Winston's Bandits

Reviews / Votes

"Winston Churchill had a rare
capacity for friendship, and Adrian Phillips has unerringly homed in on the
close friends who helped him achieve victory in the Second World War. In this
well-researched, closely argued and occasionally revisionist book, Phillips
goes beyond most conventional accounts by forensically focusing on the
relationships between the friends, too, and especially their feuds. This work
is an important addition to the Churchillian canon." Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill:
Walking with Destiny
"This
is a valuable book, well written and a pleasure to read. It sheds light on
aspects of Winston Churchill's career that are overlooked by those who see him
simply as the man who delivered victory in 1945." Walter Reid, author of Fighting
Retreat: Churchill and India
"A
well-researched and lively foray into the curious cast of colourful characters
spanning Churchill's remarkable career. Phillips's enjoyable account of
friendship, feuds and Whitehall machinations helps us see Churchill in a new
light." Professor
Rory Cormac, University of Nottingham
"A
fascinating insight into an unfamiliar facet of Churchill's character. Adrian
Phillips has written an important book." Adrian
Tinniswood, author of Noble Ambitions
"Adrian
Phillips's new book examines Churchill through his circle of friends - some of
them members of the so-called Order of the Bath, who enjoyed the doubtful
privilege of conferring with their master in his tub. For the grandson of a
duke, Winston's coterie was anything but predictable: none of its members was
drawn from school or army friends but rather formed of a motley crew, some of
whom were rewarded with high office during the Second World War. It included
the Canadian newspaper tycoon Lord Beaverbrook, the Irish fantasist Brendan
Bracken, the half-German boffin Frederick Lindemann, Churchill's son-in-law
Duncan Sandys and, for a while at least, his hapless son Randolph. Phillips
brings this world to life with considerable panache." Giles
MacDonogh, author of After the Reich
"A
fast-paced, masterfully written tale of fascinating political intrigue and
cunning activity woven by Churchill's 'bathroom group' of confidants, who
helped shape the course and outcome of the Second World War. In particular, the
behind-the-scenes roles of businessman Brendan Bracken and scientist Frederick
Lindemann are highlighted, along with other leading characters such as press
baron Lord Beaverbrook, politician Duncan Sandys and Churchill's son Randolph." Mungo
Melvin, author of Manstein: Hitler's Greatest General
"A
magnificent new account of Churchill told through the lens of his closest
friends." Helen
Fry, author of Women in Intelligence
"Adrian
Phillips provides fascinating new material about Churchill's strange bunch of
outside advisers and how they took on Britain's inner establishment." David
Lough, author of No More Champagne: Churchill and His Money
"Adrian
Phillips offers a riveting analysis of an area of Churchill's life that, until
now, has not received enough scholarly attention: the great friendships,
personal and political, that sustained him through the towering highs and
infamous lows of the 1930s and '40s." Ed
Owens, author of After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?
"In
Winston's Bandits, Adrian Phillips achieves no small feat, drawing our
attention to a blank page in the otherwise well-thumbed tome that is the life
of Sir Winston Churchill: his friendships. Churchill gathered his courtiers
based on a complex interplay of privilege, political ambition and professional
respect - but, above all, character. Weaker leaders have leaned on sycophants;
Churchill was enhanced by surrounding himself with those confident in speaking
truth to power. This would have national, if not international, implications
once Churchill entered No. 10 in May 1940 and positioned his 'bandits' at the
heart of power during Britain's darkest hour. Ruthless towards those who fell
from favour and magnanimous towards former enemies, Churchill remains the most
human of our great historical figures. Phillips expertly navigates the bonds of
loyalty as well as the infighting and ambitions that shaped the court of
Churchill." Jenny
Grant, historian of Polish-British relations in the Second World War
"An
absorbing and illuminating account of the loyal and unpredictable mavericks of
Winston Churchill's inner circle. Drawing on new material, Adrian Phillips
sheds much-needed light on an important aspect of Churchill's story:
friendship." Claire
Hubbard-Hall, author of The Real Miss Moneypenny: The Forgotten
Women of British Intelligence