125 Years ago
Summer 1894 • Age (^19)
“Bring Molly”
I
n My Early Life, Churchill wrote
a misleadingly benign account of
his fatally-ill father’s departure on
a round-the-world tour. He received
by messenger, Winston wrote, “the
college adjutant’s order to proceed
at once to London. My father was
setting out the next day on a journey
round the world....We drove to the
station the next morning—my moth-
er, my younger brother, and I. In
spite of the great beard, which he had
grown during his South African jour-
ney four years before, his face looked
terribly haggard and worn with men-
tal pain. He patted me on the knee in
a gesture which however simple was
perfectly informing. There followed
his long journey round the world.
I never saw him again, except as a
swiftly-fading shadow.”
The disagreement between
Winston and his father as to wheth-
er he would go into the Infantry, as
his father insisted, or the Cavalry, as
Winston wanted, was never resolved
before his father’s death in January- They exchanged letters on the
subject during Lord Randolph’s glob-
al journey, but to no result. Winston
optimistically wrote his mother on
10 July that he hoped to “pass high”
his Sandhurst exams “...as I shall
take the opportunity of writing a long
letter to Papa on the subject of Caval-
ry. I have been piling up material for
some time and I have a most formi-
dable lot of arguments.”
In the event, Winston did write
such a letter, but it did not impress
his father, who replied: “I do not
enter into your lengthy letter...in
which you enlarge on your prefer-
ence for the Cavalry over the 60th
Rifles. I could never sanction such a
change....So that you had better put
that out of your head altogether at
any rate during my lifetime during
which you will be dependent on me.
So much for that subject.”
Fortunately for Winston, there
was more to life that summer than
his father’s morose behavior. He
and his brother Jack went to Swit-
zerland on holiday that August, but
earlier, during July, he enjoyed the
company of Adela Mary (nicknamed
both Polly and Molly) Hacket, with
whom he enjoyed a friendship and
correspondence from late 1893
through most of 1894. He wrote to
his mother in on 30 December 1893
that he was sorry to be leaving Blen-
heim “and nothing but the thought of
the beautiful Polly Hackett consoles
me.” Miss Hacket, also nineteen,
had similar feelings for him. She
wrote to Winston on 28 March 1894
apologizing for not having answeredhis earlier letter and offering as an
excuse: “I have been waiting for your
photograph which you promised
and I want so much.” On 18 July, his
brother Jack wrote him from Harrow
saying, “Mind and come on Saturday
& Bring Molly. I will have Tea in my
room à la Xmas 92. You remember.
But let me know whether she is going
to come.”
Apparently, Molly did come
with him, and without a chaperone,
for Winston bragged about it to his
mother in a 22 July letter: “Yester-
day Molly Hacket and I made our
great expedition to Harrow—quite
alone. As soon as we got down
there—we received three telegrams
with ‘Congratulations’ from young
Clay and others,” Clay being Herbert
Spender-Clay, a Churchill friend and
fellow Sandhurst cadet. Both Molly
and Winston knew they were being
“naughty” by Victorian standards in
travelling “quite alone” and by having
“tea” in a boy’s room. The fact they
received congratulatory telegrams
meant they had told their friends
ahead of time about their “great
expedition.”100 Years ago
Summer 1919 • Age 44
“A Fatal Mistake”T
he Civil War in Russia con-
tinued during the summer to
be a source of irritation be-
tween Prime Minister Lloyd George
and Churchill, the Minister for War
and Air. The War Cabinet deter-
mined on 4 July that “a state of war
did exist as between Great Britain
and the Bolshevist Government of
Russia.” Some 200 ships of the Royal
Navy were thus blockading Russia’s
Baltic ports.
