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nes+ hourThe Bullet-in 0':" t.r.e Winston Chur-c hL'lI

As s oc i at t on ;of tt;e Ar.JericnnTopical (Philatelic:

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The four designs of the slx-s tamp set recently released byGrenada to promote painting aad 5Ui1mp desil':oinJ: among herpeoples, are shown above t left 10 riglll, u.p): 12c, the Mediter-ranean near Geooa; 15c, St.vJeae-Cap-Ferrut: (bottom) 2Sc, nearAntibes sbowing boats in the harbor ; and 511e, the designer's in-terpretation of Churchill at ,"ork 1)0 a pain ling sbowlng a seascape.The designs 00 the JOe and lSc lire l~e same as the ISc and 25c..

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ne'·:e:-ct. Churchill COl'?':..'!h?:-1ora.tive Designs. (above r'. Dane er-ous Fraudulent Issue (below) ._ .•,Jt. (....... ..~~';.

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(IS YOUR NAME ON THIS LIST? FINEST HOUR IIf not, this is your last issue of "Finest Hour" until receipt of your$2.00 dues and 50¢ initation fee (members outside North America add$1. 00 for additional postage). Your t'lSCSUCharter Membership number isat left. ATA numbers and collecting interests codes follow each name.Consult key code at end of list for explanation.

WSCSU Charter Members1. Richard M. Langworth 18318-.~CEGK

C8-253 East Crestwood Drive, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 170112. Martin Hoff 10819-BEG

~9-16 Grove Street, Brooklyn, New York 112273. Mrs. Beverly Fowler 17781-ABCDEFG

4900 Buckingham Way, Spenard, Alaska 995034. Edward L. Browne 9572-ABCDEFGH

Post Office Box 2693,.Pompano Beach, Florida ,330605. Mrs. Ada Stefani 19546-BG

Post Office Box 241, Norwalk, Connecticut 068526. F.D. Kempster 15883-AB

Site 6, Box 11, RR 1 Windsor Jet., Halifax Co., N.S. f Canada7. Stuart C. Hall 19069-BG

.678 Elm Street, San Jose, California 951268. Joseph C.McCarthy 18462-ABC

1805 Parma Hamlin,T.L. Road, Hilton, New York 144689. Henry D. Osmers 19572-BGI

117-48 238th Street, Elmont, New York 1100310. Charles D. Curfman 18376-Beg

45 Cox Street, Nashua, New Harnpsh i.r-e 0306011.' L.A. Trevett 17883-?

86 Gray Street, Billerica, Massachusetts 0182112. Mrs. Virginia Brautlecht .2075-BG

~. 517 East .Lincoln Highway, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047

13. Stuart R. Sharp 14880-BI27 Jackson Avenue, Peabody, Massachusetts 01960

14. Mrs. Joan M. Kinzig 20467-BEGc/o Phi1co-Ford Corp.,A.p.O. San Francisco, Calif. 96346

15. Robert·W.·Aker ATA new rnember-ABEGI1381 Central Park Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45409

C :16~ Miss Joan Robertson 13585-BDEFGIJKL10526 74th,Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

CHARTER HE!-lBERS(continued) FINEST HOUR 2

()17. Sol Friedlander 18259-BEFGI45 Stratford Dr~ve, Colonia, New Jersey 07067

18. Hiss Lillian Stanford 16234-BE300 Lytle Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202Key code for Collecting Interests: Collectors:

A Singies, usedB_ Singles, mintC Blocks, plateD Blocks, 'unnumberedE Covers, incl. FDCsF Postal StationaryG-Non-l'lSC stamps having relation

to Churchill or his life/timesH - LocalsI Souvenir SheetsJ SealsK PhotographsL Labels

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This gives us an idea of the most popular and most unique areas of col-lecting interests. Seventeen of out eighteen members have reported their

.interests, and all of us collect mint singles in some form or another.(- Thirteen of the 17 collect non-Churchill designs having a direct bearing

Jon the life and times of N.S.C. (The United Kingdom's eight~stamp Battle-of Britain is the favorite among these). Ten COllect coversr but from there

~the quantity drops off.Only one member, Ed Browne #4, collects "locals." Can we have a descrip-tion, Ed? And Hiss Joan Robertson #16, is the only Unit member so farwho augments her collection with applicable Seals and Labels ..Photographs ,postal stationary and souvenir sheets are other less-common interests,which should all help add to their owners' Churchill album. (~atch outfor those "Black Blot" souvenir sheets though!) \. .

