13 August 1940 press photo of Churchill examining a Thompson submachine gun for Sale

13 August 1940 press photo of Churchill examining a Thompson submachine gun For Sale

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13 August 1940 press photo of Churchill examining a Thompson submachine gun:
$320.00

Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL VISITS THE NORTH EAST - A Second World War British Official War Office photograph of Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill on 13 August 1940 examining a Thompson submachine gun during a defence works tour in the North East of England

Condition: Very Good

This original British War Office photograph from the Second World War shows Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill on 13 August 1940 handling a Thompson submachine gun (“Tommy Gun”) during a visit to the North East of England to inspect coastal defenses.

The gelatin silver print on glossy photo paper measures 10 x 8 inches (25.4 x 20.3 cm). Condition is very good. The image is substantially clean and bright with only minor blemishes and light scuffing visible under raking light. The white-bordered edges show light wear, including a fractional loss at the lower left corner, and there is an inked “1.” in the upper right margin. The verso shows some old tape residue and features an original, tipped-on, printed caption. The caption attributes the image as follows: “BRITISH OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH. BH. 658. (WAR OFFICE PHOTO – CROWN COPYRIGHT RESERVED)” The caption is titled “Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL VISITS THE NORTH EAST.” The text reads “The Prime Minister paid a visit to the North East of England to inspect coastal defence fortifications and defence works etc. Mr. Winston Churchill the explanation over, then touched the “Tommy”".

The cigar-chomping Churchill in a pinstripe suit with hat and cane appraising the Tommy gun looks as much American gangster as British Prime Minister. It helps to remember that Churchill was a soldier before he was a politician, with an earned reputation for battlefield courage. Moreover, Churchill maintained an informed fascination with the minutiae and machinery of combat; it was Churchill – as First Lord of the Admiralty during the First World War – who helped develop both the tank and the military potential of aircraft – two weapons that revolutionized offensive warfare during the Second World War. The man who participated in “the last great cavalry charge in British history” while Victoria still reigned would eventually preside as Prime Minister over the first British nuclear weapons test.

When Churchill became Prime Minister on 10 May, 1940, the war for Britain was not so much a struggle for victory as a struggle to survive. Churchill’s first six months in office would see, among other near-calamities, the Battle of the Atlantic, the fall of France, evacuation at Dunkirk, and the Battle of Britain. Hitler intended the Battle of Britain as the preparatory effort to gain air superiority prior to an invasion of England. The outcome remained uncertain when this photograph was taken.

Ref #: 006607
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