Lot 1319

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WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (1874 - 1965) British Prime Minister who led England through the Blitz and orchestrated the British liberation of occupied Europe and Germany. Churchill is today considered perhaps the greatest statesman of this century. EX-P.O.W. WINSTON CHURCHILL GIVES A PASS TO A FRIENDLY BOER An extraordinary document of Churchill's early fame as a correspondent for the London Morning Post during the Anglo-Boer War, an A.N.S., 1p. oblong 1mo., "Near Ladysmith", Nov. 16, 1899. In full: "The bearer Geo. Mossop has been very kind to me and British officers captured in Estcourt armoured train, while prisoners in the Boer cam. I shall be grateful for any courtesy that may be shown him should he ["¦] be taken." Churchill signs at the conclusion in the same violet pencil he uses to draft the note. Interestingly, the name "Geo. Mossop" is penned in another hand in black pencil, likely indicating that Churchill did not know the individual's name and left a space in the note for him to fill it in. Only a day prior to this, on November 15, Churchill boarded a British armored train at Estcourt in what was then the British Natal Colony, in an effort to report on the besieged city of Ladysmith. Near the settlement of Chieveley, the train was ambushed and derailed by Boer soldiers led by General Louis Botha. While British soldiers returned fire, Churchill directed efforts to return the train to operating condition. Some soldiers were able to escape, but Churchill was not among them; he later identified his captor as Botha himself, although this has been disputed. Churchill and the soldiers captured with him were transported to a Prisoner of War camp near the Boer capital at Pretoria, where he remained until escaping nearly a month later. After days of travel, he happened to approach the British owner of a coal mine, who managed to smuggle Churchill aboard a train bound for Portuguese East Africa and freedom. The gentleman to whom Churchill presented this note was almost certainly GEORGE JOSEPH MOSSOP (1861-1938), a settler of English descent who made a living as a member of a group of Boer hunters, before joining the British Army's Frontier Light Horse under Redvers Buller, future commander-in-chief of British forces at the outset of the Anglo-Boer war. He was present at the Battles of Hlobane and Ulundi during the Anglo-Zulu War, and served in the Boer volunteer forces during the subsequent tribal wars. Afterwards, he worked as a transport rider and hunter, and biographies available describe him as being a British intelligence source during the Anglo-Boer war. It is most likely that he encountered Churchill as a civilian guide attached to the group which captured the future Prime Minister. The note shows folds and split, some fading, but remains mostly legible. Sold with a period photo postcard printed in Belgium, showing captured British troops disembarking from a train upon their arrival in Victoria. Churchill is visible in this photo in a civilian cap with his back turned to the camera. Rare in any autograph from this period!

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November 14, 2018 10:00 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
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$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000