The History Book Club discussion

This is the thread for the buddy read of the book The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Eric Larson.

by Erik Larson

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

by Erik Larson

Synopsis:

On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally--and willing to fight to the end.

In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless." It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it's also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill's prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London.

Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports--some released only recently--Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela's illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill's "Secret Circle," to whom he turns in the hardest moments.

About the Author:



Alternative Biography
To begin with, I was born in Brooklyn. Like half the planet. Birthdate: Jan. 3, 1954. I spent a couple of years in Brooklyn, but have really only one clear recollection—of being bitten by my upstairs friend/neighbor, John H—. I lived briefly in Central Islip and Massapequa, but mostly grew up in Freeport, Long Island, a suburb of New York City, and had three main pursuits: climbing tall trees, riding my bike to the far reaches of the island (typically without my parents’ knowledge), and body-surfing at Jones Beach.

At first I wanted to be a New Yorker cartoonist. For a year or so during my junior-high years I sent my work to the magazine. I seem to recall my cartoons being returned within 24 hours, though surely that can’t be the case. Next I wrote a novel. It was 75 pages long and had a sex scene, even though I had no idea what sex was. I loved it when I got to stay home from school for a cold or some other illness. Yes, once I feigned being ill by putting the thermometer under the hot-water faucet. When I think about it now I’m pretty sure my mother guessed, because a 112-degree F temperature is pretty high. When I did get to stay home from school I read the Dumas brothers and drew things. I drew for hours and hours on end.

I did have a high-school girlfriend, Michelle G—, who in fact shaped my destiny. It was because of her that I went to the University of Pennsylvania. She dumped me two weeks later. This was hard. I recovered. She undumped me. We dated another six months. Then she dumped me again. But I was happy. I studied Russian, learned to drink vodka from a real Russian prince, fought acne by wearing underwear on my head to keep the hair off my face, and graduated summa cum laude.

My first job was in New York as an editorial assistant, meaning gopher, for a publisher in New York. On the way to my interview I stopped in Penn Station to use the men’s room. When I flushed the john, a plume of blue water sprayed out onto my white shirt. I got the job anyway, a pity hire, clearly. But I enjoyed the work. Two editors fought over me, not because I was particuarly talented or good looking, but because they hated each other and had offices with big glass windows that faced each other across a narrow corridor, which only amplified their hatred. I became their pawn. Each would sit me down in front of the big glass window and try to be charming, so that the other saw and suspected that gossip was being traded. This was hard until I caught on. Then it became fun, and again I was happy.

I saw All the President’s Men, and again my life was changed. I went to journalism grad school at Columbia University. On one of my first assignments I was standing under the West Side Highway when a pigeon, or possibly a large goose, crapped down the face of my new London Fog raincoat. I didn’t know it until I began conducting man-on-the-street interviews and one of my subjects kindly pointed out that I stunk like hell and should go look at myself in a fucking mirror.

On graduation day former-mayor John Lindsay was sitting in the row behind my family. At the conclusion of the ceremony, my mother stood up and told him he was the handsomest man she had ever met. This was embarrassing.

My first journalism job was for the Bucks County Courier Times in Levittown, Pa., a great spot to start my career. One day they passed me over for a promotion I dearly wanted and hired a new guy instead.

I immediately shipped my resume to newspapers all over the planet and got hired by the Wall Street Journal. The job changed my life and shaped my future in ways I cannot even begin to describe.

I tried as much as possible to avoid the main mission of the journal, which was to write business news, and concentrated instead on feature stories for Page One.

My favorite: A story on video-dating that caused Bob Woodward to launch an investigation of me. So there WAS something that Nixon and I had in common. I hit it off so well with one of my video women that we ended up dating for about nine months. In the story I called her Emily; after it ran I received maybe 500 letters, including at least one marriage proposal. I also got a call from a female reporter for the Washington Post who told me that Woodward didn’t believe the dating story and its result. This struck me as very funny, given that the Post had only recently won a Pulitzer for a story that had been fabricated from the ground up. However, I arranged a clandestine conversation between the reporter and “Emily.”

I never heard from the Post again, at least not in that capacity. At some point I grew tired of writing journalism. One day the managing editor summoned me to New York, to a breakfast at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center, where I knew he planned to offer me a job as bureau chief in one of the paper’s key bureaus. I told him no.

Soon afterward, I got married—blind date, of all things—and my wife and I moved to Baltimore, where I wrote a couple of unpublished novels, did some respectable free-lance pieces, helped raise some babies, and wrote my first book, The Naked Consumer, about how companies spied on individual consumers. I loved that book. No one else did. This was hard, but I was happy.

One thing led to another and now I’ve got seven books under my belt, with an eighth on the way. I live in Manhattan with my blind-date wife; we have three daughters, all of whom are gainfully employed. I love to cook and play tennis—not simultaneously, though that would be interesting. I drink too much red wine; I like martinis and humor dry; I think Airplane is the finest comedy ever made; and I have a passion for dark, gloomy Scandinavian detective stories. As a friend says, “The Scandinavians really know how to kill people.”

The Realistic One:

Erik Larson is the author of eight books, six of which became New York Times bestsellers.

His latest books, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz and Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, both hit no. 1 on the list soon after launch.

His saga of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, The Devil in the White City, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and won an Edgar Award for fact-crime writing; it lingered on various Times bestseller lists for the better part of a decade.

Hulu plans to adapt the book for a limited TV series, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese as executive producers. Erik’s In the Garden of Beasts, about how America’s first ambassador to Nazi Germany and his daughter experienced the rising terror of Hitler’s rule, has been optioned by Tom Hanks for development as a feature film.

Erik’s first book of narrative nonfiction, Isaac’s Storm, about the giant hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas, in 1900, won the American Meteorology Society’s prestigious Louis J. Battan Author’s Award. The Washington Post called it the “Jaws of hurricane yarns.” Erik is particularly pleased to have won the Chicago Public Library Foundation’s 2016 Carl Sandburg Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Russian history, language and culture; he received a masters in journalism from Columbia University. After a brief stint at the Bucks County Courier Times, Erik became a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, and later a contributing writer for Time Magazine. His magazine stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, and other publications.

He has taught non-fiction writing at San Francisco State, the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, the University of Oregon, and the Chuckanut Writers Conference in Bellingham, Wash., and has spoken to audiences from coast to coast.

A former resident of Seattle, he now lives in Manhattan with his wife, a neonatologist, who is also the author of the nonfiction memoir, Almost Home, which, as Erik puts it, “could make a stone cry.”

They have three daughters in far-flung locations and professions. Their beloved dog Molly resides in an urn on a shelf overlooking Central Park, where they like to think she now spends most of her time.

by Carl Bernstein

by Erik Larson

by Erik Larson

by Erik Larson

by Erik Larson

by Erik Larson

by Erik Larson

Sign up here if you plan to participate. I will be not be sending out an event notification nor a broadcast.

In the future, I will get back to that practice but right now I am concentrating on getting the discussions begun. It takes a lot of time and effort.

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Folks, please let us know if you will be joining in this buddy read. This will be a buddy read begins Monday and you can go at your own pace. Bentley will be leading the discussion. Everyone is welcome. I do not have the book yet to place a table of contents and syllabus.

Kickoff for discussion is Monday - May 25th

You can post here in the meantime.

