the summer of 1914, himself, his father (Winston's brother Jack), Winston, and four other Churchill children went to Overstrand beach in Norfolk. "Father and Uncle marked out on the smooth sand the ground plan for a fort of colossal dimensions. When finished, it was large enough for each of us to get into a turret and fight the incoming tide. As the waves swirled and creamed round the crumbling walls, my uncle was fortress commander. 'More sand for the outer defenses!' he shouted, flourishing his cigar. 'Stop the moat from flooding! The inner walls are weakening. Hurry!' Our excitement mounted. We shrieked and dug frantically while my uncle, his trouser legs rolled up to the knees, supervised our efforts with benevolent authority. Taking on impossible odds, fighting a battle he could not hope to win, intrigued him. Not until the very last moment, when all was lost and our glorious castle had vanished, were we allowed to abandon our posts and retreat" (A Churchill Canvas, 1961, p. 26). Provenance: the collection of Steve A fine artwork depicting one of Winston Churchill's forgotten battles - commanding small children to defend his sand fortress against the tide, drawn by one of the defenders, his nephew John Spencer Churchill, who reproduced it in his memoir A Churchill Canvas. John (1909-1992) was Winston's favourite nephew and close to Winston and Clementine throughout their lives. His memoir, published in 1961, details the event shown. On a family holiday in the summer of 1914, himself, his father (Winston's brother Jack), Winston, and four other Churchill children went to Overstrand beach in Norfolk. "Father and Uncle marked out on the smooth sand the ground plan for a fort of colossal dimensions. When finished, it was large enough for each of us to get into a turret and fight the incoming tide. As the waves swirled and creamed round the crumbling walls, my uncle was fortress commander. 'More sand for the outer defenses!' he shouted, flourishing his cigar. 'Stop the moat from flooding! The inner walls are weakening. Hurry!' Our excitement mounted. We shrieked and dug frantically while my uncle, his trouser legs rolled up to the knees, supervised our efforts with benevolent authority. Taking on impossible odds, fighting a battle he could not hope to win, intrigued him. Not until the very last moment, when all was lost and our glorious castle had vanished, were we allowed to abandon our posts and retreat" (A Churchill Canvas, 1961, p. 26). Provenance: the collection of Steve Forbes. READ MORE Watercolour, pen and ink drawing (520 x 410 mm), on thin paper. Short closed tear at outer edge with old tape repair, small tape strips on verso at head where formerly mounted, light toning and soiling, still in very good condition given the fragility of the paper.