Autographs
Winston Churchill Facing An Election in England Struggles to Complete Writing His War Memoirs Typed Letter Signed
WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (1874-1965). Historic British Prime Minister During World War II.
January 22, 1950-Dated, Typed Letter Signed, "Winston S. Churchill" as British Prime Minister, 1 page, measuring 7.5" x 9.5", Quarto, upon his "28, Hyde Park Gate, London" letterhead stationery, Choice Extremely Fine. Original binder hole at the upper left comer and some minor tone at the edges. Written to Andre de Staercke, a contributing editor to his War memoirs, regarding the upcoming release of the third volume. (Two years later, Churchill would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for "his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values"). With a Handwritten opening and closing, here Churchill writes, in full:

“My dear Andre, --- Thank you so much for your letter of December 31. I am certainly inserting a passage at once in Volume III to cover the important point you mention. I am obliged to you for drawing my attention to it.

Pray convey my thanks to His Royal Highness for his kind message. My thoughts are so often with him in these very strained and difficult times for him and for Belgium.

As you will have seen I have had to curtail my stay in Madeira in view ef the General Election here. Polling Day has been fixed for February 23 and so you can imagine we shall be much occupied for the coming weeks.

We all send you our good wishes for a very happy New Year. --- Your friend, - (Signed) Winston S. Churchill”.

Churchill himself faced an important National Election. He mounted a brisk campaign in the four short weeks leading up to the election, and although the British people voted to keep the Labour party in power, they could muster a majority of only six. Churchill remained Leader of the Opposition (Conservative Party). A classic Letter from the twilight of Churchill's long and illustrious career. In 1951, he was again elected Prime Minister, and served until his retirement in 1955.
At the time Winston Churchill wrote this Letter, Europe was continuing its long struggle towards freedom after years of Nazi occupation and the ravages of war. Belgium was gearing up for a national referendum on the question of whether to allow King Leopold III to return from exile in Switzerland. Though a prisoner for much of the war, he was viewed by some Belgians as a traitor for surrendering his country unconditionally to the Germans in 1940, despite the opposition of his cabinet.

Two months after Churchill's letter to de Staerckc (March 18), the Belgian government collapsed over the question of the King's return. Efforts continued to form a new coalition government, but protests grew. In Antwerp, 15,000 dockworkers walked out on strike in protest. Other 24-hour strikes were called at factories on the outskirts of Brussels and in the town of Huy. The king did eventually return to Belgium in July, but was met with more rioting. To avoid tearing his country apart and to preserve the monarchy, he announced that his son, Badouin, would rule temporarily in his place, and Leopold formally abdicated the throne on July 16, 1951.

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, best known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, he served as Prime Minister twice (1940–45 and 1951–55). A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.