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All, we do not have to do citations regarding the book or the author being discussed during the book discussion on these discussion threads - nor do we have to cite any personage in the book being discussed while on the discussion threads related to this book.

However if we discuss folks outside the scope of the book or another book is cited which is not the book and author discussed then we do have to do that citation according to our citation rules. That makes it easier to not disrupt the discussion.

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Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Epigraph

A Note to Readers

Map

Bleak Expectations

Part One: The Rising Threat

Chapter 1: The Coroner Departs
Chapter 2: A Night at the Savoy
Chapter 3: London and Washington
Chapter 4: Galvanized
Chapter 5: Moondread
Chapter 6: Göring
Chapter 7: Sufficient Bliss
Chapter 8: The First Bombs
Chapter 9: Mirror Image
Chapter 10: Apparition

Part Two: A Certain Eventuality

Chapter 11: The Mystery of Swan Castle
Chapter 12: The Ghosts of Dull People
Chapter 13: Scarification
Chapter 14: “This Queer and Deadly Game”
Chapter 15: London and Berlin
Chapter 16: The Red Warning
Chapter 17: “Tofrek!”
Chapter 18: Resignation No. 1
Chapter 19: Force H
Chapter 20: Berlin
Chapter 21: Champagne and Garbo
Chapter 22: Have We Sunk So Low?
Chapter 23: What’s in a Name?
Chapter 24: The Tyrant’s Appeal
Chapter 25: The Prof’s Surprise
Chapter 26: White Gloves at Dawn
Chapter 27: Directive No. 17
Chapter 28: “Oh, Moon, Lovely Moon” Part Three: Dread
Chapter 29: Eagle Day
Chapter 30: Perplexity
Chapter 31: Göring
Chapter 32: The Bomber in the Pasture
Chapter 33: Berlin
Chapter 34: Ol’ Man River
Chapter 35: Berlin
Chapter 36: Teatime
Chapter 37: The Lost Bombers
Chapter 38: Berlin
Chapter 39: Ah, Youth!
Chapter 40: Berlin and Washington
Chapter 41: He Is Coming
Chapter 42: Ominous Doings
Chapter 43: Cap Blanc-Nez

Part Four: Blood and Dust

Chapter 44: On a Quiet Blue Day
Chapter 45: Unpredictable Magic
Chapter 46: Sleep
Chapter 47: Terms of Imprisonment
Chapter 48: Berlin
Chapter 49: Fear
Chapter 50: Hess
Chapter 51: Sanctuary
Chapter 52: Berlin
Chapter 53: Target Churchill
Chapter 54: Spendthrift
Chapter 55: Washington and Berlin
Chapter 56: The Frog Speech
Chapter 57: The Ovipositor
Chapter 58: Our Special Source
Chapter 59: A Coventry Farewell
Chapter 60: Distraction
Chapter 61: Special Delivery
Chapter 62: Directive
Chapter 63: That Silly Old Dollar Sign
Chapter 64: A Toad at the Gate
Chapter 44: On a Quiet Blue Day Chapter 45: Unpredictable Magic Chapter 46: Sleep
Chapter 47: Terms of Imprisonment
Chapter 48: Berlin
Chapter 49: Fear
Chapter 50: Hess
Chapter 51: Sanctuary
Chapter 52: Berlin
Chapter 53: Target Churchill
Chapter 54: Spendthrift
Chapter 55: Washington and Berlin
Chapter 56: The Frog Speech
Chapter 57: The Ovipositor
Chapter 58: Our Special Source
Chapter 59: A Coventry Farewell
Chapter 60: Distraction
Chapter 61: Special Delivery
Chapter 62: Directive
Chapter 63: That Silly Old Dollar Sign
Chapter 64: A Toad at the Gate
Chapter 65: Weihnachten
Chapter 66: Rumors
Chapter 67: Christmas
Chapter 68: Egglayer
Chapter 69: Auld Lang Syne

Part Five: The Americans

Chapter 70: Secrets
Chapter 71: The Eleven-thirty Special
Chapter 72: To Scapa Flow
Chapter 73: “Whither Thou Goest”
Chapter 74: Directive No. 23
Chapter 75: The Coming Violence
Chapter 76: London, Washington, and Berlin
Chapter 77: Saturday Night
Chapter 78: The Tall Man with the Smile
Chapter 79: Snakehips
Chapter 80: Bayonet Quadrille
Chapter 81: The Gambler
Chapter 82: A Treat for Clementine
Chapter 83: Men

Part Six: Love amid the Flames

Chapter 84: Grave News
Chapter 85: Scorn
Chapter 86: That Night at the Dorchester
Chapter 87: The White Cliffs
Chapter 88: Berlin
Chapter 89: This Scowling Valley
Chapter 90: Gloom
Chapter 91: Eric
Chapter 92: Le Coeur Dit
Chapter 93: Of Panzers and Pansies
Chapter 94: Le Coeur Encore
Chapter 95: Moonrise

Part Seven: One Year to the Day

Chapter 96: A Beam Named Anton
Chapter 97: Interloper
Chapter 98: The Cruelest Raid
Chapter 99: A Surprise for Hitler
Chapter 100: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Chapter 101: A Weekend at Chequers

Epilogue: As Time Went By

Dedication

Sources and Acknowledgments

Bibliography A Reader’s Guide

Also by Erik Larson

About the Author

Syllabus

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Epigraph

A Note to Readers

Map

Week One - May 25th - May 31st
Bleak Expectations

Part One: The Rising Threat

Chapter 1: The Coroner Departs
Chapter 2: A Night at the Savoy

Week Two - June 1st - June 7th
Chapter 3: London and Washington
Chapter 4: Galvanized
Chapter 5: Moondread

Week Three - June 8th - June 14th
Chapter 6: Göring
Chapter 7: Sufficient Bliss
Chapter 8: The First Bombs

Week Four - June 15th - June 21st
Chapter 9: Mirror Image
Chapter 10: Apparition

Part Two: A Certain Eventuality

Chapter 11: The Mystery of Swan Castle

Week Five - June 22nd - June 28th
Chapter 12: The Ghosts of Dull People
Chapter 13: Scarification
Chapter 14: “This Queer and Deadly Game”

Week Six - June 29th - July 5th
Chapter 15: London and Berlin
Chapter 16: The Red Warning
Chapter 17: “Tofrek!”

Week Seven - July 6th - July 12th
Chapter 18: Resignation No. 1
Chapter 19: Force H
Chapter 20: Berlin

Week Eight - July 13th - July 19th
Chapter 21: Champagne and Garbo
Chapter 22: Have We Sunk So Low?
Chapter 23: What’s in a Name?