You may be interested to know that the eighteen of us will be the onlyCharter Members of the Churchill Unit. Our Charter was-..J:eceivedjust aweek before this issue went to press (more on this later) • Future memberswill be numbered in the hundreds; thus the next.member will be #101. Evenas we are, however, we already out-number many older and well-establishedUnits of the A.T.A.SPANISH NALLPAPER

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Credit: Harry F. Rooke, Linn's Stamp NewsThe 1937 Spanish Civil War brought its flood tide of charity labels. Ittakes a specialist to love (and house) them all. The most common of theselabels is the S~n Valor type, which came along during the 1940's. Of

( ~ these, it is the lO¢ (blue) of the design issued on the cover of Finest.Hour that is the'worst offender. Even now, it is being offered in London

~ess than a dollar a thousand! Little wonder that such a grossly over-produced label should come in for "liquidation-overprinting."

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SPANISH NALLPAPER (continued) FINEST HOUR 3

c ) After its first appearance on the market, this "stamp" appeared again withtwo se-tenent overprints reading "Habilitado/Para" (reissue) in black,green, or red, at the same time surcharged with the figure "5" over theoriginal "10", and (more significant) the letters "cts" obliterating itsone redeeming feature--the words that meant "without postal value!"

Even without this overprint, the less reputable.firms crammed them intotheir packets for children, because their top inscription contained theword "Correos." This actually indicated the Post Officials' Associationfor which the labels were reputedly sold. Not quite as common are the samelables in orange, and in green, these being part of a set intended as"Historia Del Correo," issued in 1944. All values are the same format, withdifferent designs for each value, each of which exists in two colors asfollows:5¢ (brown or red) Correo~Imperial, depicts Roman Charioteer; 10¢ (orangeor green) Caretero Rural, country postman--this is the over-produceddesign in blue); and 25¢ (lilac or blue green) Ermita de Marcus, Madonnaand church; 1 Pta (blue or red) Communicacion de Hogueras-Indias, agroup of ancient Spanish soldiers; and a 2 Pt~ (olive or blue lilac)Postas, stagecoach-and-four. If these--and any other values of the series--received the "Habilitado" treatment the writer has never seen them.Nor does th~ story end there--a new use had been found for the lO¢ wall-paper in blue, to insult the great name of Sir winston Churchill. So~

(.-) called red overprints have been applied reputedly in his "Hemory" by un-, speak ably vulturous speculators out to make a quick buck.

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Let us hope the lessons learned in their younger days by infliction ofthis rubbish will stop specialists, particularLy Churchill topicalists,from adding these abominations to their collections!COMMUNICATE: ! .

The membershipli~t and collecting interests on pages 1 and 2 will serveto put you in touch with other collectors with similar fields of activity.We urge you to communicate with each other, and this Bulletin, in orderto discuss your comparative album layout and various methods of approach-ing the different SUbjects;CHURCHILL IN CONTEXT: CZECHOSLOV~KIA ...". ~.AIl is over •.Silent, mournful, abondoned ~ broken, Czechoslovakiarecedes into the darkness ...•Many people, no doubt, honestly believe

.that they are.·only giving away the interests of Czechoslovakia, whereasI fear we shall find that we have deeply compromised, and perhaps fatal-ly enda~gered,the safety of Britain and her ~esternallies."This is not ~erely aq~estion of •••losinginfluence in eastern Europe;It goes far deeper than that. You have t6 consider the cha~acter of thetotalitarian movement and the rule which it implies. The Prime Minister

( : desires to.~ee cordiai relations between this ~ountry and the aggressorn~tion. There is no difficulty at all in having cordial relations qetweenthe peoples •.Our hea.rt.sgo out to them. But they have no power. .'"

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CHURCHILL IN CONTEXT:CZECHOSLOVAKIA (continued) FINEST HOUR 4

( )"Never will you have friendship with the present totalitarian government.You must have diplomatic and correct relations, but there can never befriendship between democracy and the authoritarian power, that power whichspurns Christian ethics, which cheers its onward course by barbarouspaganism, which vaunts the spirit of aggression and conquest, whichderives strength aand perverted pleasure fomr persecution, and used, as wehave seen, with pitiless brutality the threat of murderous force."That power cannot ever be the trusted friend of democracy .....And do notsuppose this is the end."This is only the beginning· of the reckoning."This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitte~ cup whichwill be proffered to us year by year unless, by a supreme recovery ofmoral health and martial vigor, we arise again and take ou~ stand forfreedom, as in olden time."

