Churchill's Bodyguard [Hardcover]

Tom Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2005

Walter H. Thompson was Churchill's bodyguard from 1921 until 1936 and was brought back from retirement at the outbreak of war. Tom Hickman's authorised biography draws heavily on extracts from Thompson's own manuscript in which Thompson gives a unique insider's account of a number of occasions on which Churchill's life was put seriously at risk by terrorists, Hitler or his own recklessness. After the war, Thompson married one of Churchill's secretaries, and her recollections, as well as those of surviving family members, are interwoven to tell the revelatory inside story of life beside the Greatest Briton.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a gripping saga... that engrossed me utterly from start to finish' Alexander Waugh on The Call-Up -- Telegraph 'The great merit of Tom Hickman's definitive study of national service is that it presents an entirely fair balance sheet.' Anthony Howard on The Call-Up -- Sunday Telegraph 20040822 '... Tom Hickman's comprehensive history ... is much more than a romp down memory lane.' Sunday Express -- Sunday Express 20040905 'Hickman has drawn on the memories of 90 fellow conscripts to produce an often moving but also amusing chronicle of the national service years.' Sunday Times -- Sunday Times 20040905 '... a fair-minded and perceptive book; it's hard to imagine there'll be a better summary of the subject.' Daily Telegraph -- Daily Telegraph 20040911 'a hugely enjoyable anecdotal history' Gary Sheffield, TLS -- Times Literary Supplement 20041126

About the Author

Tom Hickman has worked as a journalist and editor on numerous national and specialist publications including Today magazine, the Daily Mail; Women's Mirror; Telegraph Magazine; TV Times and Faces magazine. He has written ten books including a history of the BBC during the Second World War and the very well reviewed The Call-Up.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Headline Hardbacks (November 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755314484
• ISBN-13: 978-0755314485
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Churchill, Winston
  • #80 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > U.K. Prime Ministers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Churchill's Bodyguard, October 24, 2008

By 

Denise L. Brown "dlb" (Chatsworth, GA. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Churchill's Bodyguard: The Authorised Biography of Walter H. Thompson (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book, giving insight to a job that of which
most of us are unaware. Walter Thompson, Churchill's bodyguard before
and during the war, gives lots of details and anecdotes about the Prime
Minister, the man who saved Britain and very possibly, the world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book - Bad Paper, July 23, 2009

By 

Don "Come And Take It" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Churchill's Bodyguard: The Authorised Biography of Walter H. Thompson (Paperback)

It was worth buying, but the paper it is printed on is - I don't know how to describe it - not white, but darker colored (cheap quality paper?) - made it hard for my 58 y/o eyes to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any Churchill admirer!, December 9, 2010

By 

Steven R. Urquhart "WWII spy movie fan" (Roanoke, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Churchill's Bodyguard: The Authorised Biography of Walter H. Thompson (Paperback)

For the espionage fan or Churchill admirer this is a must. Long and detailed it fills in all the gaps in our knowledge of the dangers the PM faced daily even long before WWII.