Churchill & Son

Josh Ireland's book explores the turbulent Churchill father-and-son relationship, highlighting the human dimensions of both men. Randolph, Winston's son, was a war hero and journalist, but his political career never amounted to anything due to his father's ambitions. The book reveals the lesser-seen Winston Churchill, including his love for Peter Rabbit books and his re-enactment of the Battle of Jutland.

Format: Hardback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 01 April 2021
Publisher: John Murray Press

A compelling tragedy, but one that casts valuable new light on the outsized human dimensions of both men.

The Telegraph

In this fascinating account of the turbulent Churchill father-and-son relationship, Josh Ireland shows how central Winston and Randolph were to each other's lives.

Andrew Roberts

Few fathers and sons can ever have been so close as Winston Churchill and his only son Randolph. Both showed flamboyant impatience, reckless bravery, and generosity of spirit.

The glorious and handsome Randolph was a giver and devourer of pleasure, a man who exploded into rooms, trailing whisky tumblers and reciting verbatim whole passages of classic literature. But while Randolph inherited many of his father's talents, he also inherited all of his flaws. Randolph was his father only more so: fiercer, louder, more out of control. Hence, father and son would be so very close, and so liable to explode at each other.

Winston's closest ally during the wilderness years of the 1930s, Randolph would himself become a war hero, serving with the SAS in the desert and Marshal Tito's guerrillas in Yugoslavia, a friend of press barons and American presidents alike, and a journalist with a genius for uncovering secrets, able to secure audiences with everyone from Kaiser Wilhelm to General Franco and Guy Burgess.

But Randolph's political career never amounted to anything. As much as he idolised Winston and never lost faith in his father during the long, solitary years of Winston's decline, he was never able to escape from the shadow cast by Britain's great hero. In his own eyes, and most woundingly of all, his father's, his life was a failure.

Winston, ever consumed by his own sense of destiny, allowed his own ambitions to take priority over Randolph's. The result was a tragic clash of egos that would ultimately lead to Randolph's untimely death at the age of 40.

This remarkable story of father and son is a testament to the complex and often conflicting emotions that can arise between generations. It reminds us of the importance of understanding and respecting our ancestors, even when we don't agree with their choices or actions.

In conclusion, The Churchill Father-and-Son Relationship is a fascinating and tragic tale that sheds light on the human dimensions of two extraordinary men. Josh Ireland's book provides a fresh perspective on this iconic duo, and it is a must-read for anyone interested in history, politics, and family dynamics.

Weight: 620g
Dimension: 164 x 245 x 41 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529337754