Churchill's Bodyguard

Author(s): Tom Hickman

Biography & Memoir

Walter H. Thompson was Churchill's bodyguard from 1921 until 1945, being brought back from retirement at the outbreak of war. Tom Hickman's authorised biography draws heavily on extracts from a manuscript recently discovered by his great-niece, in which Thompson gives a unique insider's account of a number of occasions on which Churchill's life was put seriously at risk and his intervention was needed. After the war, Thompson married one of Churchill's secretaries, and her recollections, as well as those of surviving family members, are interwoven to tell the revelatory inside story of life beside the Greatest Briton. This ties in with a 13-part series made by Nugus/Martin Productions being shown on UKTV History.

General Information

  • : 9780755314485
  • : Headline Publishing Group
  • : Headline Book Publishing
  • : 0.64
  • : 07 November 2005
  • : United Kingdom
  • : books

Other Specifications

  • : Tom Hickman
  • : Hardback
  • : illustrated edition
  • : 320
  • : 16 illustrations

More About The Product

'a gripping saga... that engrossed me utterly from start to finish' Alexander Waugh on The Call-Up -- Telegraph 'The great merit of Tom Hickman's definitive study of national service is that it presents an entirely fair balance sheet.' Anthony Howard on The Call-Up -- Sunday Telegraph 20040822 '... Tom Hickman's comprehensive history ... is much more than a romp down memory lane.' Sunday Express -- Sunday Express 20040905 'Hickman has drawn on the memories of 90 fellow conscripts to produce an often moving but also amusing chronicle of the national service years.' Sunday Times -- Sunday Times 20040905 '... a fair-minded and perceptive book; it's hard to imagine there'll be a better summary of the subject.' Daily Telegraph -- Daily Telegraph 20040911 'a hugely enjoyable anecdotal history' Gary Sheffield, TLS -- Times Literary Supplement 20041126

Tom Hickman has worked as a journalist and editor on numerous national and specialist publications including TODAY magazine, the DAILY MAIL; WOMEN'S MIRROR; TELEGRAPH MAGAZINE; TV TIMES and FACES magazine. He has written ten books including a history of the BBC during the Second World War and the very well reviewed THE CALL-UP.