Week Nine - July 20th - July 26th
Chapter 24: The Tyrant’s Appeal
Chapter 25: The Prof’s Surprise
Chapter 26: White Gloves at Dawn

Week Ten - July 27th - August 2nd
Chapter 27: Directive No. 17
Chapter 28: “Oh, Moon, Lovely Moon” Part Three: Dread
Chapter 29: Eagle Day

Week Eleven - August 3rd - August 9th
Chapter 30: Perplexity
Chapter 31: Göring
Chapter 32: The Bomber in the Pasture

Week Twelve - August 10th -August 16th
Chapter 33: Berlin
Chapter 34: Ol’ Man River
Chapter 35: Berlin

Week Thirteen - August 17th - August 23rd
Chapter 36: Teatime
Chapter 37: The Lost Bombers
Chapter 38: Berlin

Week Fourteen - August 24th - August 30th
Chapter 39: Ah, Youth!
Chapter 40: Berlin and Washington
Chapter 41: He Is Coming

Week Fifteen- August 31st - September 6th
Chapter 42: Ominous Doings
Chapter 43: Cap Blanc-Nez

Part Four: Blood and Dust

Chapter 44: On a Quiet Blue Day

Week Sixteen - September 7th - September 13th
Chapter 45: Unpredictable Magic
Chapter 46: Sleep
Chapter 47: Terms of Imprisonment

Week Seventeen - September 14th - September 20th
Chapter 48: Berlin
Chapter 49: Fear
Chapter 50: Hess

Week Eighteen - September 21st - September 27th
Chapter 51: Sanctuary
Chapter 52: Berlin
Chapter 53: Target Churchill

Week Nineteen - September 28th - October 4th
Chapter 54: Spendthrift
Chapter 55: Washington and Berlin
Chapter 56: The Frog Speech

Week Twenty - October 5th - October 11th
Chapter 57: The Ovipositor
Chapter 58: Our Special Source
Chapter 59: A Coventry Farewell

Week Twenty-one - October 12th - October 18th
Chapter 60: Distraction
Chapter 61: Special Delivery
Chapter 62: Directive

Week Twenty-two - October 19th - October 25th
Chapter 63: That Silly Old Dollar Sign
Chapter 64: A Toad at the Gate
Chapter 44: On a Quiet Blue Day Chapter 45: Unpredictable Magic

Week Twenty-three - October 26th - November 1st
Chapter 46: Sleep
Chapter 47: Terms of Imprisonment
Chapter 48: Berlin

Week Twenty-four - November 2nd - November 8th
Chapter 49: Fear
Chapter 50: Hess
Chapter 51: Sanctuary

Week Twenty-five - November 9th - November 15th
Chapter 52: Berlin
Chapter 53: Target Churchill
Chapter 54: Spendthrift

Week Twenty-six - November 16th - November 22nd
Chapter 55: Washington and Berlin
Chapter 56: The Frog Speech
Chapter 57: The Ovipositor

Week Twenty-seven - November 23rd - November 29th
Chapter 58: Our Special Source
Chapter 59: A Coventry Farewell
Chapter 60: Distraction

Week Twenty-eight - November 30th - December 6th
Chapter 61: Special Delivery
Chapter 62: Directive
Chapter 63: That Silly Old Dollar Sign

Week Twenty-nine - December 7th - December 13th
Chapter 64: A Toad at the Gate
Chapter 65: Weihnachten
Chapter 66: Rumors

Week Thirty - December 14th - December 20th
Chapter 67: Christmas
Chapter 68: Egglayer
Chapter 69: Auld Lang Syne

Week Thirty-one - December 21st - December 27th
Part Five: The Americans

Chapter 70: Secrets
Chapter 71: The Eleven-thirty Special
Chapter 72: To Scapa Flow

Week Thirty-two - December 28th - January 3rd
Chapter 73: “Whither Thou Goest”
Chapter 74: Directive No. 23
Chapter 75: The Coming Violence

Week Thirty-three - January 4th - January 10th
Chapter 76: London, Washington, and Berlin
Chapter 77: Saturday Night
Chapter 78: The Tall Man with the Smile

Week Thirty-four - January 11th - January 17th
Chapter 79: Snakehips
Chapter 80: Bayonet Quadrille
Chapter 81: The Gambler

Week Thirty-five - January 18th - January 24th
Chapter 82: A Treat for Clementine
Chapter 83: Men

Part Six: Love amid the Flames

Chapter 84: Grave News

Week Thirty-six - January 25th - January 31st
Chapter 85: Scorn
Chapter 86: That Night at the Dorchester
Chapter 87: The White Cliffs

Week Thirty-seven - February 1st - February 7th
Chapter 88: Berlin
Chapter 89: This Scowling Valley
Chapter 90: Gloom

Week Thirty-eight - February 8th - February 14th
Chapter 91: Eric
Chapter 92: Le Coeur Dit
Chapter 93: Of Panzers and Pansies

Week Thirty-nine - February 15th - February 21st
Chapter 94: Le Coeur Encore
Chapter 95: Moonrise

Part Seven: One Year to the Day

Chapter 96: A Beam Named Anton

Week Forty - February 22nd - February 28th
Chapter 97: Interloper
Chapter 98: The Cruelest Raid
Chapter 99: A Surprise for Hitler

Week Forty-one - March 1st - March 7th
Chapter 100: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Chapter 101: A Weekend at Chequers

Epilogue: As Time Went By

Dedication

Sources and Acknowledgments

Bibliography A Reader’s Guide

Also by Erik Larson

About the Author

This is a long one but we will read and discuss three chapters a week which should allow everyone to keep up and yet be also able to read other books as they see fit.

We try to make it easy for everyone to be able to finish any of these books.

Tomorrow I will add the dates, etc. to the syllabus and pagination.
But the first week, we will read up to the end of Chapter Three and we will start on Monday, May 25th.

You can read a hardback, a paperback, read it on Kindle or listen to it on audible, etc. It is up to you and every medium is fine for this discussion.

If you read ahead - you can always use the spoiler html and read at your own pace. We just try to make it doable.

Post and introduce yourself and let us know where you are reading from - city (approximate), state or city, town, village (approximate) and in which country. And tell us what interested you about the book and your reason for wanting to read it. Are you a Churchill enthusiast like I am; or are you someone who wonders what was the hub bub about this man who obviously had some flaws like every human?



My name is Bentley and I am the founder and group leader of the HBC and I want to welcome you to this buddy read.

I promise you that we will get through this book with flying colors. And I am most excited about reading another book about a man that I have greatly admired for a long time.

I have visited the Churchill Museum "many times", I have visited beautiful Chartwell, I have seen the underground bunkers that are on display, and I have with enthusiam visited Blenheim Palace where Churchill was born.



More:
https://www.blenheimpalace.com/visitu...

My impression was always that Churchill had a wicked sense of humor and a sarcastic sharp tongue; but I think England was better off with a man who was very capable, very intelligent and who could manage a most difficult situation on behalf of England that no other shepherd could get the country through.

He certainly was the right man at the right time for England.
Some men are born for a certain time in their life and that time was for Churchill - World War II.

Welcome to the discussion of this book and we hope you will join us.

There is no need to use spoiler html if you are posting regarding the pages that we have assigned for any given week or pages that came before. Only when you go ahead of us do you have to use the spoiler html. You do not need to use citations for this book that we are discussing or for its author. However, if you cite some ancillary book and author - then of course make sure that you cite it appropriately.

We hope you will get to know Churchill better over time with us.

Just post and let us know if you are joining the discussion and post an hello. It is never too late to sign up to read the book. We are always here and the threads are open all of the time.