The Prime Minister had the
responsibility to fashion a consensus
through his War Cabinet on a policyMICHAEL McMENAMIN’S125 Yearsago
Summer 1894 • Age 19
“BringMolly”I
nMyEarlyLife, Churchillwrote
a misleadinglybenignaccountof
hisfatally-illfather’sdepartureon
a round-the-worldtour.Hereceived
bymessenger,Winstonwrote,“the
collegeadjutant’sordertoproceed
atoncetoLondon.Myfatherwas
settingoutthenextdayona journey
roundtheworld....Wedrovetothe
stationthenextmorning—mymoth-
er,myyoungerbrother,andI. In
spiteofthegreatbeard,whichhehad
grownduringhisSouthAfricanjour-
neyfouryearsbefore,hisfacelooked
terriblyhaggardandwornwithmen-
talpain.Hepattedmeonthekneein
a gesturewhichhoweversimplewas
perfectlyinforming.Therefollowed
hislongjourneyroundtheworld.
I neversawhimagain,exceptasa
swiftly-fadingshadow.”
The disagreement between
Winston and his father as to wheth-
er he would go into the Infantry, as
his father insisted, or the Cavalry, as
Winston wanted, was never resolved
before his father’s death in January- They exchanged letters on the
subject during Lord Randolph’s glob-
al journey, but to no result. Winston
optimistically wrote his mother on
10 July that he hoped to “pass high”
his Sandhurst exams “...as I shall
taketheopportunityofwritinga long
lettertoPapaonthesubjectofCaval-
ry.I havebeenpilingupmaterialfor
sometimeandI havea mostformi-
dablelotofarguments.”
Intheevent,Winstondidwrite
sucha letter,butit didnotimpress
hisfather,whoreplied:“Idonot
enterintoyourlengthyletter...in
whichyouenlargeonyourprefer-
encefortheCavalryoverthe60th
Rifles.I couldneversanctionsucha
change....Sothatyouhadbetterput
thatoutofyourheadaltogetherat
anyrateduringmylifetimeduring
whichyouwillbedependentonme.
Somuchforthatsubject.”
Fortunately for Winston, there
was more to life that summer than
his father’s morose behavior. He
and his brother Jack went to Swit-
zerland on holiday that August, but
earlier, during July, he enjoyed the
company of Adela Mary (nicknamed
both Polly and Molly) Hacket, with
whom he enjoyed a friendship and
correspondence from late 1893
through most of 1894. He wrote to
his mother in on 30 December 1893
that he was sorry to be leaving Blen-
heim “and nothing but the thought of
the beautiful Polly Hackett consoles
me.” Miss Hacket, also nineteen,
had similar feelings for him. She
wrote to Winston on 28 March 1894
apologizing for not having answeredhis earlier letter and offering as an
excuse: “I have been waiting for your
photograph which you promised
and I want so much.” On 18 July, his
brother Jack wrote him from Harrow
saying, “Mind and come on Saturday
& Bring Molly. I will have Tea in my
room à la Xmas 92. You remember.
But let me know whether she is going
tocome.”
Apparently, Molly did come
with him, and without a chaperone,
for Winston bragged about it to his
mother in a 22 July letter: “Yester-
day Molly Hacket and I made our
great expedition to Harrow—quite
alone. As soon as we got down
there—we received three telegrams
with ‘Congratulations’ from young
Clay and others,” Clay being Herbert
Spender-Clay, a Churchill friend and
fellow Sandhurst cadet. Both Molly
and Winston knew they were being
“naughty” by Victorian standards in
travelling “quite alone” and by having
“tea” in a boy’s room. The fact they
received congratulatory telegrams
meant they had told their friends
ahead of time about their “great
expedition.”100 Yearsago
Summer 1919 • Age 44
“A Fatal Mistake”T
he Civil War in Russia con-
tinued during the summer to
be a source of irritation be-
tween Prime Minister Lloyd George
and Churchill, the Minister for War
and Air. The War Cabinet deter-
mined on 4 July that “a state of war
did exist as between Great Britain
and the Bolshevist Government of
Russia.” Some 200 ships of the Royal
Navy were thus blockading Russia’s
Balticports.
The Prime Minister had the
responsibility to fashion a consensus
through his War Cabinet on a policyMICHAEL McMENAMIN’S