I’ve loved history ever since I was a schoolboy way back in the 60s. I should have studied history or perhaps journalism at university but I took a different route.
Most of the books, books are among my most prized possessions, in my quite extensive library are non-fiction and historical. My children were always allowed to buy books and I never considered the price – within reason of course. There is no price one can put on knowledge. Reading, even fiction, is knowledge.
One of my favourite historical personalities is Winston S Churchill, Britain’s wartime prime minister.
I have read his 6 volume series The Second World War published in 1951. Much new information has come to light since he wrote the book because like all authors he was limited by the Official Secrets Acts 1911-1989. Although the war had been over for 6 years he could not reveal all. A possibility of a resurgence of hostilities was ever-present and the Cold War was still in its infancy. The Berlin airlift of 1948 had been a warning to the Western allies of possible Soviet aggression.
In the dangerous days of the spring of 1940s with the German army about to conquer the whole of Western Europe and Britain facing invasion by the Nazis it is amazing that anyone would want the daunting task of being prime minister. Yet there are those who are destined to lead in times of danger and Churchill was literally a godsend.
In his youth he had served in the British army in various parts of the British Empire. He had been in battle and was taken as a prisoner of war by the Boers during the Anglo-Boer War – which Afrikaners also called Second War of Independence, fought from October 11, 1899 to May 31, 1902. It was this service which gave him the moral authority to send young men into battle and possible death.
There are many biographies of Churchill, but his official biographer was the late Sir Martin Gilbert.
I urge all of you who are interested in Winston Churchill and this very exciting period of world history to read more, for the Second World War was truly international having been fought in Europe, Hawaii, China, Japan, Burma on the borders of India as well as most of South East Asia. Even Australia was the scene of fighting with the Japanese bombing Darwin in the north.
One of the books I recommend is The Second World War by Antony Beevor a truly comprehensive book covering all theatres of the conflict.
At the moment I am writing two historical novels which I hope to publish before the end of 2019.
Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother is the working title of my 1st novel, a story of the Kindertransport and the Holocaust.
Out of the House of Bondage, is the working title of the 2nd novel, in which I deal with the concept of the Jews reaching the Land of Freedom as well as the issue slavery. The novel is about the very early emigration of Jews from Eastern Europe to North America before the American Civil War which was fought from April 1861 to May 1865.
https://www.henrytobias.com