Reviews:

“An enthralling page-turner.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“Through the remarkably skillful use of intimate diaries as well as public documents, some newly released, Larson has transformed the well-known record of 12 turbulent months, stretching from May of 1940 through May of 1941, into a book that is fresh, fast and deeply moving.”—Candice Millard, The New York Times Book Review

“Fascinating . . . The entire book comes at the reader with breakneck speed. So much happened so quickly in those 12 months, yet Larson deftly weaves all the strands of his tale into a coherent and compelling whole.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“I have an early copy of this book on my desk and idly began reading the first pages—and suddenly time disappeared.”—The Seattle Times

“The popular historian Erik Larson has done it again. As I read this book, I kept wondering what the swelling of powerful emotion was that I felt, sometimes in an almost physical sense.”—Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, in Air Mail

“Still, it is a time of sadness, fear, grief and uncertainty for so many, and I find myself comforted by reading about other supremely challenging times in human history, and about resilience, and hope. For this, there is no better book right now than The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson.”—Mackenzie Dawson, New York Post

“Nonfiction king Erik Larson is back.”—PopSugar

“Spectacular . . . Larson, as America’s most compelling popular historian, is at his best in this fast-moving, immensely readable, and even warmhearted account of the battle to save Britain.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“William Shakespeare once wrote, ‘There is a history in all men’s lives.’ Certainly, this has been lived out in the remarkable writing career of Erik Larson. His dynamic ability to tell tales from deep within the dusty pages of history in a gripping and cinematic way has earned him wide acclaim. What sets his work apart is his signature way of using painstaking research through personal journals and historical records to spin a gripping nonfiction tale through the ordinary lives of the men and women who succeeded, failed, and perished as a result.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The Splendid and the Vile delivers the great saga with a novelist’s touch. It’s like you’re watching and hearing the days and nights of 1940 as a passenger on a double-decker London bus.”—Chris Matthews, Churchill Bulletin

“A propulsive, character-driven account of Winston Churchill’s first year as British prime minister . . . Readers will rejoice.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Larson’s skill at integrating vast research and talent for capturing compelling human dramas culminate in an inspirational portrait of one of history’s finest, most fearless leaders.”—Booklist (starred review)

All, we post a syllabus for the buddy reads that is a suggested schedule so that one can keep up and we have time to read the book as well.

As long as you are reading along and posting along with us, spoiler html is not needed.

However, if you want to read faster - then you could post on the Glossary Spoiler thread for this book - here is the link (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) or if you want to post on "this thread" - the discussion thread - just use the spoiler html. Either way if fine.

We just try to avoid spoilers for the readers and for a single thread discussion - this seems to work best.

Some beginning Reading Guide questions to think about as you are reading:

1. The book’s title comes from a line in John Colville’s diary about the peculiar beauty of watching bombs fall over his home city: “Never was there such a contrast of natural splendor and human vileness.”

a) How do you think a tragedy like this could be considered beautiful?

b) Why do you think Larson chose this title?

2. The Splendid and the Vile covers Winston Churchill’s first year in office.

a) What are the benefits of focusing on this truncated time period?

by John Colville (no photo)

I am Marc Towersap, been a while since I did these buddy reads...
anyhoo, I am reading from Golden Colorado, USA. I love Erik Larson's books, so this is why I'm here!

Great Marc - glad you are here from Golden, Colorado.

We kick off Monday - and the assignment is the first three chapters but you have been on the reads before so you know the drill. Glad you are back.

Welcome.

Marc wrote: "I am Marc Towersap, been a while since I did these buddy reads...
anyhoo, I am reading from Golden Colorado, USA. I love Erik Larson's books, so this is why I'm here!"

Bentley wrote: "Great Marc - glad you are here from Golden, Colorado.

We kick off Monday - and the assignment is the first three chapters but you have been on the reads before so you know the drill. Glad you are..."

Bentley wrote: "Sign up here if you plan to participate. I will be not be sending out an event notification nor a broadcast.

In the future, I will get back to that practice but right now I am concentrating on ge..."

Hi, I am Mary Thomis from Rhode Island, and I look forward to learning more about Winston Churchill!

Mary, welcome - could you give us the approximate location in Rhode Island (nothing but approximate) - for example are you closer to Pawtucket or Newport or Providence, etc. It is always interesting for us to know where folks are from. We love to think of everyone from around the globe or in the states all reading the same book at the same time.

This will be a very interesting book because it is focusing on a specific 12 turbulent months of Churchill's life, stretching from May of 1940 through May of 1941.

Larson knows how to tell a story and we are bound to learn a lot from this book about that very specific period.

Glad to have you with us.

A wonderful Memorial Day Weekend to all group members

Folks, we kick off Monday on this wonderful book. For Week One read up to the end of Chapter Three. We will make this book doable for all of you to complete.

Sign up here and introduce yourself - tell us where you are reading from (city, state (approximate for privacy of course) and/or for our many global members let us know what country and approximate - city, town, village and country. Tell us why this particular book interested you.

And anything else that you would like to share.

The moderators and Bentley will be enjoying and honoring this Memorial Day weekend just like everyone else; so please be patient.

And remember to honor those who lives were lost across the globe in places where they went to fight to protect us, our homes and our fiercely fought for liberties.

This weekend is about honoring them who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Bentley wrote: "Folks, please let us know if you will be joining in this buddy read. This will be a buddy read begins Monday and you can go at your own pace. Bentley will be leading the discussion. Everyone is wel..."

Hi Bentley and all

This is Vince - I am in - already started the book - it is great - I will avoid spoilers.

I am living in New York City generally but sequestered in Connecticut during this Corona crisis. Considering what I have read about the 1918 flu I think it may well be September or October before we decide to return to the city.

Looking at the syllabus that Bentley put up and seeing how fast and easy the book reads (and grabs my attention) I will have to make notes and then save them for the appropriate date to put into the stream

Thanks

Terrific Vince - we start tomorrow - glad to have you with us.

It is a long one but I like the subject matter so this should be fun.

Sorry about your being sequestered - I am myself. These are tough times and I wonder at those who are not taking this seriously when already in 2 and 1/2 months over 100,000 Americans have died. Never mind the tens of thousands citizens from all over the world. My heart goes out to all of them and their families.

Here is an interesting source used by Larson:

On This Day: Occupation of the Savoy, 14th September 1940
SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 / HANNAH AWCOCK

When we think of London during the Second World War, we think of the Blitz. When we think of the Blitz, we think of the Blitz spirit epitomising the British stiff upper lip.

There is a collective imaginary of Londoners banding stoically together, facing down the Nazis with a grim smile, a cup of tea, and maybe a sing song. But London was not always united in the face of the enemy.

The occupation of the Savoy Hotel on the night of the 14th September 1940, the 8th night of the Blitz, was a manifestation of some of these divisions.


Londoners sheltering in Elephant and Castle Underground station during an air raid. At first, the government were reluctant to let people shelter in the underground (Source: IWM)

Remainder of article:
https://turbulentlondon.com/2017/09/1...

Source: On this Day

More:
Sweet, Matthew. “When Max Levitas Stormed the Savoy.” Spitalfields Life. Last modified 3 November, 2011. Accessed 23 August, 2017.
Link: https://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/11/...

by John Rees (no photo)

by Phil Piratin (no photo)

by Matthew Sweet (no photo)

Another interesting source provided by Larson:

The Animals in the Zoo Don't Mind the Raids

Link: https://www.thewarillustrated.info/63...

This is not as good a map as the one in the book but we cannot get that to carry over:

And so we begin Bleak Expectations

"NO ONE HAD ANY DOUBT that the bombers would come. Defense planning began well before the war, though the planners had no specific threat in mind. Europe was Europe. If past experience was any sort of guide, a war could break out anywhere, anytime. Britain’s military leaders saw the world through the lens of the empire’s experience in the previous war, the Great War, with its mass slaughter of soldiers and civilians alike and the first systematic air raids of history, conducted over England and Scotland using bombs dropped from German zeppelins. The first of these occurred on the night of January 19, 1915, and was followed by more than fifty others, during which giant dirigibles drifting quietly over the English landscape dropped 162 tons of bombs that killed 557 people."

Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 3). Crown. Kindle Edition.



Link to story on the zeppelins:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...

Discussion Thoughts and Questions: (what do you think?)

1. A question that I had was why England was unable at that point in time to stop these first systemic air raids conducted over England and Scotland using bombs dropped from German zeppelins?

And I discovered this answer: After the initial strike on London in May 1915, zeppelins continued to hit the city with impunity, timing raids to coincide with good weather and moonless nights. Not wanting to foment panic, British civil authorities gave few air raid warnings beyond policemen on bicycles blowing whistles and shouting for people to “take cover.” Technology also limited what Britain could do to stop the zeppelins early in the war because its airplanes were unable to soar as high as the lighter-than-air craft and machine gun fire had no effect. Londoners huddled in basements and descended deep underground in the city’s Tube stations to escape the terror from the skies.

Link to article: https://www.history.com/news/londons-...

2. It is hard to believe that anti aircraft defenses were not employed around London at this time. What were your thoughts while reading "Bleak Expectations?"

3. Did you find it odd and savage that the Germans were aiming directly to inflict harm to civilian populations and innocent children? In the article that we cited - this was a direct quote:
"With the targeting of civilian populations from the air, modern warfare had arrived. “Nowadays there is no such animal as a non-combatant,” justified German zeppelin corps commander Peter Strasser, “modern warfare is total warfare.

4. What is considered modern warfare today and how are civilian populations supposed to be off limits? Have things changed since World War I?

5. What are your initial impressions of the book so far?

Folks, we are open to discuss this wonderful book. For Week One read up to the end of Chapter Two. We will make this book doable for all of you to complete.

Sign up here and introduce yourself - tell us where you are reading from (city, state (approximate for privacy of course) and/or for our many global members let us know what country and approximate - city, town, village and country. Tell us why this particular book interested you.

And anything else that you would like to share.

Note: This week we will be reading up through the end of page 17 which will be to the end of Chapter Two.

Week One - pages - 3 though 17 - May 25th - May 31st

Bleak Expectations - we have begun discussion

Part One: The Rising Threat

Chapter 1: The Coroner Departs
Chapter 2: A Night at the Savoy

If you go ahead of our weekly assignments - then you must use html to avoid spoilers for those of us who are reading this book according to the weekly assigned pages.

Remember no discussion on this thread beyond the end of Chapter Two this week unless you use the html spoiler (refer to messages 8, 9 and 10 for directions).

You can also post on the glossary thread which is a spoiler thread as well - but on this thread - which is a non spoiler thread you cannot move ahead of the weekly assigned pages without using spoiler html.

This is how it would look:

Chapter Three

(view spoiler)[I read ahead and this is what I have to say about those pages that I read ahead of the assignment - I am placing what I have to say within spoiler html - otherwise I have to post on a spoiler thread so as not to ruin it for people reading behind me. Using spoiler html is easy - it is just like bolding but instead of using a b - you use the word spoiler in its place (hide spoiler)]

So this week - you can post anything about Bleak Expectations or Chapters One and Two "without using spoiler html".

If you go ahead - you MUST use spoiler html on a single thread buddy read discussion thread or you can post on the glossary thread. These are the directions for the buddy reads to make it pleasant for those members who come after you.

We begin.

Good night!

I was thinking how absolutely terrifying every clear and beautiful night (weather wise) was for poor London during this World War I period being described in Bleak Expectations.

Can you imagine for a moment - these dirigibles hovering over a town or city where you live and you and your family and entire community being in absolute peril and in danger of bombs destroying your home, your community, your family and children?

How did these poor people in England live through such an ordeal? And to think as children in the states how all of us always wanted to get a glimpse of the Goodyear Blimp which was so silent in the skies.

And these dirigibles (zeppelins) had a clear view too. Here is the view of a zeppelins (dirigible) view of the Vatican.


A Zeppelin's eye view of the Vatican in Rome, 1929, from the collection

More:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...

Zeppelins - Majestic and Deadly Airships of WW1 I THE GREAT WAR Special
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlQgp...

And of course the old Goodyear Blimp


Does anyone else ever remember seeing the Goodyear Blimp (also a zeppelin)? Of course, we were always so eager to catch a glimpse and watch it hover for hours - yet in London with those zeppelins (much larger and imposing) - the experience was not pleasant but horrifying.

Sources: Youtube, Wikipedia, Daily Mail

I would like to go back to the Author's Note which I just finished listening to and reading along as Eric Larson spoke.

"Mine is a more intimate account that delves into how Churchill and his circle went about surviving on a daily basis: the dark moments and the light, the romantic entanglements and debacles, the sorrows and laughter, and the odd little episodes that reveal how life was really lived under Hitler’s tempest of steel. This was the year in which Churchill became Churchill, the cigar-smoking bulldog we all think we know, when he made his greatest speeches and showed the world what courage and leadership looked like."

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. xi). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Thought and Question (what do you think?)

1. What are your thoughts as you begin reading this book knowing that the book will focus on a finite year in Chuchill's life? Larson recommends that those who would like to know every detail should focus on Martin Gilbert's work. How many of you have also read Gilbert's work as you begin to read Larson's book?

by Martin Gilbert

Another quote in the Author's Note which strikes a chord with New Yorkers is the following:


9/11


Children sitting outside the bomb-damaged remains of their home in the suburbs of London, 1940. New Times Paris Bureau Collection/USIA/NARA

"IT WAS ONLY WHEN I moved to Manhattan a few years ago that I came to understand, with sudden clarity, how different the experience of September 11, 2001, had been for New Yorkers than for those of us who watched the nightmare unfold at a distance.

This was their home city under attack. Almost immediately I started thinking about London and the German aerial assault of 1940–41, and wondered how on earth anyone could have endured it: fifty-seven consecutive nights of bombing, followed by an intensifying series of nighttime raids over the next six months.

In particular I thought about Winston Churchill: How did he withstand it? And his family and friends? What was it like for him to have his city bombed for nights on end and to know full well that these air raids, however horrific, were likely only a preamble to far worse, a German invasion from the sea and sky, with parachutists dropping into his garden, panzer tanks clanking through Trafalgar Square, and poison gas wafting over the beach where once he painted the sea? I decided to find out, and quickly came to realize that it is one thing to say “Carry on,” quite another to do it. I focused on Churchill’s first year as prime minister, May 10, 1940, to May 10, 1941, which coincided with the German air campaign as it evolved from sporadic, seemingly aimless raids to a full-on assault against the city of London. The year ended on a weekend of Vonnegutian violence, when the quotidian and the fantastic converged to mark what proved to be the first great victory of the war."

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. xi). Crown. Kindle Edition.

What are your thoughts on the above?

More:
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-...

Epigraph


Neville Chamberlain

It is not given to human beings—happily for them, for otherwise life would be intolerable—to foresee or to predict to any large extent the unfolding course of events. —WINSTON CHURCHILL, EULOGY FOR NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN, NOVEMBER 12, 1940

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. ix). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Thought and Question: (what do you think?)

