Marlborough

Finely bound wartime signed copies from Churchill to his bank manager T.E.R. Harris.

One of the occasions that Churchill consulted Harries, was in 1943, just before Churchill attended the Quebec Conference, when he was negotiating the film rights to Marlborough with Sir Alexander Korda and MGM. As the bidding was being pushed up, it was decided to obtain tax advice from Lloyds and Harris was consulted. As it happened, Harris was acquainted with the well-known and rather eccentric film producer Filippo Del Giudice ('Mr Del' as he was known), who at around the same time was in mid-production on Laurence Olivier's film of Henry V, which Churchill asked to be fashioned as a piece of morale-boosting propaganda for British troops. This may have helped Del Giudice, backed by J. Arthur Rank and his own production company Two Cities, to secure the rights to Marlborough, for a staggering £50,000. Although Marlborough destined never to be made, the deal transformed Churchill's finances and allowed him to open negotiations to buy back the rights to the History of the English-Speaking Peoples.

'Marlborough was originally intended to run to only 200,000 words, but eventually exceeded 1,000,000' (Muir).

Given by Churchill to his manager and adviser at the Pall Mall branch of Lloyds Bank in London, during a five year period from 1943 to 1946. As is well documented in No More Champagne Churchill and his Money by David Lough (Head of Zeus, 2015), Churchill often found his finances in a precarious position despite lucrative book deals, and he turned to Harris for advice on several occasions).