Winston Churchill Writes About His Articles for News of the World, Describing Major Episodes in His Life

Age 60 no longer seems so old to him, says one article he discusses in this letter

Winston Churchill’s main source of income was not his salary as a Member of Parliament, but as an author. He wrote 43 book length works in 72 volumes, and also wrote some 10,000 articles for newspapers and magazines over a period of decades on a broad variety of subjects. In many cases, these newspaper articles were for The News of the World, which was so fond of his work that from 1936 and 1939, they paid him £400 for article, which would be £12,000 (or over $15,000) in today’s money. Quite a sum to pay a columnist during the Depression, and enough to keep Churchill in his Pol Roger champagne and Romeo y Julieta brand cigars. Major Percy Davies was director of the News of the World, and Churchill worked closely with him.

In 1935 Churchill wrote a series of articles for the News of the World describing major episodes in his life. Much of the material was taken directly from his books “My Early Life”, “Thoughts and Adventures” and “The World Crisis”, but there were plenty of original observations. In the lead article, entitled “Looking Back on Sixty Years,” Churchill offered some of those observations.

Churchill in 1935: “Sixty years! Not so very long ago I thought this a very advanced age. Lately I have not felt the same impression. Sixty now seems to me to be a very reasonable age…

“I am for limited monarchy and a free Parliament, and the undoubted glorious right of every Briton to criticize any government of which he is not a member. I do not know whether this is Conservatism or Liberalism. I hope it is both, and honest Trade Unionism, too. They all have an equal desire to dwell in a country where the people own the Government, and not in one where the Government own the people…

“I think myself very fortunate to have been born a citizen in a liberal age in this great, free, and hitherto victorious country and Empire, with its incorruptible officials and impartial Courts; with its keen sense of humanity, fair play, and good sportsmanship; where every office and career is open to talent; where men can rise from the very humblest origin to the very highest stations; and with social services incomparably more complete than exist anywhere in the world. I do not think there has been anything so good in all history. I am proud to have been allowed to take some part in the affairs of such a society from time to time.”

Later Churchill wrote other series of articles for News of the World, such as “Great Events of Our Time”, “Great Men I Have Known”, and “Great Men of All Time”.

Typed letter signed, on his letterhead, Chartwell, January 2, 1935, to Percy Davies, about his 1935 articles. “I have much pleasure in acknowledging the safe receipt this morning of the News of the World cheque for £4,200 for the twelve articles I have written, and note that the first of these will appear on January 13th.” He adds in his holograph, “It has been a great pleasure for me to work with you in this enterprise, & I trust it will be satisfactory in its results to the ’News of the World’”.

This letter offers an interesting insight into how Churchill made his living.