1. Of what importance was the use of this quote by Larson and why is it so poignant?

More:
Did Neville Chamberlain do the right thing?
https://youtu.be/fmyecSXOla8
Neville Chamberlain - Speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in Guildhall, London - 9 November 1938
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NohC...
Hitler and Chamberlain The Munich Crisis 1938
https://youtu.be/h_mNoNOSIB4
Neville Chamberlain and the Politics of Appeasement
https://youtu.be/_yEpBKpK2Yw
Neville Chamberlain's Funeral - newscast
https://youtu.be/_MU2GHILeHQ
Neville Chamberlain – Resignation Speech (Full version) – 10 May 1940
https://youtu.be/h7hiMKu9JCE

Today's progress:

Sign up here and introduce yourself - tell us where you are reading from (city, state (approximate for privacy of course) and/or for our many global members let us know what country and approximate - city, town, village and country. Tell us why this particular book interested you.

And anything else that you would like to share.

Note: This week we will be reading up through the end of page 17 which will be to the end of Chapter Two.

Week One - pages - 3 though 17 - May 25th - May 31st

Contents - done
Cover - done
Title Page - done
Copyright - done
Epigraph - done
A Note to Readers - we have completed the Author's Note today - done
Map - we have included another map previously - done

Bleak Expectations - we have begun discussion

Part One: The Rising Threat

Chapter 1: The Coroner Departs
Chapter 2: A Night at the Savoy

If you go ahead of our weekly assignments - then you must use html to avoid spoilers for those of us who are reading this book according to the weekly assigned pages.

Remember no discussion on this thread beyond the end of Chapter Two this week unless you use the html spoiler (refer to messages 8, 9 and 10 for directions).

You can also post on the glossary thread which is a spoiler thread as well - but on this thread - which is a non spoiler thread you cannot move ahead of the weekly assigned pages without using spoiler html.

This is how it would look:

Chapter Three

(view spoiler)[I read ahead and this is what I have to say about those pages - I am placing what I have to say within spoiler html - otherwise I have to post on a spoiler thread so as not to ruin it for people reading behind me. Using spoiler html is easy - it is just like bolding but instead of using a b - you use the word spoiler in its place (hide spoiler)]

So this week - you can post anything about the Author's Note, Epigraph, Bleak Expectations or Chapters One and Two "without using spoiler html".

If you go ahead - you MUST use spoiler html on a single thread buddy read discussion thread or you can post on the glossary thread. These are the directions for the buddy reads to make it pleasant for those members who come after you.

We have begun and we welcome all to the discussion

Good night!

Neville Chamberlain - Eulogy delivered by Winston Churchill
November 12, 1940.

House of Commons
Since we last met, the House has suffered a very grievous loss in the death of one of its most distinguished Members, and of a statesman and public servant who, during the best part of three memorable years, was first Minister of the Crown.

The fierce and bitter controversies which hung around him in recent times were hushed by the news of his illness and are silenced by his death. In paying a tribute of respect and of regard to an eminent man who has been taken from us, no one is obliged to alter the opinions which he has formed or expressed upon issues which have become a part of history; but at the Lychgate we may all pass our own conduct and our own judgments under a searching review. It is not given to human beings, happily for them, for otherwise life would be intolerable, to foresee or to predict to any large extent the unfolding course of events. In one phase men seem to have been right, in another they seem to have been wrong. Then again, a few years later, when the perspective of time has lengthened, all stands in a different setting. There is a new proportion. There is another scale of values. History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. What is the worth of all this? The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honour.

It fell to Neville Chamberlain in one of the supreme crises of the world to be contradicted by events, to be disappointed in his hopes, and to be deceived and cheated by a wicked man. But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that was abused? They were surely among the most noble and benevolent instincts of the human heart-the love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace, even at great peril, and certainly to the utter disdain of popularity or clamour. Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned.

But it is also a help to our country and to our whole Empire, and to our decent faithful way of living that, however long the struggle may last, or however dark may be the clouds which overhang our path, no future generation of English-speaking folks-for that is the tribunal to which we appeal-will doubt that, even at a great cost to ourselves in technical preparation, we were guiltless of the bloodshed, terror and misery which have engulfed so many lands and peoples, and yet seek new victims still. Herr Hitler protests with frantic words and gestures that he has only desired peace. What do these ravings and outpourings count before the silence of Neville Chamberlain’s tomb? Long, hard, and hazardous years lie before us, but at least we entered upon them united and with clean hearts.

I do not propose to give an appreciation of Neville Chamberlain’s life and character, but there were certain qualities always admired in these Islands which he possessed in an altogether exceptional degree. He had a physical and moral toughness of fibre which enabled him all through his varied career to endure misfortune and disappointment without being unduly discouraged or wearied. He had a precision of mind and an aptitude for business which raised him far above the ordinary levels of our generation. He had a firmness of spirit which was not often elated by success, seldom downcast by failure, and never swayed by panic. when, contrary to all his hopes, beliefs and exertions, the war came upon him, and when, as he himself said, all that he had worked for was shattered, there was no man more resolved to pursue the unsought quarrel to the death. The same qualities which made him one of the last to enter the war, made him one of the last who would quit it before the full victory of a righteous cause was won.

I had the singular experience of passing in a day from being one of his most prominent opponents and critics to being one of his principal lieutenants, and on another day of passing from serving under him to become the head of a Government of which, with perfect loyalty, he was content to be a member. Such relationships are unusual in our public life. I have before told the House how on the morrow of the Debate which in the early days of May challenged his position, he declared to me and a few other friends that only a National Government could face the storm about to break upon us, and that if he were an obstacle to the formation of such a Government, he would instantly retire. Thereafter, he acted with that singleness of purpose and simplicity of conduct which at all times, and especially in great times, ought to be the ideal of us all.

When he returned to duty a few weeks after a most severe operation, the bombardment of London and of the seat of Government had begun. I was a witness during that fortnight of his fortitude under the most grievous and painful bodily afflictions, and I can testify that, although physically only the wreck of a man, his nerve was unshaken and his remarkable mental faculties unimpaired.

After he left the Government he refused all honours. He would die like his father, plain Mr. Chamberlain. I sought permission of the King, however, to have him supplied with the Cabinet papers, and until a few days of his death he followed our affairs with keenness, interest and tenacity. He met the approach of death with a steady eye. If he grieved at all, it was that he could not be a spectator of our victory; but I think he died with the comfort of knowing that his country had, at least, turned the corner.

At this time our thoughts must pass to the gracious and charming lady who shared his days of triumph and adversity with a courage and quality the equal of his own. He was, like his father and his brother Austen before him, a famous Member of the House of Commons, and we here assembled this morning, Members of all parties, without a single exception, feel that we do ourselves and our country honour in saluting the memory of one whom Disraeli would have called an “English worthy.”

Tomorrow we continue on with Bleak Expectations which we have already begun discussion on.

Just jump in and introduce yourself and then just post.
As long as you are with us on the assignments - no spoiler html necessary. If you go ahead - just use the spoiler html - (see 8, 9, 10 and 35 for extra help)

Bleak Expectations continued:

"On November 10, 1932, Stanley Baldwin, then deputy prime minister, gave the House of Commons a forecast of what was to come: “I think it is well for the man in the street to realize that there is no power on earth that can protect him from being bombed. Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through.” The only effective defense lay in offense, he said, “which means that you have to kill more women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves.”

