I am grateful to all those who, over the past thirty years, have given me their recollections of Churchill. Those who are quoted in this volume were generous both with their time and their memories. I should like to thank Valentin Berezhkov, Harold J. Bourne, Sir John Colville, Ivon Courtney, Sir William Deakin, Sir Donald MacDougall, Robert Fox, Eve Gibson, Elizabeth Gilliatt, Grace Hamblin, Pamela Harriman, Kathleen Hill, Marian Holmes, Patrick Kinna, Elizabeth Layton, James Lees-Milne, Brigadier Maurice Lush, John J. McCloy, Jock MacDavid, Malcolm MacDonald, Viscount Margesson, Sir John Martin, Trevor Martin, Anthony Montague Browne, Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Sir John Peck, Captain Sir Richard Pim, Doreen Pugh and Lady Williams of Elvel (Jane Portal).
My most grateful thanks, for both insights and material over many years, are to Churchill's children; Sarah Lady Audley, Lady Soames, and Randolph Churchill, my predecessor as biographer.
In addition to those who helped me with recollections, I am grateful to all who answered my historical queries for this volume, or who provided me with extra documentary material. My thanks for this help go to Patricia Ackerman, Archivist, Churchill College Archives Centre; J. Albrecht, Ligue Suisse pour la Protection de la Nature; Larry Arnn, Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy; Jeanne Berkeley; Alan S. Baxendale; Dr David Butler; Julian Challis; Robert Craig; Henry E. Crooks; Michael Diamond; Dr Michael Dunnill; Felicity Dwyer, Researcher, Daily Express; Nicholas P. Eadon; Linda Greenlick, Chief Librarian, Jewish Chronicle; Irene Morrison, Scottish Tourist Board; David Parry, Department of Photographs, Imperial War Museum; Gordon Ramsey; Andrew Roberts; James Rusbridger; Matthew Spalding; Ken Stone, Metropolitan Police Historical Museum; Jonathan de Souza; Lord Taylor of Hadfield; Professor Vladimir Trukhanovsky; Mrs M.E. Vinall, Personnel and Administration Manager, Evening Standard; Frank Whelan, researcher, Sunday Call-Chronicle; and Benedict K. Zobrist, Director, Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, Missouri.
I am also grateful, for the use of previously unpublished Churchill material, to the British Library Manuscript Collections, Christie's Auction Rooms, the Hollinger Corporation, A. Rosenthal, Chas W Sawyer, John R. Smethurst, The Times Archive, Blenheim Palace Archive, and the National Trust Collection.
For copyright permission to reproduce the photograph, I should like to thank The Trustees of the Low Estate.
For their help in scrutinising the text and making important suggestions as to its content, I am exceptionally grateful to Sir David Hunt, Adam O'Riordan and Edward Thomas, each of whom has given me the benefit of his wide knowledge and critical scrutiny. Helen Fraser, Laura Beadle and the many others involved at William Heinemann in publishing this book, have always been helpful and encouraging, at the different and at times difficult stages of production; the copyediting and proofreading were expertly done by Lisa Glass and Arthur Neuhauser. Rachelle Gryn assisted in the discovery of important facts; Kay Thomson carried out myriad secretarial duties.
As with all my previous Churchill work, I am indebted to my wife Susie, for her contribution at every stage, and to every page.
