Hobilar
Airman
At their first dinner together before Monty went out to take over Eighth Army Churchill asked Monty what he'd like to drink. Monty replied water and said, "I don't drink or smoke and I'm 100% fit." To which Churchill immediately replied, "Well I do drink and smoke and I'm 200% fit." They apparently were telling the truth: Churchill died at age 91, Monty at 89.
General Eisenhower tended to dine with Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London once a week, and on the 25th of August 1942 he and General Clark were summoned to dinner at Number 10 (The Prime Minister's official residence in London). Winston had recently returned from his trip to the Middle East and Russia and was, that night, in extremely good form. At one point Churchill had knocked a tall glass off a side table, but carried on talking as though it had never happened. He also suddenly asked for a change of socks and, without any hint of embarrassment, took his old pair off and put the new ones on. Later, the Prime Minister stood up and started scratching his back against the edge of a door. "Guess I picked 'em up in egypt, " was his explanatIon to the astonished guests.
Despite being reknowned for his skill in making great and inspiring speeches, Winston Churchill made only five radio broadcasts to the public during the course of the Second World War (and in one of these the Prime Minister spoke for just two minutes).
In today's TV age, one couldn't envisage a country's political leader getting away with that in time of war, could we?
General Eisenhower tended to dine with Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London once a week, and on the 25th of August 1942 he and General Clark were summoned to dinner at Number 10 (The Prime Minister's official residence in London). Winston had recently returned from his trip to the Middle East and Russia and was, that night, in extremely good form. At one point Churchill had knocked a tall glass off a side table, but carried on talking as though it had never happened. He also suddenly asked for a change of socks and, without any hint of embarrassment, took his old pair off and put the new ones on. Later, the Prime Minister stood up and started scratching his back against the edge of a door. "Guess I picked 'em up in egypt, " was his explanatIon to the astonished guests.
Despite being reknowned for his skill in making great and inspiring speeches, Winston Churchill made only five radio broadcasts to the public during the course of the Second World War (and in one of these the Prime Minister spoke for just two minutes).
In today's TV age, one couldn't envisage a country's political leader getting away with that in time of war, could we?