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 3). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Thoughts and Questions: (what did you think?)

1. Did anyone else find this even more than slightly offensive and shocking? I kept reading it over and over again thinking I must surely have misread this quote.

2. What were the most shocking revelations and preparations that the government was making for the bombings and for what else might befall poor Britain at the hands of the Nazis?

Portrait of Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947) - in 1920 - from the George Grantham Bain collection at the Library of Congress



Stanley Baldwin

Stanley Baldwin, the only child of the industrialist, Alfred Baldwin and Louisa MacDonald Baldwin, was born in Bewdley on 3rd August 1867.

His father was a prosperous ironmaster and the sole proprietor of the sheet-metal firm of E.P. & W. Baldwin. He was also chairman of the Great Western Railway.

Baldwin's mother came from an artistic background. Her sister, Agnes MacDonald, married the painter Sir Edward John Poynter. Another sister, Georgiana MacDonald, married the painter Edward Coley Burne-Jones. A third sister, Alice MacDonald married the art teacher, John Lockwood Kipling and were the parents of the writer Rudyard Kipling.

Baldwin was proud of his Quaker background: "I owe my Quaker strain to the earliest days of the Quakers. One of my ancestors went out in the reign of William III as a missionary to the American colonies. He devoted half a century to missionary life there and in the West Indies, where ultimately he died, leaving a name that was perhaps the most prominent and best known of the Quaker missionaries in those colonies.

Now, that Quaker blood is peculiarly persistent, and I attribute to that a certain obstinacy I find existing in otherwise one of the most placable dispositions of any man I ever met. I find sometimes that when I conceive a matter to be a matter of principle I would rather go to the stake than give way."

In May 1878 Baldwin went to Hawtrey's Preparatory School at Slough, where he was active in sports and won eighteen prizes, coming top of the school. In 1881 he became a pupil of Harrow School.

During his first four years won form prizes for history and mathematics, and competed in football, cricket, and squash.

In June 1883 his father was summoned by a telegram from the headmaster, Dr Montagu Butler, owing to an item of juvenile pornography which Stanley had written and sent to his cousin Ambrose Poynter at Eton. Alfred Baldwin told his wife that the affair was "much exaggerated and far more folly than anything else" but the incident had a long-term impact on his studies and in the sixth form his work deteriorated as he assumed an attitude of detachment and laziness.

In the autumn of 1885 he went up to Trinity College where he read for the historical tripos. It was claimed that at university he was "shy, diffident, and bad at coping with emergencies".

Baldwin's son and biographer, Arthur Windham Baldwin, the author of My Father: The True Story (1955) believes that it was his time at university "which produced the curious nervous symptoms, twitching of the face and snapping of the fingers, that became such noticeable features of his father behaviour in later life."

Baldwin came under the influence of William Cunningham, the chaplain of his college and a lecturer in economics. He provided theoretical support for the conviction that the interests of workers and employers were, over time, identical. Philip Williamson, the author of Stanley Baldwin (1999) has argued that Cunningham taught him that "an economic, moral and Christian Conservatism as the positive and truly national alternative to both Liberalism and socialism." Cunningham also introduced Baldwin to the ideas of Arnold Toynbee, the founder of the settlement Toynbee Hall, where he worked during his vacations.

According to Roy Jenkins: "Baldwin read history and achieved a steady deterioration in each year's performance. He got a First at the end of his first year, a Second at the end of his second, and a Third at the end of his third. But more surprising than his lack of academic prowess was his failure to make any sort of impact. He made few friends; he joined few clubs or societies, and after being elected to the college debating society was asked to resign because he never spoke."

When he graduated from Cambridge University with a third class degree his father said: "I hope you won't have a Third in life."

Remainder of article:
https://spartacus-educational.com/PRb...

Source: Spartacus Educational, Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, British Pathe, 10 Downing Street

More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_...
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic...
Video: Stanley Baldwin - What it means to be British - 1937 - Stanley Baldwin's last speech as Conservative party Prime Minister - Link: https://youtu.be/WVaDn0pS34Q
Video - Mr Stanley Baldwin (1923) - Item title reads - Mr Stanley Baldwin succeeds Mr Bonar Law as Prime Minister. London.
Link: https://youtu.be/4lzwMuEPuO4
Video - David Cameron's Favourite Past Prime Minister (it is not Baldwin but Churchill) - Link: https://youtu.be/esU7kPQLEck
Video - Duke of Gloucester unveils Stanley Baldwin statue in Bewdley - Link: https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/...
by A.W. Baldwin (no photo)
by Philip Williamson (no photo)
by Anne Perkins (no photo)
by Roy Jenkins
by Roy Jenkins

Britain declares war against Germany, on September 3, 1939





"When Britain declared war against Germany, on September 3, 1939, in response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, the government prepared in earnest for the bombing and invasion that was sure to follow. The code name for signaling that invasion was imminent or underway was “Cromwell.” The Ministry of Information issued a special flyer, Beating the Invader, which went out to millions of homes.

It was not calculated to reassure. “Where the enemy lands,” it warned, “…there will be most violent fighting.” It instructed readers to heed any government advisory to evacuate. “When the attack begins, it will be too late to go….STAND FIRM.” Church belfries went silent throughout Britain. Their bells were now the designated alarm, to be rung only when “Cromwell” was invoked and the invaders were on their way. If you heard bells, it meant that parachute troops had been sighted nearby."

Sources: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 4). Crown. Kindle Edition. 4theRecord, history.com, BBC News, Polish Embassy - UK, British Newspaper Archives



Discussion Topics and Questions: (what do you think?)

1. Did anyone else wonder what took England so long to enter World War II? And why was Hitler's invasion of Poland the last straw? Does anyone know why the codename for a potential invasion was "Cromwell"?
2. Has anyone seen the movie - "The King's Speech?

The movie was based on the true events leading up to King George VI delivering his speech to the nation on September 3, 1939.

The movie starred Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue, and was directed by Tom Hooper. It won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor (for Firth).
Colin Firth was the third choice to play King George VI after both Paul Bettany and Hugh Grant turned down the role. “It was a blessing, really, because once I started talking to Colin Firth and getting to know him, the rightness of him playing the part was so profound,” Hooper said later.

In 1939, a photo (above) was released of King George apparently giving his address in full naval uniform from his desk in Buckingham Palace. In reality, as shown in the film, he gave the speech standing at a lectern in an anteroom, with his jacket off – and only Lionel Logue was allowed in the room with him.

More:
https://home.bt.com/news/on-this-day/...
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...
https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive....

An interesting quote from history.com:
The first casualty of that declaration was not German—but the British ocean liner Athenia, which was sunk by a German U-30 submarine that had assumed the liner was armed and belligerent. There were more than 1,100 passengers on board, 112 of whom lost their lives. Of those, 28 were Americans, but President Roosevelt was unfazed by the tragedy, declaring that no one was to “thoughtlessly or falsely talk of America sending its armies to European fields.” The United States would remain neutral.

