"BAA" IN REPLY TO "BYE" - An original 11 December 1953 press photograph of Prime Minister Sir Winston S. Churchill bidding bemused adieu to a British military goat as he leaves Bermuda, three days after meeting with President Eisenhower and one day after being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
New York: United Press Photo, published by the Brooklyn Eagle, 11 December 1953. Photograph. This original press photograph captures Sir Winston S. Churchill, on 11 December 1953, bidding adieu to a British military goat (yes, a goat) in Bermuda three days after meeting with U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower to deal with pressing Cold War issues and one day after being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the image, Churchill is in right profile, standing at the foot of the boarding stairs, his right hand in gesticulating motion, a look that seems like bemused incredulity on his face. We are tempted to caption the image “WtF?”
This delicious image is printed on glossy photo paper measuring 9 x 7.125 inches. Condition is very good. The image remains unfaded and distinct, with only faint superficial blemishes visible only in raking light. The edges are slightly age-crinkled. Small creases at the lower right corner are contained entirely within the white border margin. The verso of the photo is rich in provenance. An original printed caption headed “BM 1044589…NEW YORK BUREAU” is cheekily titled “‘BAA’ IN REPLY TO ‘BYE’”. The full caption reads: “British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill waves good-bye to bejeweled ‘Billy,’ the mascot of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Sir Winston is taking leave of Bermuda and flying to England following the conclusion of the Big Three Conference. The Prime Minister is expected to arrive in England on December 11th. MGS LON CREDIT (UNITED PRESS PHOTO) 12/11/53 (JL)”. This photo originally belonged to the archives of the Brooklyn Eagle, whose "RECEIVED" ink stamp on the verso is dated "DEC 12 1953". The Brooklyn Eagle published continuously for 114 years before ceasing publication on January 29, 1955. This photograph later belonged to the Photofest agency, evidenced by their sticker on the verso, which partially obscures an original copyright stamp, presumably of United Press Photo.
From 4 to 8 December 1953, Churchill met with President Eisenhower at the Bermuda Conference. Churchill, having returned to 10 Downing Street in October 1951, was in his second and final premiership. When Churchill had lost his first, wartime premiership in July 1945, Eisenhower had been the five-star Commanding General of U.S. Forces, European Theater. Now Eisenhower was Churchill’s American civilian counterpart, having become U.S. President in January 1952. Their December 1953 meeting in Bermuda was dominated by Cold War questions, including how to deal with the Soviets after Stalin’s death earlier that year, perpetual French ingratitude then manifesting as increasing hostility to a proposed European Defense Community, concerns about how to deal with potential Chinese breach of the Korean War armistice, France’s deteriorating position in Indochina, and Britain’s negotiations with Egypt over withdrawing troops from the Suez Canal Zone base. French Prime Minister Joseph Laniel also attend the Conference, though with typical French verve and resolve; Laniel fell ill and was largely confined to bed for the duration.
After the conference, the 79-year-old Churchill remained in Bermuda with the British delegation, heeding his wife’s hope “that now the heavy work of the Conference is over you will have a little sunshine & rest before flying home.” This Churchill did, while Clementine and their daughter, Mary, flew to Stockholm to accept, on Churchill’s behalf, the Nobel Prize in Literature on 10 December 1953.
At eight 8:00 in the evening of 11 December 1953, Churchill left Bermuda by air for Britain, reaching London at 11:30 on the following morning. As evidenced by this image, part of his sendoff before boarding his flight included bidding adieu to… a goat. The notion, and the image, provide a nearly Shakespearean bit of improbable comic relief to the dramatic backdrop of a Cold War conference with the U.S. President and receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The current “Billy” of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (now part of The Royal Welsh) is no longer a mere mascot, but officially treated as an enlisted soldier. Item #009025
Price: $350.00