N.S.C.------~House of Commons

October 5th, 1938"Your editor thinks, that by a little minute word-exchanging, we might find

ourselves with some timely comment on matters of moment in eastern Europetoday; thirty years· after Sir Winston made that speech. Substitute, if youwill, America for Britain, and President for Prime Minister.

I ( r O~ of the greatest frustrations over the recent,· latest rape of this lit....·tl~ nation is the complete inability of the NATO allies to take any,cor-

rective action. NATO has only parity with the Warsaw Pact today. Had somemilitary action been· taken in 1956, on the side of Hungary, perhaps wewould not be faced with this tragedy today. But 1956 is, of course,ancient history.

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Perhaps it would be fitting for collector~ Churchill and otherwise, toselect a plate brock of the Overrun Nation issue bearing the flag ofCzechoslovakia, and use it in their collection, accompanied by the above <quote. It would at leas~ serve to express one's sympathy toward a small

"nation, willing to take'her chances for fredom's sake. RMLGRE~ADA PORTRAYS CHURCHILL ARTCredit: Evelyn Zirkind, Linn's Stamp News

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"Grenada is currently embarking on an adult education program, and thefostering of arts including painting and stamp designing. It was thought·to encourage the adult populace to have the courage to choose and pursueart by putting up as an example a person who also took up art late in lifeand succeeded magnificently. To this end, Grenada brought out a set ofvalues on March 23, showing several of the paintings of Sir Winston

.Churchill.. .~' .. ' :.. . _....

( ,J. The stamps, with ornate decorations, were designed by30 Southbend Avenue, Darlington, England. The choices

'sized the sea scene in warmer climate~. The top value"Varsahely~'s own creation and depicts what appears to

G.L. Varsahelyi ofof scenes empha-of the set is Mr.be the elder Churchi

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CHURCHILL AND PAINTING (continued) FINEST HOUR 5

( at work on a seascape. Denominations and designs are lO¢ and 25¢, nearAntibes showing boats in aharbor~ 15¢ and 35¢, St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat; 12¢the Mediterranean near Genoa; and 50¢ Churchill the painter at his canvas,which is an original design by Varsahelyi. The ornate decorations andthe background to the Royal portrait on each stamp are in metallic gold.The portrait of Her Majesty the Queen is by Dorothy \~ilding.It~is with great diffidence and much humility that this writer undertakesthe subject of Churchill as a painter, based on the beautiful, Grenadaissue. But purpoSe provides courage. Nowadays, too many persons approachtheir "sunset" years without adequate preparation for the purposefululilization of their enforced leisure time, a result of the 65-year man-datory retirement age, that peculiar characteristic of the current worka-.day world. Thus'it is my purpose to recall how Sir T~inston Churchillfound a proper solution and how he attempted to convince others that asimilar course of action, no matter what the activity, would providesurcease from the daily cares and..burdens of the \-lorkingpresent whilepresenting a foundation upon which successful retirement activity couldbe built •

..Above all, Sir winston attempted to prove that it was never too late tostart on such a course. Nor was he in the least bit hesitant of usinghimself as an example. It was not until May 1915 that Churchill became~ "Sunday painter." This act was npt at all the result of a plannedaction but rather the 'retirement tp a refuge from the vicissitudes ofa political career that had reached its lowes~' ebb of all time.Although he started his political career eariy and had already held sev-eral exal ted Off~by the time of the First ~'lorld"var, he found himselfout of a job infi91J.~'because of reverses in his war l?lans. He returne<;l (to the Duchy o£"iancaster where.he had less than rio t.h i.n q to'do. Up unt i.Lthen recreation had merely been the turning from one administrative dutyto another.·Entertainrnent was lavish and frequent, but indulged in forthe purpose of meeting expert people and trying out ideas on them. He

·was at best an impatient man. with nothing to do he was a caged lion. Un-fortunately he was not·a.man of hobbies .

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One particularly bad Sunday, he picked up the children's paints whichwere laying around and fiddled a bit. Came Monday morning, he chargedout of the house and bought himself a complete outfit: canvases, oils, .brushes, easel--allthe trimmings he could think of--and set himself upto paint an outdoor scene. He stared at the canvas .at a total loss as towhat to dov His· first thought must have been, "\~ell the sky should be

·pretty safe··to paint. After all, it is blue." So he took up a bit ofblue paint on·a small brush and made a tiny dab on the canvas· and sat

·back, absolutely defeated., .