Video/audio: - BBC News - Britain Declares War on Germany - September 3, 1939 (delivered by Neville Chamberlain) followed by government orders - Link: https://youtu.be/9ir7VOroG64 (Extremely Interesting)

Video: Roger Moorhouse: Declaration of war on Germany by Great Britain and France - On 3 September 1939, Great Britain and France, following their treaty obligations, declared war on Germany after its invasion of Poland, but they took no large-scale military action. Link: https://youtu.be/-06aRpZnY_Q

Video/audio: The Real King's Speech - King George VI - September 3, 1939 - Link: https://youtu.be/opkMyKGx7TQ

We complete the moderator's discussion of Bleak Expectations with the following three quotes:

Quote One
Suddenly everyone began paying attention to the phases of the moon. Bombers could attack by day, of course, but it was thought that after dark they would be able to find their targets only by moonlight. The full moon and its waxing and waning gibbous phases became known as the “bomber’s moon.”

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 5). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Quote Two
There was comfort in the fact that bombers and, more importantly, their fighter escorts would have to fly all the way from their bases in Germany, a distance so great as to sharply limit their reach and lethality. But this presumed that France, with its mighty army and Maginot Line and powerful navy, would stand firm and thereby hem in the Luftwaffe and block all German paths to invasion. French endurance was the cornerstone of British defensive strategy. That France might fall was beyond imagining.

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 5). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Quote Three
CONFLUENCE OF UNANTICIPATED forces and circumstances finally did bring the bombers to London, foremost among them a singular event that occurred just before dusk on May 10, 1940, one of the loveliest evenings in one of the finest springs anyone could recall.

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 5). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Today's progress: - We have completed through the end of Bleak Expectations and will begin Chapter One tomorrow.

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Note: This week we will be reading up through the end of page 17 which will be to the end of Chapter Two.

Week One - pages - 3 though 17 - May 25th - May 31st

Contents - done
Cover - done
Title Page - done
Copyright - done
Epigraph - done
A Note to Readers - we have completed the Author's Note today - done
Map - we have included another map previously - done

Bleak Expectations - complete

Part One: The Rising Threat - initiating tomorrow

Chapter 1: The Coroner Departs
Chapter 2: A Night at the Savoy

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Good night!

I totally forgot about the king's speech! it was playing earlier on cable here in the US, but since I saw it way back when it came out, I didn't watch it. I do see it's on netflix, I'll watch it there! thanks for the reminder

You are most welcome Marc - I hope you enjoy it again - It was a great movie and I added the original audio of the actual king's speech above.

And so we begin - Chapter One:

1940
Part One - The Rising Threat - May - June

Chapter One - The Coroner Departs

THE CARS SPED ALONG THE Mall, the broad boulevard that runs between Whitehall, seat of Britain’s government ministries, and Buckingham Palace, the 775-room home of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, its stone facade visible now at the far end of the roadway, dark with shadow. It was early evening, Friday, May 10. Everywhere bluebells and primroses bloomed. Delicate spring leaves misted the tops of trees. The pelicans in St. James’s Park basked in the warmth and the adoration of visitors, as their less exotic cousins, the swans, drifted with their usual stern lack of interest. The beauty of the day made a shocking contrast to all that had happened since dawn, when German forces stormed into Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, using armor, dive-bombers, and parachute troops with overwhelming effect.

Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 11). Crown. Kindle Edition.

earlier you mentioned why GB didn't have a good air defense system against zeppelins. (Bleak expectations). My guess (and it's a guess) that the technology didn't quite exist. Machine gun simply lacked the range. cannon-type weapons had to not only have the proper amount of gunpower to get a projectile that high, but also to explode at the proper height to do more than puncture a hole. You'd have to be able to guestimate the height of the zeppelin to set the fuse right so it would explode at about that height. and also judge the velocity of the zeppelin to aim the artillery such that it would get close enough to the zeppelin, and hope the wind speeds aren't bad enough to push the projectile off course. I'm just thinking aloud at the difficulty using the technology of that time (no computers, no guided missiles)

Marc, you make some good points. And even when the planes themselves could get up high enough - the Germans got the Zeppelins higher. I guess they did not have at that time - adequate anti aircraft capabilities. It was difficult reading those passages with what they were telling the population. It would be I guess like our government telling us - you can run but you can't escape an alien spacecraft invasion - they will come with impunity and we will just have to suffer the losses whatever they may be. Take cover and god willing. Too late to go anywhere. Something horrendous like that. Wish we could do more - but those are the breaks. Beautiful weather and clear night skies were their nemesis rather than something splendid to be enjoyed. The photographs were so telling of the horror they endured. And so did the French who suffered so much in such a ghastly way.

So much for this quote - right?

"There was comfort in the fact that bombers and, more importantly, their fighter escorts would have to fly all the way from their bases in Germany, a distance so great as to sharply limit their reach and lethality. But this presumed that France, with its mighty army and Maginot Line and powerful navy, would stand firm and thereby hem in the Luftwaffe and block all German paths to invasion. French endurance was the cornerstone of British defensive strategy. That France might fall was beyond imagining.

Marc by all means think aloud and post your thoughts - they are very welcome as are everyone else's commentary.

And now we turn our attention to Chapter One:

THE CARS SPED ALONG THE Mall, the broad boulevard that runs between Whitehall, seat of Britain’s government ministries, and Buckingham Palace, the 775-room home of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, its stone facade visible now at the far end of the roadway, dark with shadow. It was early evening, Friday, May 10. Everywhere bluebells and primroses bloomed. Delicate spring leaves misted the tops of trees. The pelicans in St. James’s Park basked in the warmth and the adoration of visitors, as their less exotic cousins, the swans, drifted with their usual stern lack of interest. The beauty of the day made a shocking contrast to all that had happened since dawn, when German forces stormed into Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, using armor, dive-bombers, and parachute troops with overwhelming effect.


Source: Larson, Erik. The Splendid and the Vile (p. 11). Crown. Kindle Edition.

Whitehall:
Whitehall Palace burned down long ago.





N05168 WHITEHALL PALACE AND BANQUETING HALL 1940

Inscr. ‘Methuen May 1940’ b.l.
Pen and watercolour, 21×29 (53·5×73·5).
Purchased from the artist through the Leicester Galleries (Clarke Fund) 1940.
Exh: Leicester Galleries, May–June 1940 (39).

The site in the foreground is now filled by the large Ministry of Defence offices; its clearance was begun in 1938 but was interrupted by the war.

Published in:
Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin Butlin, The Modern British Paintings, Drawinguse to be -

More:
Been here many times - fabulous museum too
https://youtu.be/LNCZBe1NxJM

Churchill Radio Broadcast 14 July 1940
From The Authors Archives; An 80 year old Recording.
So eloquent - it must have been a tremendous benefit to have this man as prime minister at that dangerous time. When you listen to him explain the circumstances - you imagine that it was 1940 (and you are there) - and unfortunately France has just taken a beating that nobody expected - including the Brits - and now it depends upon Great Britain and this man to fight on - an unbelievable situation and time in history - Great Britain had done much to be admired. What I also admired about this speech is that Churchill told the people - the unvarnished truth; but also could eloquently stir hope and pride in those things and efforts which had gone well and deserved praise. Such a tough balance. Let me know what were your thoughts when listening to this speech. And if you are in London - visit the Churchill Museum - a splendid place for history.
Link: https://youtu.be/YILU8NlAn8U

Sources: Youtube, BBC News, Tate

The first speech as Prime Minister (before the German invasion of France and the exploitation of the weakness in the front near the Ardennes Forest and the Maginot line breach)

First Radio Address as Prime Minister BBC Broadcast - May 19 1940 (Churchill's)

https://youtu.be/z3EnzQ0KRnQ

Source: Youtube, BBC News