Unseen photographs of Winston Churchill in his forties set to fetch £ 4,000 at auction
Unseen photographs of Winston Churchill in his 1940s painting and on tour of the Middle East in 1921 with his wife Clementine and Lawrence of Arabia are expected to fetch £ 4,000 at auction
- Winston Churchill was on a diplomatic mission as Secretary of State for the Colonies
- Images taken by Captain Maxwell Coote who was Churchill’s aide-de-camp
- They are now sold by his descendants with the London-based auction house
Previously unseen photographs of Winston Churchill touring the Middle East with his wife Clementine and writer TE Lawrence are expected to fetch £ 4,000 when they go up for auction in London.
Churchill, then in his 40s, went on a diplomatic mission in 1921 after being appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies.
He attended the Cairo Conference in Egypt alongside TE Lawrence – the hero of the Arab revolt of World War I.
The footage, which was taken by Captain Maxwell Coote, who was Churchill’s aide-de-camp at the conference, is sold a century later by his descendants to London-based Forum Auctions, which expects archives bring in £ 4,000.
Unseen photographs of Winston Churchill on tour in the Middle East are expected to fetch £ 4,000 at auction. Pictured: Churchill delivers a speech at a British military cemetery
In one of the images, Churchill can be seen painting on an easel in a monastery with a branded cigar in his mouth
The images were taken by Captain Maxwell Coote who was Churchill’s aide-de-camp at the conference. Pictured: the mayor of Jericho and his driver (left) and a photo showing TE Lawrence, who attended the Cairo conference with Churchill, and Gertrude Bell (right)
In the footage, Churchill can be seen delivering a speech in a British military cemetery and painting on an easel in a monastery with a branded cigar in his mouth.
Another photo shows him adopting a distinctive leg-up stance as he stood with Lord Trenchard – the ‘father of the Royal Air Force’.
Capt Coote, who fought in Gallipoli, described Lawrence as “very nice to talk to” and “so calm and unassuming, with no ‘side’ at all.”
And, of Churchill, he said, “It’s a great thing about Winston that he never gets up early.
Another photo shows Churchill adopting a distinctive leg-up stance as he stood with Lord Trenchard – the “Father of the Royal Air Force”
Pictured: Captain Maxwell Coote, who was Churchill’s aide-de-camp at the conference, riding a camel
He describes in detail watching him paint, saying, “(Churchill) took me with him when he went to paint: we went to the most wonderful ancient monastery in Derwish.
“I don’t remember seeing anyone painting in oils before …
“He was quite fun to watch and very typical in the way he puts paint on and scrapes it all off again, but he’s very smart and has a great sense of color.”
Hester Malin, specialist at Forum Auctions, said: “The photos were taken by Captain Coote who accompanied Churchill and TE Lawrence to the Cairo conference.
The images are sold a century later by London-based Forum Auctions, which expects the archives to fetch £ 4,000. Pictured: Churchill painting
Pictured: Captain Maxwell Coote at the helm exiting the canal with Suez in the background
“They’re brand new, which is very exciting. He had intimate access to Churchill as it was his job to support him and entertain Clementine during the visit.
“There is a wonderful account he gives of the painting of Churchill and his diary gives a fascinating glimpse into life behind the scenes.
“The records are being sold by Capt Coote’s family to mark the centenary of the trip.”
Churchill was Secretary of State for the Colonies for less than two years before losing his seat in Dundee in the general election of November 1922.
He spent two years writing and painting before returning to Parliament in 1924 and becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The sale takes place tomorrow.
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