Lady Luck came by in the form of Lady Lavery, wife of a well-known artist.·She asked him what he was so hesitant about. When Mr. Churchill e~plained,

she demanded a big brush, filled it with paint and slapped the paint on..the innocent canvas with sweeping strokes. It suddenly dawned on Mr •.« j Churchill that he could pile onto the canvas all the bold, bright colors

he·liked and in the most· generous amounts he might desire. Thus an amateurartist was borninstantaneousl~.

CHURCHILL AND PAINTING (continued) FINEST HOUR 6( Mr. Churchill found painting a fabulous recreation. It r~quired special

clothing, broad-brimmed hats, at least orebeach umbrella, to shade himself,and perhaps 'a second to shade the easel. Also required were tote boxesfor brushes, p~lettes, and paints. Another important req~irement was abo~ of refreshments and perhaps a box of cigars.Churchill did quite a good deal of painting during the year of 1916.As a matter of fact, two canvases from that period show French landscapesunder bombardment. But although he painted ceaselessly and his healthymind had found a healthy outlet, he stood by miserably as he watched hisgovernment totter while things went from bad to worse.,In'July 1917 Lloyd George ventured to bring Churchill back into theGovernment as Minister of Munitions and as Minister of War and Secretaryof State for the Colonies. His friendship with Bernard Baruch stems fromthat time as their business brought them together and Mr. Baruch became 'one of the many who were gifted with a Churchill painting. But this W;:lS

a different politician, and a different diplomat who now faced the world.,Whither he went, so went his painting paraphernalia. When he needed time

out to rest ,his active mind, out came the paints. And after the war wasover, he actually took time out to take formal lessons in painting fromSir Lavery. From then on his painting technique began to show markedimpro\leme;nt.

CiHe graduated from water colors to oils. The peripatetic statesman paintedbetween conferences, sometimes barely sketching in a scene only to bringit home to be finished later. His main efforts were landscapes and stilllifes. ~hen he thought to try his wings as a painter, he sent four watercolors to a Paris exhibition in 1920 under the assumed name of CharlesMoren. They must have been pretty good for an amateur, as they eachbrought 39 Pounds.He loved to vacation at the Riviera and all his paintings of the southernFrench countrysid~ are rather impressionistic with bright lights and vivid'

'colors. These landscapes are very reminiscent of the Caribbean islands,especially Grenada with its blue seas, and hilly coastline .

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..~: .•••to be·concluded next issue •

",WSCSU Y-lILLNOT OFFICIALLY PARTICIPATE IN TOPEX 69Over a third of our members voted not to attempt to participate activelyin TOPEX next year. Most of them thought the Unit is yet too young, andsuch an attempt would be premature. Since participation should be the

.desire of well over half of us, it was thought wisest to postpone it for1969. RMLUNIT CHARTER APPROVED AND "TOPICAL TIME" EARM.~RKED

Itis a pleasure to welcome the Wins~on S. Churchill'Study Unit as an(~ , official unit of the ATA. Mr. Langworth. now holds the Charter which will

.~be forwarded to the Secretary as,part of WSCSU official records.Further, I have designated TOPICAL TIME No. 126 as an official issuehonoring the Unit. The deadline is September 1, 1970, and the requirements

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FINEST HOUR 7

() would be three basic articles, one of about 600 words in length ptomotingthe unit, and two of about 1200 words In length about various aspects ofChurchill philately. NSCSU members interested in writing one of thesearticles should give the matter some thought. There is plenty of time toplan some excellent articles .

...Jerry Husak, ATA #1, Eou rt.hT-lSCSUHonor MemberOFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORSOwing to the size of the Unit, volunteers were asked ro handle the variousBoard duties until the next full term of each is imminent. Four officersand three directors together make up the seven-person Board. One positionis still vacant: Director for· three years. If you wish to work less timewe will still accept your help. Directors will be asked from time to time

.to comment and vote on pz opo saLs 'C;{"cu:rrenc'club-po'ricies-;---- --- '-'.---'-'- ..-.------~-P·resident, acting:Vice-President:·Secretary:Treasurer:Director, 2 yrs:Director, 1 yr:

Richard M.Langworth #1Martin Hoff #2Mrs. Beverly Fowler #3Richard M. Langworth #1Edward L. Browne #4Charles D.Curfman #10

AUCTIONMaterials for the unit auction are still coming in. Minium bid priceswill be announced shortly. Send your contributions (any philatelic mate-rial relating to WSC or his life and times) to C8-253 East Crestwood Drive,Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 1701~.

