An original press photograph of Winston S. Churchill, Field Marshal Montgomery, and British Defence Minister Manny Shinwell at the El Alamein Reunion on 19 October 1951, a week before Churchill returned to 10 Downing Street for his second and final premiership.
London: Paul Popper Ltd., 19 October 1951. Photograph. This original 1951 press photograph captures Winston S. Churchill, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, and British Defence Minister Manny Shinwell on 19 October at the El Alamein Reunion, just a week before Churchill returned to 10 Downing Street for his second and final premiership, taking the Defence Minister portfolio from Shinwell.
The gelatin silver print on glossy photo paper measures 7.75 x 5.5 inches with an original typed paper caption extending an additional inch from the bottom of the photo. Condition is very good minus. The paper is clean and crisp, with a single pin hole to each of the four corners, a small chip at the top edge, and light scuffing visible only under raking light. The verso bears a copyright stamp from “Paul Popper Ltd.”, a Swedish copyright from ”Pressfoto”, two stamps from Svenska Dagbladets Bild-Arkiv (Svenska Dagladets is a Stockholm daily newspaper, and bild-arkiv translates to photo archive), a clipping of the Swedish caption as it appeared in print, and the Swedish typed caption that extends below the image recto. The photograph is protected within a clear, rigid, removable sleeve.
The original typed caption translates as: “The celebration of the eighth anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein at Empress Hall in London. More than 8,000 of the heroes paid tribute to their leaders there. The picture shows Field Marshal Montgomery, Churchill and War Minister Shinwell. (2510) (Svenskt Pressfoto)”. The clipped, partially obscured newspaper caption from original publication affixed to the verso reads, to the best of our ability to read and decipher: “The commander of the ‘Desert Rats,’ the British Eighth Army in the war in North Africa, Field Marshal Montgomery, Winston Churchill and War Minister Shinwell [took part on] Sunday in the celebration of the eighth anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein at Empress Hall in London. Over 8,000 of the heroes of the desert war paid tribute there to their leaders [and] sang some of the Desert Rats’ old songs.”
The 1951 El Alamein Reunion was held in London with Churchill, Montgomery, and Eisenhower as the guests of honor, each addressing the gathered veterans in turn. Montgomery opened, praising Churchill and Eisenhower as the greatest Englishman and the greatest American of their time. Churchill followed and Eisenhower closed the addresses with a more explicit link between the past war and present international Cold War. “War days were great days, but we are living in greater, because we are struggling to preserve the peace for ourselves and our children.”
That struggle would fall again to Churchill and Eisenhower. Just a week later, on 26 October 1951, Churchill’s conservatives won the General Election returning Churchill to 10 Downing Street for his second and final premiership. Montgomery wrote to Churchill that day “Thank God” as soon as the news was known. “At last we have you back again and in charge of the ship.” Eisenhower would be elected President of the United States in November 1952, assuming the presidency in January 1953.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC (1887-1976) and Churchill remained friends, but Montgomery’s later years proved less elevated. Montgomery’s uncharitable accusations in his postwar memoirs lost him the friendship of Eisenhower and forced Montgomery to publicly apologize to a fellow Field Marshal. Montgomery earned further criticism for declaring support for Apartheid and praising communist Chinese leadership.
Emanuel “Manny” Shinwell, Baron Shinwell (1884-1986) was – like Churchill himself – “a major personality for over sixty years” and “always a pugnacious member of parliament” as a vocal and influential member of the Labour Party. Shinwell had been “a vigorous critic” of Churchill’s wartime coalition government and Churchill returned the favor when Shinwell served in the postwar Labour Government. Nonetheless, no matter how fierce their political battles, in placing country before party Shinwell and Churchill shared a lasting kinship and mutual respect.
References: Northern Whig, 20 October 1951; ODNB; Gilbert, Winston S. Churchill. Item #005651
Price: $250.00