The Churchill Documents – Volume 3

Volume 3 of The Churchill Documents covers the years 1901 to 1907 and serves as the first companion volume to the second volume of the official biography, Young Statesman, 1901–1914. The correspondence in this volume shows a young man in a hurry, but with strong convictions and clear abilities, one determined to make his mark on the national stage. Writings mine a rich seam of correspondence, which include the first speech that Churchill made in the House of Commons, his activities as a new Member of Parliament--his determination to fight for the maintenance of Free Trade within the Conservative Party and his failure to do so--culminating in his decision to leave the Conservative Party and join the opposition Liberal Party, for whom he helped fight a successful election. The second letter, which rightfully belongs in Volume 2, was only found after that volume had been printed. It contains Churchill's fullest recorded reflections on religion.

During this period he also wrote a two-volume biography of his father. In addition to the Churchill Papers, this volume contains letters from the archives of those to whom Churchill wrote, and from the archives of the published his book, Lord Randolph Churchill. It includes Churchill's letters to his mother, letters that range over every aspect of his public and private life.

In the writing of the official biography of Sir Winston Churchill, Randolph Churchill—and later Sir Martin Gilbert, who resumed the work following Randolph’s death—had full access to Sir Winston’s letters and papers, and also many hundreds of private archives. The work spans eight volumes, detailing Churchill’s youth and early adventures in South Africa and India, his early career, and his more than fifty years on the world stage. No other statesman of modern times—or indeed of any age—has left such a wealth of personal letters, such a rich store of private and public documentation, and such vivid memories in the minds of those who worked closest to him. Through these materials, assembled over the course of more than twenty years, one is able to know Churchill in a way never before possible. Churchill's personal papers are so extensive that it was only possible to include in the narrative volumes a part of the relevant documents. The volumes titled The Churchill Documents run parallel with the narrative volumes, and with them form a whole. The letters, documents, and correspondence contained within are drawn from the Churchill Papers, now at Churchill College, Cambridge, and from many other archival sources, both private and public.