".CHURCHILL POSTCARDSTwo3x4" stiud i.e s ~6f-~·S±r;.~'linston,quality produced on glossy paper~' az e".

, available from C.D. Curfman #10, 45 Cox Street, Nashua, N.H. 03060. One <was the famous one presented to WSC. by the House of COTIU.-nonsupon his

i~retirement from public life. You may have both for $1.00 made payable t6"WSCSU and mailed to Mr. Curfman.

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MEMBERSHIP CARDS '-,,"

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"Cards bearing the U.S.Churchill commemorative 5¢ are being made up formembers and should be ready for delivery with the next issue of this bul-letin. Watch for them in the envelope. The reverse of these cards willcontain the immortal poetry written as a ,tribute to Sir Hinston by 'theHonorable John Masefield, Poet Laurette of the United Kingdom. This poemwas on the cover of Volume 1, number 1, of "Finest Hour." ..

SPAD 68-, -. :

( 'The twenty-ninth stamp exhibition of the Associated Stamp Clubs,of Sonth-eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sun·day, October 18, 19, and 20, 1968, at the Sheraton Hotel, 17th and JFK

,Blvd. , Philadelphia. Exhibj.t hours are 10 AM to 10 PM Friday and Saturday10 AM to 4 PM Sunday. This exhibit will contain at le~st one Churchill

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FtN~ST HOUR 8("')collection, an eight-frame entry of 96 pages, by TVSCSU member Dick Lang-

worth. Try to be on hand for this outstanding Stamp Show, and meet othermembers of our unit.BULLETIN CONTRIBUTIONS"Finest Hour" attempts to present a well-rounded format of philatelic andhistoric data concerning Sir winston Churchill. In order to continue to doso, ~qE MUST HAVE YOUR HELP. Information that is vital is typified, butnot limited to, the following:

Descriptions of members collectionsCollection layout practices .News on stamp exhibits and showsNews on new Churchill stampsNews on awards won by WSCSU exhibitorsQuestions on Churchill biography or philatelyComments on operation of the Unit; suggestions

on amplifying or improving Unit services.A number of members are cooperating on this in the form of letters, and wehope to publish some of these and our reply next issue. Please continue tokeep in touch. ~~ewant and need your partLc i.pati.on,LETTERS

C·)Thank you very much for your lette~ of 18th July and the enclosures whichThe Queen was most interested to see. The Queen greatly appreciated your

..kind gesture, but I am afraid it would not be in accordance with Her .Majest's practice to accept Honorary Membership in the winston ChurchillStudy Unit. Yours sincerely,

Philip, Queen ConsortUnited Kingdom

Thank you so much for your letter and for sending me the first two numbersof your pUblication. How.kind of your Board of Directors to invite me to bean honour member of the winston Churchill Study Unit of the American TopicaAssociation. I should b~.very pleased to accept this honour.

".~ .Yours sincerely,",Lady Clementine Spencer-Churchill

........ Second WSCSU Honor Member" . . ". :.. .

Thank you for your letter of 18th July. I am most. honoured by Y9ur invita-tionto become an honorary member of the Winston S. Churchill Study Unit inplace of my late Father and am delighted to accept. I would also like tothank you for the two numbers of your bulletin "Finest Hour" which'I wasmost interested to read. Yours sincerely,

....'-_ Winston S. ChurchillThird WSCSU Honor Member

(The late Right Honorable Randolph S. Churchill was t;)Urfirst honorarymember) •

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(.) TREASURER'S REPORT .. :.:';.. ..

Quarter'ending September 30, 1968 '7..,,'-:.:

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C- ) RECEIPTSDues 1968-9Initiation FeeDonations

FINEST HOUR 9

$36.009.00

73.05

TOTAL $118.05

LIABILITIESVol. 1, no. 1Yolo 1~ no. 2Vol. 1, no. 3PostageDebt Outstanding

$11.005.505.50 .

11. 0014.00*

TOTAL $47.00$71.05CASH ON HAND

.*Checks not cashed by former Treasurer, payable to unit.

FINEST HOUR ADDRESS

Respectfully submit~ed,Richard M. Langworth, Treasurer

C8-253 E. Crestwood DriveCamp Hill, Pennsylvania17011, U. S. A.

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