More than once recently I have heard a story told about Winston Churchill that goes something like this:
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill’s finance minister said Britain should cut arts funding to support the war effort. Churchill’s response: “Then what are we fighting for?”
This is a magnificent story about one of the great hawkish conservative leaders of the 20th century throwing his support behind the cultural institutions of his country. From what I know of him, having read one biography, it also seems entirely in character.
However, I can’t seem to determine if the story is real or apocryphal. There are a number of versions of this story quoted around the internet—some adding blasphemies or swearing to the Chuchill response—but none are traceable to an actual source or date. I am trying to determine whether Churchill actually said this and, if so, under what circumstances.
If you know the source, can you help us out? Thanks! – Greg.
#1 by RYA on September 27, 2010 - 7:37 am
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Hello Greg… I heard this quote 20 years ago. When my mentor said that without art we would never know the truth of the human condition. Arts represent how humans FEEL about history. Legacy of emotions,more than just facts. This is one of my favorite quotes ever. It is so credible coming from WC. He was a man who loved art and the humanist approach to life. War, just like any other human experience, had a purpose beyond just a show of force. It was meant to preserve national identity and historical legacy. Art is representative of everything beautiful, meaningful and authentic of a nation. Of people, of life.
#2 by Jim on November 4, 2010 - 12:08 pm
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According to the definitive source, Richard Langworth:
This alleged quotation was raised a few years ago in the Village Voice and is all over the web, but it is not in any of Churchill’s 15 million speeches, papers, letters, articles or books. Sir Winston’s daughter, Lady Soames, put me on to a close approximation, recorded in the official biography, Winston S. Churchill, by Martin Gilbert, vol. 6, Finest Hour 1939-1941, page 449. Not quite what the Village Voice recorded, but in a way, apropos…
1 June 1940 Colville Diary
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At this same moment, the Director of the National Gallery, Kenneth Clark, suggested that the paintings in the National Gallery should be sent from London to Canada. Churchill was likewise against this suggestion, and emphatically so. “No,” he minuted, “bury them in caves and cellars. None must go. We are going to beat them.”
#3 by Jim on November 4, 2010 - 12:25 pm
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Another possible source for similar sentiments:
It is absolutely true that Churchill resisted closing down theatres at the beginning of the war, when plans for the blackout were being discussed. He argued that the populations of the cities needed theatres and cinemas to help them have a little enjoyment amid the agonies of war. There is a copy of a memo on the subject at the back of his WW2 memoirs.
He also argued with the transport planners to allow enough capacity on the trains to deliver flowers to the cities so that the ladies could be cheered up. As an accomplished painter himself Churchill knew the value that the arts bring to a community.
I came across these nuggets whilst researching Churchill for a book I recently published called “Churchill’s Secret Skills.”
- Binden Shovel
#4 by gmiller on November 4, 2010 - 2:03 pm
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Jim, thanks for the insight! I admit it would be disappointing if the quote is not verifiably real. None the less, I love the sentiment.