Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill by David Stafford is a wonderfully written and vibrant account of Churchill’s life for the single year of 1921. Starting on January 1, 1921 with Churchill as a house guest, along with Prime Minister David Lloyd George and other leading figures in the Coalition government, at a New Year’s Party held at Port Lympne in Kent, the author narrates his subject’s progress through the year in both political and family terms. As Colonial Secretary in Lloyd George’s cabinet, Churchill shaped the immediate future of the Middle East at the Cairo Conference and was a leading figure in negotiating the end of the Anglo-Irish War. Against these accomplishments, the year was a difficult one for Churchill personally with the loss of his mother Jennie, his great friend Sir Ernest Cassell, and most tragically the death of his two year old daughter Marigold. In the demanding year, Churchill also found time for painting, making progress on writing the World Crisis, holidaying in the south of France, and dealing with the adventures of his cousin Claire Sheridan.
In the volume Stafford argues that 1921 was “a watershed” in Churchill’s fortunes as he made “enormous gains” in restoring his political reputation. By the end of the year, “an alternative and more positive view [of Churchill] was steadily gaining ground” in the press, amongst his colleagues, and with the general public. Oblivion or Glory is an adroit and enjoyable read.
Stafford (University of Victoria and the University of Edinburgh) is a leading Churchill scholar and the author of Churchill and Secret Service and Mission Accomplished: SOE and Italy 1943-1945.