Walter Thompson - Churchill's Bodyguard Quiz

Answer: A footballer at Arsenal FC

Thompson's mother didn't allow this, claiming that playing for Arsenal was not a respectable job.

Such intimate details of Thompson's life were not known until his memoirs were found by his great-niece, who allowed them to be published. She said that she knew the papers were wartime papers just from the smell. The 360,000 word papers described several events and incidents from the life story of Thompson himself to his position of Churchill's bodyguard which he held for almost 18 years.

Answer: Thompson had saved a police officer's life

Seeing a police officer being attacked, Thompson became involved and potentially saved the officer's life. After passing the exam and becoming a PC in Bayswater, he moved to the plainclothes division and was involved in rooting out German spies. His commanding officers, impressed with his progress, then moved him to the Diplomatic Protection Squad.

Thompson quickly rose up the ranks and proved his qualities of reliability and commitment which eventually culminated in his power over the life of one of history's most important figures.

Answer: Lloyd George

It is reported that Thompson did not like working with Lloyd George and this was the reason for his transfer. Thompson saw Lloyd George as a philanderer.

Answer: Dislike - he thought he was inconsiderate

Thompson is quoted as saying that Churchill was "almost priggish, lacking in consideration". He asked to go elsewhere, believing Churchill to be thoughtless and self-centred, only to be told by his chief that "Winston's asked for you to be with him permanently".

Answer: Lawrence of Arabia

As T.E. Lawrence warned, Churchill and Thompson were likely to be at risk from the instant they hit Arab soil, due to the fierce nationalistic battles between the Arabs and the Jews.
This hostility persisted in their visit to Egypt. As stones smashed through the windows of their train carriage Churchill was reported to sit calmly, smoking his cigar.
The "laugh in the face of danger" attitude of Churchill was seen again on the same trip, on an occasion when he left the hotel in the middle of the night to visit Field Marshall Allenby. Thompson exclaimed to Churchill that "you are making my job impossible", to which Churchill replied "We're just beginning to understand each other".

Answer: The IRA

Upon seeing two IRA members signalling to a suspected third assassin, Churchill was supposed to have said "If they want trouble, they can have it!". Thompson's more rational decision was to tell the driver to "drive like the devil", draw his gun and shield Churchill with his body.

Thompson also claimed that it even scared him a few times after Churchill became involved in Irish politics, often going walkabout with no warning.

On top of this, assassination attempts by Nazi snipers, Indian and Arab nationalists and other radicals meant Thompson's role as Churchill's bodyguard became more important than ever.

Answer: Helene de Portes

Although she had no gun, Madame Helene was found to be carrying a knife at the time.

Churchill and Thompson became undeniably closer due to the extreme circumstances they faced together. Churchill's growing faith in his personal body guard meant that he often asked to be accompanied by Thompson alone, whereas President Roosevelt never had less than 20 men with him during important visits or events.

They spent more and more time together during World War II. One story tells how, on a flight back to Britain after an overseas visit, Churchill refused fighter support, stating they were "needed elsewhere". With only Thompson by his side, their plane was vulnerable. Upon seeing a German fighter, Thompson ordered the pilot to take the plane down into the mist, therefore escaping being shot down. Thompson later said "That German pilot will never know how close he came to winning the Iron Cross".

Answer: He had a breakdown

The breakdown did not keep Thompson away for long as he returned to his duties just a few weeks later.
Whilst being known as a fairly hard man, Thompson did have one fear - thunderstorms. This arose from him being struck by lightning at Southampton football ground.
Churchill too is well known for his toughness and tenacity. His fear seemed to be of traffic and fast cars. This followed being hit by a car in New York.

Answer: Yes

His new wife, May Shearburn, was introduced to him through Churchill as she was his junior secretary. When they did eventually marry they put their registered address as "10 Downing Street", which seemingly did not attract many questions.

The amount of time Churchill and Thompson spent together was also reported to annoy Churchill's wife, leading to resentment of the bodyguard.

Answer: He paid for Thompson's daughter's surgery

This act was particularly considerate given that Churchill was virtually penniless at the time and the operation saved the girl's hearing.
Churchill also stuck up for Thompson in the face of such "snobs" as Lord Curzon, who criticised Thompson for not addressing him properly. Churchill barked at Curzon "Thompson was perfectly correct in his manner of addressing you."

Due to the feared reaction the establishment thought Thompson's memoirs would cause after World War II, he was forbidden from publishing them and instead published the watered-down "I was Churchill's Shadow" in the 1950s.

The credibility of Thompson's memoirs and his impact on Churchill can be summed up by the words of documentary maker Phillip Nugent:
"He was one of Scotland Yard's finest, otherwise he wouldn't have been put in charge of not one, but two British Prime Ministers, so the chances of him being unreliable, inaccurate or a fantasist are very slim. Indeed Churchill, who did not suffer fools, personally requested him as his personal bodyguard for eighteen years. Plus Winston and Walter remained good friends in later life".

Thanks for taking my 30th quiz and thanks to Soozy_Woozy for this idea.